The largest bank in Italy and seventh largest by market capitalization in the European Union (2018). Originally founded in 1563, it has 96,000 employees and about 6000 branches offering all banking and financial products to clients in Italy and over 40 other countries.  Intesa Sanpaolo opened the HCMC representative office in 2008 to organize trade finance with Vietnamese banks, financing of larger Vietnamese companies, with special focus on clean energy, transportation and logistics project finance infrastructural works, and to support European companies trading and investment activities in Vietnam or Vietnamese companies to do the same in Europe.  Intesa Sanpaolo’s presence is Asia includes branches in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Turkey and representative offices in Beijing, Mumbai, Seoul and Jakarta, as well as investments in the private equity Mandarin Fund and in the City Commercial Bank of Qingdao.