Smart International Tour: with SIMEST for the internationalisation of SMEs

The fourth edition of the Smart International Tour – a project through which Intesa Sanpaolo promotes the development of Italian SMEs abroad – is under way. This year, it is being implemented in collaboration with SIMEST.

The tour consists of a series of webinars aimed at enhancing cross-border business opportunities for mid-corporates and the first four events relate to the following markets:

• China-Hong Kong
• Croatia
• Serbia
• Hungary

which are important destinations for exports and investments by Italian companies.

Internationalisation is a decisive avenue of growth, development and competitiveness for companies, including in the light of the opportunities offered by the NRRP.

The events – dedicated to Intesa Sanpaolo's corporate customers – will take an in-depth look at the economic scenario of the countries concerned, outlining their development prospects for exports and investments, along with an analysis of internationalisation facilities and the opportunities offered by the NRRP. More specifically, there will be discussion of:

• growth forecasts and the gradually increasing ability of these countries to attract foreign investment
• benefits of re-shoring and near-shoring
• allocation of European fund
• government privatisation programmes
• prospects for the modernisation of infrastructure and transport networks
• development of the industrial economy and the availability of resources

The initiative is part of the new synergic model for the internationalisation of SMEs activated by the Banca dei Territori Division with the International Subsidiary Banks and IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Divisions, which provides Italian SMEs with additional lines of financing and a range of products and services dedicated to international development.

Smart International Tour has seen more than 1,500 SMEs participate in previous editions and this year will include the collaboration of SIMEST, a company of the CDP Group, with a focus on the participatory loan instrument.