Guglielmo Marconi, at Nitti’s instigation, accepted the presidency of the new Banca Italiana di Sconto, created to compete with the German supremacy represented by Banca Commerciale and Credito Italiano (which would merge into UniCredit in the 1980s). The idea originated with the Perrone family, owners of Ansaldo. Both the new bank and Ansaldo would grow enormously during the war, but after it, there would be a showdown. Banca Italiana di Sconto would declare bankruptcy in 1921.
