After over 500 years in banking, having been founded under the auspices of the Republic of Siena in 1472, Monte dei Paschi di Siena has finally made it – into the upper hierarchy of the bond league tables.
‘Il Monte’, as it’s familiarly known, has not only catapulted itself into the top 20 bookrunner rankings of European government bonds this year, says Dealogic, but has soared into the top 10 at number five for the first time since – wait for it – the Renaissance.
And if the oldest bank in the world becoming the newest entrant into the top tier of government bond underwriting wasn’t enough, it did so after helping UniCredit execute one solitary deal in October – the Republic of Italy’s record-breaking €18 billion of four-year inflation-linked bonds.
The deal, and its accreditation in the league table rankings, has undoubtedly had most big global investment banks weeping into their spaghetti.
UniCredit, for example, is not just ranked number one in European government bonds but is ranked numero uno by an Italian country mile ahead of the typically dominant Deutsche Bank, Barclays and HSBC.
But the plaudits must go to il Monte. After all, it has managed to achieve something in one deal that some of its big global rivals have failed to do over many years, hundreds of mandates and innumerable pitches.
Here’s to the next 500 years!