The statement was made in an interview with Corriere della Sera by Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, the second-largest shareholder in MPS and a major investor in Generali.
'Today, a significant stake in Generali is an object of desire for major banks', the businessman said, explaining that a holding in an insurance company offers a bank advantages both in terms of industrial synergies and favorable capital treatment via the 'Danish Compromise'.
'If all the major banks want it, I do not see why those who already have it should sell it', he added.
(Andrea Mandalà, editing Antonella Cinelli)
