MPS stares down the barrel of a bail-in

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) was unmistakably clear when spelling out the terms of a debt-for-equity swap this week: if bondholders don’t volunteer to be bailed in, the bank will be placed in resolution and they will have no choice. But creditors are not the only ones who are worried as the world’s oldest lender teeters on the brink — the whole Italian banking system is holding its breath.