Qatar seems willing to lend a hand to Italy and Monte dei Paschi. Four funds from the emirate are ready to invest one of the five billion capital increase that the Sienese bank will launch early next year. This was revealed by "Corriere della Sera" which speaks of direct contacts held with Qatar by Palazzo Chigi which is studying all ways, together with the Treasury, to secure the Monte and thus avoid possible systemic risks not only for Italy but for Europe itself which would arise again if a new Lehman case were to break out.
Qatar knows Italy well and in recent years has already made significant investments in our country: it is present in the strategic fund of Cassa depositi e prestiti, owns the Valentino fashion house, has significant real estate properties in Rome, Milan and on the Costa Emerald.
If the MPS operation goes through, the Qatari funds, which could be joined by other international funds, would form the strong core of the Tuscan bank's next capital increase. But to support the capital increase, the Government and the financial advisors (JP Morgan and Mediobanca in the lead) are also thinking of soliciting the conversion into shares of the Monte's subordinated bonds in the hands of institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies.
The game is long and difficult and so far not even the turnaround at the top of the Monte has been enough to convince the markets, solicited by JP Morgan which demanded higher fees to be part of the guarantee syndicate and manage the bridging loan and with which clashed with the former CEO Fabrizio Viola who, in the end, had to give up his seat to Marco Morelli, under pressure from the shareholder Tesoro.
