Popular banks, Banco Bpm in primis, they would now be ready to sell their stake in Nexi, from November the new name of the former Istituto Centrale delle Banche Popolari (Icbpi), which for three years now has been controlled by the Mercury vehicle of the Advent International, Bain Capital and Clessidra funds, led by Paolo Bertoluzzo and chaired by Franco Bernabè.
The bank shareholders now have a secondary share and would be heading towards the final exit, according to what Il Sole 24 Ore writes. Currently 89% of Nexi's capital is in the hands of Mercury, while the remaining 11% is in the hands of a patrol of small and medium-sized institutions. For example, Banco Bpm has 2,5%, Creval 2%, Bper 1,5%, Ubi 1%, Banca Popolare di Cividale 0,7% and Banca Sella 0,2% while percentages lower are also in the hands of Iccrea, Banca Popolare del Frusinate and Banca Popolare Vesuviana.
The negotiations start from the values underlying the 2015 operation which brought the now former ICBPI into the hands of the funds for 2,15 billion euros, but over time things have changed and the three funds have invested in other operations as well as in the improvement of Nexi IT platforms. Furthermore, CartaSi's payments core business, with the high-tech revolution underway, has interesting growth prospects and is destined to land on the stock exchange in one or two years. Here because there is talk of valuations of up to 3 billion and consequently the minor bank shareholders, if they sell their shares, will be able to raise a total of between 200 and 250 million.
