Intesa Sanpaolo CEO opens the door to new deals, hopes to thrive in Europe

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The Intesa Sanpaolo trademark on the facade of the headquarter of Intesa SanPaolo building in Turin.

“If I were to be able to find a global partner and then a second step to find a counter party with whom it would be possible to create this new leader Europe, this could be something I consider very strategic.”

Intesa Sanpaolo said Tuesday that it is well on-track to deliver this year a net income above the 3.8 billion euros ($4.51 billion) registered in 2017. Intesa Sanpaolo reported a net income of 1.25 million euros in the first quarter of the year, about 43 percent of its total net income last year.

As a result, Messina said the Italian lender will be able to pay a “generous dividend” this year.

Last October, Messina criticized Ray Dalio, from the hedge fund Bridgewater, for betting against his company. At the time, there were reports that Dalio’s firm made a multi-million dollar bet against Intesa Sanpaolo, expecting the shares to come down in the short-term.

Messina told CNBC on Thursday that his firm is a good investment. “We are a good solution for investments in the long-term, so better to reduce the negative position to Intesa Sanpoaolo if you want to have an upside in the future.”