Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. (BMPS) is the oldest surviving bank in the world and Italy's third largest bank. Founded in 1472 by the magistrate of the city state of Siena, Italy, as a "mount of piety", it has been operating ever since. Today it has approximately 2,200 branches, 26,000 employees and 4.5 million customers in Italy, as well as branches and businesses abroad. A subsidiary, MPS Finance, handles investment banking. The bank's largest shareholder is the Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena (although the foundation's share-holding has been below 50% since December 2009).