The country's four mafia groups have broken out of their traditional strongholds in the dusty 'Mezzogiorno' south of Rome and spread their tentacles across the whole country, taking advantage of the economic crisis to snap up ailing businesses and ramp up their loan-shark operations.
They now boast estimated cash reserves of €65bn, collectively making them "Italy's biggest bank", according to a study released on Tuesday by Confesercenti, a prominent employers' association.
They groups make an estimated annual profit of €100bn – about 7pc of Italy's GDP.
It seems the average mobster is no longer a gun-toting hoodlum but a savvy businessman in a sharp suit with a smart phone and a sophisticated knowledge of finance.
"Mafia Inc is Italy's number one bank, with €65bn euros in liquidity," the association said in its report, Criminality's Grip on Business.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9006027/Mafia-is-Italys-biggest-business.html
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