Merged banks don't plan to delist Natixis - filing

PARIS, Aug 10 (Reuters) - France's newly-merged BCPE bank does not plan to delist the shares of Natixis (CNAT.PA) as part of a strategic review, French market regulator the AMF said in a statement on Monday.

BPCE, the new French bank formed by the merger of Caisse d'Epargne and Banque Populaire, owns 71.54 percent of Natixis.

BCPE said in its statement to the AMF that it "reserved the possibility of proceeding to new acquisitions depending on circumstances and in line with its role as reference shareholder and central body of Natixis."

There has been frequent speculation about a possible delisting of Natixis because of the terrible performance of the bank's shares, which remain well below the level of 19.55 euros at which it floated on the Paris stock exchange in December 2006.

Natixis shares closed 2.96 percent higher on Monday, at 2.50 euros. The shares have risen about 70 percent so far this year, having fallen 86 percent last year. (Reporting by Helen Massy-Beresford, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)