PIN

The discrete father of Nutella – The most common news from Italy in the foreign press last week was doubtless the passing of Michele Ferrero. There were numerous articles about the Piedmont businessman, discussing his discrete existence and legendary inventions, from Nutrella to Kinder eggs. His unique story made a sort of Willy Wonka in the flesh, as various papers compared him to the Roald Dahl character famous for his chocolate factory.

Italian cooperative banks soaring in stock market – A decision that might lead to the creation of a third financial group in Italy, with a long awaited consolidation (January 20 in the Wall Street Journal – Rule Change Could Prompt Italian Bank Consolidation; and Handelsblatt –

Made in Italy – a byword for quality science as well
Interview with Giorgio Basile

New opportunities to invest in Italy. Investment opportunities in France and in Italy are growing, and the explanation for this was given by Rodolfo De Benedetti of CIR in an interview by the Financial Times (December 24 – Investing in France and Italy).

Internationalization of Italian businesses – Italian media and businesses are targeting International markets. That was the focus last week of the foreign press’s interest in Italy.

Made in Italy, style and technology – Design and Italian fashion were again major features in the foreign press. First, there was the agreement between Luxottica and Intel to design the glasses of the future.

The plans of Italian finance and industry – Development in private banking, asset management and insurance, partly through acquisitions.

Investing in Italy – The foreign press continued to report on developments in economic groups, in particularly foreign investments in Italy. There was special emphasis on the news of the approval by European authorities of Ethiad’s participation in Alitalia capital, an agreement that will give greater opportunities for from and for Italy to business travelers and tourists.