![Italian banks are losing lots of money, but at least it's not because they're getting robbed — Quartz Italian banks are losing lots of money, but at least it's not because they're getting robbed — Quartz](https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bank-vault.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1600&h=900&crop=1)
Italian banks are losing lots of money, but at least it's not because they're getting robbed — Quartz
![People walk past the entrance of Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) headquarters in downtown Milan, Italy, January 29, 2016. Merger talks between Italian cooperative lenders Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano ( People walk past the entrance of Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) headquarters in downtown Milan, Italy, January 29, 2016. Merger talks between Italian cooperative lenders Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano (](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2CJ782P/people-walk-past-the-entrance-of-banca-popolare-di-milano-bpm-headquarters-in-downtown-milan-italy-january-29-2016-merger-talks-between-italian-cooperative-lenders-banco-popolare-and-banca-popolare-di-milano-bpm-took-a-big-step-forward-on-thursday-when-rome-backed-a-tie-up-the-two-banks-are-at-an-advanced-stage-in-merger-talks-and-a-combination-would-create-italys-third-biggest-lender-by-assets-just-ahead-of-monte-dei-paschi-di-siena-if-successful-it-would-likely-be-the-first-merger-since-a-reform-of-large-cooperative-lenders-last-year-to-encourage-consolidation-and-strengthen-ita-2CJ782P.jpg)
People walk past the entrance of Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) headquarters in downtown Milan, Italy, January 29, 2016. Merger talks between Italian cooperative lenders Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano (
![A bicycle is parked in front of a Bank of Italy sign in Rome October 31, 2013. Employees of Italian banks went on strike to protest against a decision by the country's A bicycle is parked in front of a Bank of Italy sign in Rome October 31, 2013. Employees of Italian banks went on strike to protest against a decision by the country's](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2CWFFDX/a-bicycle-is-parked-in-front-of-a-bank-of-italy-sign-in-rome-october-31-2013-employees-of-italian-banks-went-on-strike-to-protest-against-a-decision-by-the-countrys-biggest-lenders-to-scrap-a-national-labour-contract-covering-more-than-300000-workers-reutersalessandro-bianchi-italy-tags-business-employment-civil-unrest-2CWFFDX.jpg)
A bicycle is parked in front of a Bank of Italy sign in Rome October 31, 2013. Employees of Italian banks went on strike to protest against a decision by the country's
![A 500-year-old bank in Italy is teetering, and threatens to take the rest of the country's financial system with it — Quartz A 500-year-old bank in Italy is teetering, and threatens to take the rest of the country's financial system with it — Quartz](https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bank-holdings-of-domestic-gov-debt-july-2013-percent_chartbuilder.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=450&h=254&crop=1)
A 500-year-old bank in Italy is teetering, and threatens to take the rest of the country's financial system with it — Quartz
![People walk past the entrance of Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) headquarter in downtown Milan, Italy, January 29, 2016. Merger talks between Italian cooperative lenders Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano ( People walk past the entrance of Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) headquarter in downtown Milan, Italy, January 29, 2016. Merger talks between Italian cooperative lenders Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano (](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2CN48GD/people-walk-past-the-entrance-of-banca-popolare-di-milano-bpm-headquarter-in-downtown-milan-italy-january-29-2016-merger-talks-between-italian-cooperative-lenders-banco-popolare-and-banca-popolare-di-milano-bpm-took-a-big-step-forward-on-thursday-when-rome-backed-a-tie-up-the-two-banks-are-at-an-advanced-stage-in-merger-talks-and-a-combination-would-create-italys-third-biggest-lender-by-assets-just-ahead-of-monte-dei-paschi-di-siena-if-successful-it-would-likely-be-the-first-merger-since-a-reform-of-large-cooperative-lenders-last-year-to-encourage-consolidation-and-strengthen-ital-2CN48GD.jpg)