In Italy, reports said that Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (BIT:ISP) could take a stake in Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (BIT:G). Intesa was considering buying a stake in Generali and this could possibly be part of a broader deal between Intesa and Allianz SE (DB:ALV). Under the scheme, La Stampa said, the German insurer could buy some of Generali's assets while Intesa would buy a stake worth between 5 and 6 billion euros to protect Italian interests in the insurer.

Intesa and Allianz declined to comment.