Mediobanca teams up with UK's Founders Factory in fintech push

By Elvira Pollina

MILAN (Reuters) -Mediobanca will partner with London-based Founders Factory, an early-stage investor in new businesses, to promote fintech start-ups, the two companies said, as the Italian bank works to grow its international and tech footprint.

Mediobanca will invest 12 million euros ($13 million) in a joint venture with Founders Factory with a view to building up 35 fintech ventures over the next five years.

Founders Factory has invested so far in more than 300 tech companies, including nearly 50 financial technology ventures.

Among these are Acre, a digital mortgage platform, Qumata, which processes data to help life and health insurers assess risks, and ClearGlass, which collects costs and charges data from asset managers to make fees in the long-term savings market more transparent.

Mediobanca, which has tried for years to expand its international presence in advisory and investment banking, agreed in May to buy London-based Arma Partners, a leading tech advisory firm.

"The (Mediobanca-Founders Factory) venture studio will build, finance and launch new fintech ventures that utilise advanced technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, to innovate the financial services market", the companies said.

Mediobanca's long-standing CEO Alberto Nagel is seeking a new mandate in the autumn. He unveiled a new strategy through 2026 at the end of May.

While Mediobanca still reaps a significant chunk of its income from its holding in top insurer Generali, Nagel has also grown the group's business in consumer credit and wealth management, in addition to its traditional merchant banking activities.

Mediobanca said its new investment fitted with its latest business plan which set as digital priorities the adoption of artificial intelligence solutions to support its sales force, cut costs and improve customer experience.($1 = 0.9029 euros)

(Reporting by Elvira Pollina; editing by Valentina Za and Gavin Jones)