Nexi in exclusive talks to buy BPER’s retailers’ payment arm-source

MILAN -Italian payments group Nexi is in exclusive talks to buy the retailers’ payment business of BPER Banca, a person close to the matter said, confirming a report by Bloomberg News.

A deal could be worth around 350 million euros ($396.73 million), the person said.

In a conference call after the group’s fourth-quarter results earlier this month, Nexi’s Chief Executive Paolo Bertoluzzo said the group could consider new M&A opportunities, mainly in areas where it is already present.

In Italy, in the past few years, Nexi bought the retailers’ payment businesses of Intesa Sanpaolo and UBI Banca, MPS, Deutsche Bank and Carige.

($1 = 0.8822 euros)

(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Susan Fenton)