Supporting production

Intesa Sanpaolo stands as a point of reference, not only financially, in support of the country’s economic system and the business and associative world and accompanies its customers in a consolidated and lasting relationship model based on quality, reliability and trust. Regarding SMEs, the Group offers solutions that look to the future of Made in Italy in the world and contribute to sharing their paths of internationalisation, capitalisation, development and digitization with a special focus on ESG issues and ecological transition.

UN SDG SUPPORTED

Launched in 2022, continues to support micro, small businesses, and freelancers in their journey towards digital and sustainable growth. With an expanded offering for various sectors, the initiative facilitates access to tailored financial products, promotes financial education on state incentives, and eases access to credit. In 2024, the second edition of CresciBusiness – Progettiamo Sostenibile emphasized Environmental, Social and Governance practices. Among over 2,000 candidate companies, 120 distinguished by their sensitivity towards sustainability, were selected and met during a 120-stage tour across Italy, from February to April 2025. CresciBusiness – Progettiamo Sostenibile encourages companies to adopt business models that integrate company growth, environmental wellbeing, and social responsibility, which translates into optimizing consumption to reduce environmental impact, implementing circular economy practices, choosing suppliers with sustainable practices, developing low-environmental-impact products, and promoting fair labor practices and contributing to local communities.

In the context of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) the Bank offers free access to IncentNow, the online platform of the partner Deloitte, allowing them to navigate the range of tenders and which has over 16,000 registered members. Furthermore, thanks to the Group’s specialized partners, some informative webinars have been held to illustrate the opportunities and offer consulting services of the partner companies. For approximately 37,000 customers who have won the tenders available on the platform, Intesa Sanpaolo has made available a wide range of financial products to provide advances on contributions or supplement public subsidies.

With Programma Sviluppo Filiere dedicated to Italian production chains, concretely enhances the strategic relationships between the leading companies and the SMEs connected to them and maximizes opportunities for growth and development, through the enhancement of industrial relations. The programme was enriched with the introduction of the Supply Chain Development Program - Sustainable Supply Chains, with the specific objective of promoting virtuous paths in the ESG field for supply chain companies through the granting of dedicated economic conditions and the expansion of the product offering and services to support digitalisation, training and cybersecurity. 

In 2024 Intesa Sanpaolo has launched the fifth edition of Imprese Vincenti, the program dedicated to the valorization of small and medium-sized Italian enterprises that represent an example of entrepreneurial excellence.

Sustainability represents the central and rewarding theme of this edition, focused on SMEs that have adopted ESG criteria, showing respect and strategic vision regarding the ecosystemic impact on the territories and communities in which they operate.

The program, in addition to giving visibility to companies, provides development support programs and advisory on strategic skills, training and workshops in collaboration with important partners.

The Resto al Sud initiative since 2018 has supported the creation and development of new businesses and freelance activities in Southern Italy and subsequently extended to the municipalities affected by the 2016-2017 earthquake and to the lagoon, lake and island areas of Central-Northern Italy with the name Resto Qui.

The initiative, managed by Invitalia, has a budget of 1.25 billion euro and is aimed at those aged between 18 and 55 who intend to create a business (as sole proprietorship or a company) or develop a company already established after 21/06/2017. The incentive, that operates in all economic sectors with the exception of agriculture, provides a real mix of benefits: subsidised bank loan, equal to 50% of the approved investment; non-repayable contribution, awarded by Invitalia, equal to 50% of the approved amount; interest rate subsidy, paid by Invitalia, to cover the interest portion of the loan; guarantee 662/96, equal to 80%, to support the request for the loan.

To assist with collecting information on the ESG performance of companies, a new ESG Platform was introduced in 2023 with shared access between the customer and business account manager, in order to analyse a company’s profile and positioning in terms of ESG with respect to the reference benchmarks. In December 2023, the exchange of information was activated with the Dialogo Industriale platform, created with the aim of increasing the relationship of account managers with companies, allowing a better understanding of their needs geared to offering the most suitable solutions for the specific needs of each company. The overall assessment of a company’s risk profile also involved the collection within the Dialogo Industriale of a set of information, certified by the customer, related to the possession of insurance policies to cover risks. The prospective and sustainability analysis of the customer company’s project through customisation of a Business Plan was further integrated into the Bank’s processes for a full enhancement of the information set created in Dialogo Industriale and used in other areas of analysis, including creditworthiness.

The Welfare Hub service allows companies to provide bonuses to their employees in the form of welfare benefits, as an alternative to salary payments, thus taking advantage of the tax benefits provided by law for both the company and the employees. The service is configured as a digital platform accessible via PC, tablet, smartphone and App.

Intesa Sanpaolo extends its commitment to supporting businesses and fostering economic growth internationally through its International Banks Division. The Division provides tailored financial products to encourage female and youth entrepreneurship, collaborating with multinational banks to assist micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) led by women and young entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans. BIB (Serbia) disbursed in 2024 approximately 9 million euro in support of over 370 young entrepreneurs, offering financial aid, technical advice, and knowledge-sharing programmes. Furthermore, IBD plays a crucial role in the microfinance sector, particularly through Bank of Alexandria (Egypt), which is positioned as a leader in financial inclusion, economic empowerment, and income support for small and unbanked clients, with a special focus given to small farmers, herders, and artisans. In particular, the Bank offers a diversified catalog of products in the Agribusiness sector.