UBI springs Eu1bn surprise — peers recoil

UBI Banca on Tuesday revealed plans to raise Eu1bn of core tier one capital in a rights issue, surprising analysts who considered it already one of the strongest Italian banks and therefore among the least likely to raise equity. The deal could presage a raft of announcements from the country’s banks over the coming days and weeks, said one market specialist, thus putting UBI in a strong position with first-mover advantage and a healthy capital cushion.