The Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank, founded in 1472 as a Monte di Pietá (Pawn agency) to lend aid to the underprivileged classes of Siena, is considered the oldest bank in the world. Today it is the leader of one of the top five banking groups in Italy, with significant market shares in all the sectors in which it operates. The Gruppo Montepaschi is active all over Italy and in the major international financial centers, with operations ranging from traditional banking activity to asset management and private banking (mutual funds, wealth management, pension funds, and life insurance policies), from investment banking to innovative business financing (project finance, merchant banking, and financial counseling), with a special vocation for "family" accounts and small and medium businesses.