What has now become a traditional meeting to report the results and present Intesa Sanpaolo's sustainability projects took place on the 16^th of january in Milan. The Group has always been committed to philanthropy, culture, access to credit and the environment, but including these as objectives of the Business Plan means that these themes are increasingly characterising the Bank's modus operandi across the board and at all levels. This is based on the conviction, that Intesa Sanpaolo’s CEO Carlo Messina has reiterated on more than one occasion, that the economic growth of the country, and consequently that of its leading bank, is strongly linked to reducing inequality and ensuring ‘sustainable inclusive development’. It is significant that “Intesa Sanpaolo, the driver of sustainable and inclusive development” is the title of the meeting which was attended not only by the Bank’s top management but also by Paola Pisano, Minister of Innovation, Rob Kapito, President of BlackRock, and the partners of numerous associations and companies with which the Bank works to attain its objectives in these fields.

Climate risk is investment risk. So we have no choice but to do something. Firms like Intesa Sanpaolo and BlackRock are responding with change and influencing others to do the same. Sustainability must be integral to portfolio construction and risk management.

Rob Kapito - President of BlackRock

During the one-day meeting two new initiatives for access to credit were presented, for working mothers and people who have difficulty accessing pension schemes (see press release), with the focus on young people and culture. Over the years, 15,000 young people have obtained student loans from Intesa Sanpaolo, a number that is sure to increase thanks to ‘per Merito’, the unsecured loan launched at the end of February 2019. The Bank has also set a record in cultural initiatives. With the announcement that in 2022 it intends to open a fourth Gallerie d'Italia museum in Turin after those of Milan, Naples and Vicenza, Intesa Sanpaolo becomes the first banking group in the world to have four museums open to the public with permanent collections and exhibition programmes with its own original scientific projects. 

This commitment, whose aim is to promote greater social cohesion and reduce inequalities, is based on the Bank's soundness and financial results, which are the basic requisite for a structural programme of activities throughout the territory.

This is what Intesa Sanpaolo has achieved.