VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The 12% increase in employee bonuses followed a year of exceptional financial performance, during which time approximately €128 million ($140 million USD) was allocated for bonuses.

Italian bank UniCredit to replace Bank Austria CEO Willibald Cernko with head of private banking Robert Zadrazil on March 1 to oversee restructuring after suffering losses.

UniCredit is examining an option to trim its headcount as part of the cost cutting measures to enhance profitability of the bank. Towards this, the Italy's biggest bank by assets would cut 10,000 jobs or seven percent of the total workforce.

A slowdown in Germany weighed on the euro zone in the first quarter, but the bloc's economy still grew at its fastest in almost two years as cheap food and fuel boosted spending and a central bank stimulus program kicked in.

Greece said on Sunday it was confident of reaching agreement in negotiations with its euro zone partners but reiterated it would not accept harsh austerity strings in any debt pact.

Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) will tap investors for up to 2.5 billion euros next year to fill a capital deficit laid bare by recent stress tests and pay back state aid in a move bankers said would prepare the Italian lender for a likely takeover.

U.S. consumer spending fell for the first time in eight months in September, suggesting the economy lost some momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

Alitala, Italy's flag carrier, has written to Italian banks UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo asking to extend an existing loan agreement by €50 million. This comes on top of the €200 million in bank loans agreed on in October.

Italian banks UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA and BNP Paribas's BNL have agreed to sell a combined 59.3% stake in payment firm SIA.

Italian airline Alitalia said on Thursday that it was able to raise EUR173 million of EUR300 million it needed in its cash call from investors with help from Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit.

Italian bank UniCredit said on Thursday that it may consider selling its indirect stake in professional football team Associazione Sportiva (AS) Roma, although no decision had yet been made.

After delisting the HVB shares in 2008, Unicredit is relisting its German units shareholders.

UniCredit submitted a preliminary offer to purchase Poland's Bank BGZ, said a Reuters report.

A statement by Pamplona Capital said that Deutsche Bank was fully committed to returning the pledged shares upon request.

AlpInvest won its bid to purchase EUR800 million in private equity assets from HypoVereinsbank.