ABN Amro today raised €2.5bn ($3.3bn) in the second-largest share sale of the year. The proceeds will be used to add weight to an all-cash offer for Banca Antonveneta, an Italian rival, in a deal that would create the ninth-biggest bank in Europe.

Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan were joint bookrunners on the sale alongside ABN Amro's brokerage arm. The 135 million shares were sold at €18.65 each, a 0.8% discount to yesterday's closing price of €18.80.