Italy began the process of selling Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA by hiring advisers as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seeks to maximize the value of the state’s controlling stake.

The Finance Ministry will select legal and financial advisers to help in the sale, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The disposal can be done in one or more stages, through a public offer or through extraordinary operations, including a combination, according to the Treasury.