Bank mergers in sight. "Consolidation - explains the president of Intesa Sanpaolo, Gian Maria Gros-Pietro in an extensive interview with Corriere della Sera - is almost inevitable, in Italy and in Europe, where there are too many banks and an economy of scale is needed" .
However, Gros-Pietro's forecast does not concern his group ("In our case, especially in Italy," no merger hypothesis arises) because Intesa Sanpaolo, due to the size it already has and which makes it the leading bank, would meet "criticalities from an Antitrust point of view".
However, the Chairman does not forget to point out that, with the acquisition of the Veneto banks, Intesa Sanpaolo has made a decisive contribution to stabilizing the Italian banking system.
