The official site of Italy's central bank

Banks and banking groups

In Italian legislation, banking activity consists in the dual task of accepting deposits and other repayable funds from the public, and of exercising of credit.
Banks accept repayable savings and liquid funds in the form of deposits and in other forms.
In keeping with European legislation, banks can also engage in any other financial activity excluding those reserved to non-bank entities.
Increasingly, banks belong to banking groups, which comprise:

• the Italian parent bank and its banking, financial and instrumental subsidiaries

or

• the Italian parent financial company and its banking, financial or instrumental subsidiaries, provided that the group of subsidiaries includes at least one bank and the banking and financial companies have a significant stake in it.