The ethical strategies of the bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena

Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) recently acquired 19% of the social capital of Aeroporto di Siena S.p.a. from Aeroporto di Firenze S.p.a.: about 641,000 shares worth approximately €700,000. The Florentine airport company now holds 1.9% of the capital of the Siena airport company, while MPS’s share rises to 42.8%.
This news confirms the increasing direct interest of MPS in the operation of expanding the airport at Ampugnano, near Siena. Although the monetary investment is marginal, it raises questions about the role of MPS in the operation and implications about its relationships with stakeholders.
The local community recognises the economic, social and cultural value that MPS has historically had. The bank has generally promoted a communion of interests between the bank and the population, regarding specific aspects of Siennese life and land. The new project breaks this communion of intents, raising legitimate doubts about the industrial strategies adopted by the bank and trepidation about the economic consequences that a loss of repute could cause.
In the industrial context, the decision of MPS diverges from the intention of reducing capital allocation for shareholdings, declared in its industrial plan for the period 2006-2009. After relinquishing strategically important shareholdings, such as Monte Paschi Vita and Asset Management, motivated by considerations of market position and concentration of core business, it is difficult to understand the economic sense of outlaying about €700,000 for a holding in an airport that has always existed at a loss. The initiative is even more questionable since MPS acquired Banca Antonveneta for 9 billion euro and is in urgent need of funding the operation. The only reason could be to concentrate control of Aeroporto di Siena S.p.a. in Siennese hands, avoiding strategic action from Florence. In any case, assessment of the economic merits of the operation is the task of shareholders, who risk finding themselves involved in an unprofitable operation.
In terms of reputation, the implications are just as negative because they could affect the image of MPS. The reputation of a bank or any other enterprise is linked to the important concept of social responsibility,1 often a vague term exploited solely for marketing. MPS recently invested in ethical principles and social responsibility, among other reasons to recover a loss of repute occasioned by the unfortunate circumstances of the take-over of Banca 121 and the sale of products that became a financial nightmare for many clients. MPS was one of the first Italian banks to publish a much esteemed social balance sheet and to create a web site on the topic ( http://www.mps.it/I+nostri+Valori/). Material on the site shows that MPS pays much attention to the “charter of values”, to which “the MPS group is committed” and on which it “bases its reputation”2.

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It is not clear how the promotion of airport expansion, the heavy environmental consequences of which are well known, can be in line with these ethical principles and values. If the project goes ahead, it will not only be detrimental to the local community but will also have negative implications for relationships with:
i)socially orientated foreign and national investors 3
ii)financial analysts specialised in ethical rating 4
both particularly sensitive to environmental questions. Involvement of MPS in the airport operation could raise doubts about the bank’s continued inclusion in the international ethical club. The reputational and economic consequences would be enormous.

1) The definition of social responsibility in the glossary of the Social and Environmental Balance of MPS is: “voluntary integration of social and ecological concerns of firms in commercial operations and relationships with interested parties”

2) In the charter, recurrent reference is made to:
“the ethic of responsibility:” … “which commits us to being orientated towards” … “environmental conservation and respect for all persons”
“the environment:” … where the conduct of the bank is aimed at “preventing environmental impact, promoting activities and technologies that are environment-friendly and that broadcast environmental culture and sensitivity”;
the relationship with “local communities” who are regarded as stakeholders (subjects such as personnel, shareholders, clients, local communities, the national community, the State, suppliers and future generations, who can influence, be influenced or have a stake in a firm’s activities (from the glossary of the Social and Environmental Balance of MPS 2005).

3) On the MPS web site the part regarding sustainability rating refers to “socially orientated” investors, “such     as superannuation funds, ethical funds and foundations that appreciate the values of MPS and its    commitment to sustainable profits”.

4) On the MPS web site, the part regarding sustainability rating mentions FTSE4Good, Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Ethibel sustainability indices, SiRi company, Oekom Research, Avanzi Sri indexes, European Investment Agency ethics standard and Axia.