Equal opportunities: social lending

The bank promotes microcredit and other social finance instruments, fostering both financial and social inclusion. Actions focus on social lending initiatives that specifically contribute to gender equality and the promotion of financial inclusion.

UN SDGs SUPPORTED

Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to supporting female entrepreneurship and promoting gender equality through a range of financial products and initiatives. Some examples:

• Business Gemma: a medium-to long-term financial product designed to support investments or liquidity needs for female-led and self-employed companies. With flexible terms, including the option to suspend principal payments for up to 12 months in cases like maternity, this loan also provides access to the Guarantee Fund for SMEs dedicated to female entrepreneurship at no additional cost. In 2024, 100 loans were disbursed for a total of over 4 million euro.
• S-loan Diversity: specifically designed to support SMEs that enhance the role of women in the workforce by encouraging gender equality measures, hiring women, and implementing welfare measures. This initiative aligns with European gender equality objectives, ensuring that women have better access to credit and greater economic independence, ultimately reducing inequalities.

The International Banks Division further supports female entrepreneurship through initiatives such as the Women in Business programme by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This programme aids micro, small, and medium-sized women-owned businesses in the Western Balkans by providing financial support, technical consulting, and knowledge sharing. In 2024, the programme disbursed approximately 12.9 million euro in support of around 500 women entrepreneurs in the region.

Fund for impact is a plafond created in 2019 and confirmed in the 2022-2025 Business Plan for the provision of social impact loans aimed at categories that would otherwise have difficulty accessing credit despite their potential.

In its context, in 2020 the mamma@work loan was launched, which presents highly advantageous conditions to working mothers, allowing them to manage the financial commitments related to maternity while maintaining their job. In 2024, approximately 2 million euros were disbursed to approximately 260 mothers.