July 31 (Reuters) - French state investment bank Bpifrance has sold 66.5 million shares in telecoms group Orange, 2.5% of the capital, for €16.57 apiece or a total of €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion), it said on Friday.
The bank said it was acting jointly with the state, which owns a separate stake through public shareholding agency APE. Bpifrance confirmed the two will hold a combined 20.4% stake in the telecoms operator after the deal, remaining the largest shareholder.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the French state was in the process of selling a small part of its combined stake in Orange, citing people familiar with the matter.
($1 = 0.8685 euros)
Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak
Source: Reuters