UniCredit, the Libyan stake is now worth EUR1.5 billion

On Jul 10, 2026

(Alliance News) – The Central Bank of Libya’s holding in UniCredit has fallen to 1.2% of the share capital, but its value has climbed to about EUR1.5 billion thanks to the rise in the market capitalization of the bank led by Andrea Orcel.

At the latest shareholders’ meeting, called to approve the capital increase in support of the takeover bid for Commerzbank, the Libyan institution was listed as the owner of 18.2 million shares, Il Sole 24 Ore reported on Friday.

Libya’s investment in UniCredit dates back to 2008, when the Central Bank of Libya and the Libyan Foreign Bank initially acquired 4.23% of the share capital. Between 2008 and 2010, through market purchases and participation in capital increases, the combined stake rose to about 7.6%, making Libya the bank’s largest shareholder. The initial investment, equal to about EUR1 billion, corresponded to a 4.7% stake.

After the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, the sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the EU also affected the UniCredit stake. In the following years, failure to take part in subsequent capital increases led to a gradual dilution of the stake held by Libyan investors, to the current 1.2%.

By Antonio Di Giorgio, Alliance News reporter

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