The combined entity will have equal ownership, with each party holding 50% and sharing governance and control.

Italy's Generali and France's BPCE said on Tuesday they had taken the first step towards creating Europe's largest asset manager by revenue as the industry bets on size to protect profit margins. The

Italy’s Generali and the owner of France’s Natixis are set to combine their asset management operations to create a European giant overlooking 1.9 trillion euros ($1.979 trillion) in assets.The Italian insurer and French retail bank Groupe BPCE signed a preliminary deal underpinned by 15-year contracts to form a joint venture they will each own a 50% of.

With €1.9tn in AUM, the joint venture would allow the pair to expand globally and speed up a push into private markets.

The board of Italy's top insurer Generali has approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that paves the way for an asset management deal with BPCE's Natixis Investment Managers to crate a European champion,

Assicurazioni Generali SpA and Natixis SA are close to a deal for a joint venture in asset management to cut costs and team up on distribution, according to people familiar with the matter.

Natixis Investment Managers is set to merge with the asset management arm of Italian insurer Generali, creating the largest European asset manager by revenue.

Italy's top insurer Generali aims to reach a preliminary accord with Natixis Investment Managers to combine their asset management operations in order to submit the deal to its board on Jan. 20, two people close to the matter said.