Banca Intesa

Banca Intesa S.p.A.
Company type	S.p.A.
Industry	Banking
Founded	1998
Defunct	January 1, 2007
Fate	Merged with Sanpaolo IMI to form Intesa Sanpaolo
Headquarters	Milan, Italy
Area served	Italy, Central Eastern Europe, Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa
Products	Retail banking, corporate banking, wealth management, private banking, industrial credit, mergers and acquisitions advisory, structured finance, merchant banking, capital markets operations, global custody services
Owner	Crédit Agricole (17.84%), Fondazione Cariplo (9.22%), Generali group (7.54%), Lombardo voting syndicate (4.88%), Fondazione Cariparma (4.33%), others (56.19%)
Parent	None

Banca Intesa S.p.A. emerged in 1998 as an Italian banking conglomerate through the union of Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde (Cariplo) and Banco Ambrosiano Veneto. The subsequent year, it combined forces with Banca Commerciale Italiana, adopting the name IntesaBCi, before reverting to the original Banca Intesa brand in 2003.

In 2007, the bank joined with Sanpaolo IMI, resulting in the formation of Intesa Sanpaolo, which became Italy's leading bank and ranked third-largest in Europe by total assets.

History

The foundation of Banca Intesa traces back to the 1998 merger between Cariplo and Banco Ambrosiano Veneto, which included its antecedents Nuovo Banco Ambrosiano and Banca Cattolica del Veneto.

Following the incorporation of Banca Commerciale Italiana in 1999, the group rebranded as IntesaBCi in 2001, later returning to the Banca Intesa name in 2003. Growth was further achieved through acquisitions of regional banks such as Cariparma, FriulAdria (both eventually divested to Crédit Agricole), Carisap, and Carifol.

Concurrently, the group disposed of several assets including Carispezia (transferred to Banca CR Firenze), Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria, Banca di Legnano (sold to Banca Popolare di Milano), Cassa di Risparmio di Carrara (acquired by Banca Carige), and Banca Carime (transferred to Banca Popolare Commercio e Industria). Additionally, branches were sold to competitors such as Banca Nuova, Banca Popolare di Vicenza, and Unipol Banca to comply with Italian Competition Authority mandates following the merger with BCI.

Prior to merging with BCI, a substantial 25.51% stake in the group was held by Crédit Agricole.

In August 2006, Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI declared their intention to merge, creating Intesa Sanpaolo effective from 1 January 2007. This merger established Italy's largest banking institution, headquartered in Turin with a secondary office located in Milan.

Following this union, in 2008, initiatives were undertaken to launch a Russian-Italian investment bank supported by Intesa Sanpaolo and VEB.RF, under the leadership of Sergey Yastrzhembsky.

Divisions

Banca Intesa SpA is organized into four principal sectors:

The Retail Division caters to individuals, small enterprises, SMEs, and non-profit organizations, concentrating on retail banking services, wealth management, private banking, and industrial credit.
The Corporate Division serves medium to large corporations, financial institutions, and public sector entities by providing services including mergers and acquisitions advisory, structured finance solutions, merchant banking activities, capital markets operations, global custody services, alongside a dedicated international network.
The Italian Subsidiary Banks Division consists of regionally focused banking subsidiaries.
The International Subsidiary Banks Division encompasses foreign subsidiaries delivering retail and commercial banking primarily across Central Eastern Europe. Moreover, Banca Intesa operates branches and representative offices throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Africa.

Ownership

Immediately before the merger effective on 1 January 2007, the ownership structure was as follows:

Crédit Agricole held 17.84%
Fondazione Cariplo possessed 9.22%
The Generali group (including Assicurazioni Generali and Alleanza Assicurazioni) controlled 7.54%
The Lombardo voting syndicate (comprising entities such as Banca Lombarda e Piemontese, Carlo Tassara, Mittel) owned 4.88%
Fondazione Cariparma accounted for 4.33%
Remaining shareholders collectively held 56.19%

External links

(redirects to the official website of Intesa Sanpaolo)