1048 GMT - Assicurazioni Generali's business is of direct interest to all major parties involved in a potential acquisition of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, analyst William Hawkins of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods says in a note. Monte dei Paschi acquired a 13% stake in insurer Generali through its takeover of Mediobanca last year. Both Intesa Sanpaolo and Banco BPM mentioned Generali when announcing their proposals for Monte dei Paschi, Hawkins says. Generali shares have outperformed European peers by 15% this year, the analyst says. This suggests they have room to fall if nothing happens or the current situation is reversed, which seems unlikely in the near term, he adds. "Our biggest fear is that one of the parties gains control of the insurer with no strategic premium." Generali shares rise 1.5%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 08, 2026 06:49 ET (10:49 GMT)

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