Italy and BlackRock discuss potential data centres investment

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met the head of the U.S. fund BlackRock Inc BLK, Larry Fink, in Rome on Monday to discuss possible investments in data centres and supporting energy infrastructure, her office said.

The Rome government and the world's largest asset manager agreed to set up a working group to discuss possible projects to work on together, the statement said.

Meloni and Fink also discussed investment opportunities in national transportation infrastructure and other unspecified sectors of a strategic nature, the statement added.

BlackRock has a strong presence in Italy and holds 7% of UniCredit UCG and 5% of Intesa Sanpaolo ISP, the country's top two banks.