Digital transformation

Intesa Sanpaolo intends to maintain sustainable business growth by leveraging the active involvement of people and a cutting-edge digital infrastructure. By extending digitalization and dematerialization to all processes, the Bank intends to help accelerate the digital transformation of customers, who can count on an innovative, inclusive and fully integrated digital platform with the physical network.

UN SDGs SUPPORTED

Consistently with the 2022-2025 Business Plan, Intesa Sanpaolo has continued its path in terms of digitalisation, technological evolution and omni-channelling. In 2024, in fact, the Bank confirmed its constant transformation through the progressive and comprehensive overhaul of the IT platform, efficiency improvements in the operating model and the transition to the cloud. After the commercial launch in 2023 of the new Isybank digital bank, in partnership with the fintech leader Thought Machine, the offer to customers has been further strengthened during 2024 by enriching the product catalogue (for example: prepaid card, credit card, protection products, isyPrestito and isySalvadanaio), maintaining the criteria of simplicity, accessibility, inclusiveness and security of Isybank and the possibility of a direct relationship thanks to the operators of the Digital Branch. The technological modernization of the information system also continued through the extension of the Isytech platform to Intesa Sanpaolo.

To provide effective support for the IT evolution process, the two programmes launched in recent years continued: for New Group Technology, the adoption of a new IT operating model was completed, implementing a structure focused on delivery and with figures dedicated to the development of IT professions; for Falcon programme, (aimed to insource IT skills), 615 resources were hired. The training process to support the growth of internal skills continued and Generative AI solutions were introduced to increase efficiency throughout the entire software development life cycle.

As part of the agreement signed with TIM and Google for the migration of a significant part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s information system onto Google’s cloud services (Skyrocket project), the repatriation of all the migrated applications to Public cloud regions in Turin and Milan has been completed and cloud migration is ongoing in line with the schedule. 

Training initiatives have been promoted to increase and share a digital culture and building a “green IT” in Italy through the Opening Future Portal that plays a crucial role in improving digital skills for SMEs, fintech companies, startups, and educational institutions. 

In addition, the AIxeleration programme continued to scale up the adoption of artificial intelligence within the Group in a sustainable, responsible and homogeneous way across all divisions. The programme is based on agreements with technological partners (e.g. Microsoft, Google) and academic institutions (e.g. CETIF, London University, Fujitsu, Berkeley University), as well as collaboration with CENTAI  (Intesa Sanpaolo’s AI research center) and Anti Financial Crime Digital Hub

In 2024, the International Banks Division continued its efforts to digitalise services across several subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe, with significant strides made in the Retail+ programme. The programme, which was activated in various banks such as PBZ, VÚB Banka, BIB, CIB Bank, ISP Slovenia, ISP Bosnia, ISP Romania, AlexBank, ISP Albania, focuses on four main areas:

• Business Process Reengineering (BPR), aimed at optimizing commercial activities through digitalization and automation of processes. 
• Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE), which maximizes the commercial proposal by leveraging tailored support for branch managers.
• HR Enablement, focusing on staff training and stabilization.
• Distribution Geopotential & Omnichannel Relaunch, optimizing physical coverage and service levels in local markets.

Additionally, the Digical strategy continued its push for digitalization of retail and small business services, standardising processes and migrating to advanced technologies across subsidiaries. By 2025, migration to a common platform will be completed. Also, the Digical ABC platform further improves operational efficiency, streamlining branch managers’ activities and enabling paperless sales processes through the Danube tablet for contract dematerialization

The development of new digital services and new ways of managing relationships with customers, even remotely, and the conscious use of new tools and processes also require investments in training to spread digital culture both inside and outside the Group.

Within the Group, the change management system of the OTTOMILA! portal has accompanied the over 43,000 people of the Banca dei Territori Division (BdT) with the aim of achieving the objectives of the 2022-2025 Business Plan.

In addition to continuing to spread the activities launched in 2023, approximately 25 new concrete and replicable initiatives were identified during the year, customized to the needs of the various entities of the network, within a shared value framework.

In addition to environmental and inclusion issues, the focus on digital transformation remains central to OTTOMILA!'s strategic activities; with a particular focus on the Isytech project, the initiatives concern the adoption of the cloud platform that will progressively support the group's IT infrastructure. The core of the activities of accompaniment, communication and listening to people, in this area and in general for aspects related to digital, is enabled by the Vividigitale online information format. The first recipients are the digital transformation referents, who represent the evolution of the positive experiences of the digital culture disseminators and the Isybank referents in the branch. Over 6,000 people from the BdT network are identified from time to time in each branch, to be the first disseminators within each organizational unit and towards customers.

The remote meetings of Vivichat have also been confirmed: an information and in-depth program dedicated to priority topics, strategic projects and new services and products, aimed at a heterogeneous audience of employees. These tools are supported by the awareness-raising activity of people also through the publication on the OTTOMILA! portal site of specific contents.

These are dedicated, among others, to the conscious and safe use of new tools and processes and to the qualitative aspects of the relationship with customers, providing food for thought and encouraging contributions and sharing of direct experiences, such as those found in the format La voce dal campo.