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Shareholders' Meeting: statements by Chairman and CEO

Shareholders' Meeting: statements by Chairman and CEO

The Intesa Sanpaolo Shareholders' Meeting was held today.

The Shareholders' Meeting addressed issues that have always been at the heart of Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment, particularly in a year marked by the pandemic and the takeover bid for UBI Banca:

  • Our Customers
    The shared values and culture of Intesa Sanpaolo and UBI Banca enable the Group to further strengthen the relationship of trust with customers based on proximity and listening, accompanying them in their paths of life and growth. 
  • Our People
    To plan for the future, Intesa Sanpaolo starts with its people.
    Intesa Sanpaolo saw its People fully committed to guaranteeing continuity of service even in the most difficult moments of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Furthermore, together with trade unions, Intesa Sanpaolo defined its – and perhaps Italy’s – largest project for hiring young people: 3,500 new hires by 2024.
  • Our Communities
    Intesa Sanpaolo is a point of reference for Italy, having always lived alongside its families and businesses, rooted in the territories and communities in which Intesa Sanpaolo operates, sharing supporting economic development, contributing to the strengthening of social cohesion, and remaining engaged in the protection and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage.

Intesa Sanpaolo confirms its role as a leading bank in the European landscape, particularly important in a phase in which Italy seeks to turn the page and move towards recovery.

STATEMENT BY GIAN MARIA GROS-PIETRO, CHAIRMAN OF INTESA SANPAOLO SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING – 28th APRIL 2021

"Just a few numbers would be enough to explain the success of Intesa Sanpaolo and its decisive weight in Italy's economy. We have long been at the forefront in Europe in terms of capital strength and profitability, just as we are recognized as one of the most sustainable companies worldwide. But the numbers, as important as they might be, along with the impactful economic performance and the active participation as shareholders of the most prestigious international investors and large Italian foundations, do not explain the full story of Intesa Sanpaolo.

"Today, this sense of broader responsibility is widespread and recognized as a priority by many companies and by international investors. For us, it is a commitment inherent in our genetic code, because it dates back to the charitable foundations from which Intesa Sanpaolo was born – nearly five centuries ago – and which now manifests itself through the banking foundations that are still our main shareholders today.

"Intesa Sanpaolo is a point of reference for Italy, having always lived alongside our families and businesses, rooted in the territories and communities in which we operate, sharing their problems, promoting and supporting economic development, contributing to the strengthening of social cohesion, and particularly engaged in the protection and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage, the foundation of societal progress.

"On 12 April 2021, with the completion of the integration of UBI Banca into Intesa Sanpaolo, there was a further step in this story of success: the birth of an even more solid group, able to strengthen the Italian financial system and support communities, sustaining families, businesses and broader society. We confirm our role as a leading bank in the European landscape, particularly important in a phase in which our country seeks to turn the page and move towards recovery.

"Ours is a large Group, resulting from the aggregation of some 400 savings banks and local credit institutions over the course of our history; it is not the product of a simple aggregation of well-managed banks, but much more. It is a Group able to generate greater value because it is based not only on economic rationale but above all on shared value that have always been at the heart of Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment: our Customers, our People, our Communities.

"These are not abstract concepts, but concrete tools and precise objectives, defined by listening to our stakeholders – our customers, employees, members of the community and the world of academia, trade associations, companies, consumers – to define their primary needs and respond to them in the best of ways. Care, Excellence, Innovation and Sustainability are the four key dimensions for building the future together".

STATEMENT BY CARLO MESSINA, CEO OF INTESA SANPAOLO SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING – 28th APRIL 2021

"Even in a complex year like 2020, Intesa Sanpaolo continued to work alongside Italy’s businesses and families, supporting the real economy and further strengthening our commitment to tackling the health and social emergencies. We manage €1.2 trillion of Italian’s savings, we have provided €500 billion in lending, equal to nearly a third of Italy’s GDP. Each day, transactions worth €35 billion pass through the current accounts managed by our Bank. We hold around €100 billion of sovereign debt and are the second lender to the Italian Republic after the ECB. Over the last three years, we have generated an overall net profit of around €10 billion.

"We provided €95 billion of new credit, nearly half of which with a high social impact. To support the productive economy of the country, we promptly granted moratoria on loans totaling €95 billion. And new Fund for Impact initiatives were launched to help students, working mothers, individuals and families in difficulty, small and micro businesses. We supported the Third Sector, particularly hit by the social and health emergencies, with financing for non-profit entities for over €520 million.       

"Intesa Sanpaolo is ideally positioned, thanks to its network, to ensure an integrated, inclusive and transversal approach with respect to supply-chain leaders, SMEs, micro-enterprises and start-ups, necessary to accelerate integrated initiatives throughout the supply chain, which enable innovation and sustainable transition projects, with a positive impact on international competitiveness, resilience and sustainability for all businesses, including small and medium-sized ones.          

"To continue as a driving force for the real economy and as a growth accelerator, Intesa Sanpaolo will provide over €400 billion in medium/long-term lending over the life of Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, of which:

  • More than €140 billion to households
  • Around €120 billion to companies with a turnover up to €350 million
  • Around €150 billion to companies with a turnover exceeding €350 million.

"Our lending was accompanied by our community initiatives. In 2020, we doubled donations to health, social and cultural programs to €184 million, with structural interventions for the national health system and to continue with Italy’s largest initiative to combat poverty by distributing 17 million meals, bed spaces, medications and clothing in support of charitable organizations.

"In a complex year that saw Intesa Sanpaolo and its people fully committed to guaranteeing continuity of service even in the most difficult moments, to plan for the future we started with our people. Together with trade unions, we defined Intesa Sanpaolo’s – and perhaps Italy’s – largest project for hiring young people: 3,500 new hires by 2024. Today, with the integration of Italy’s first and fourth banks, we have strengthened a European champion able to support the economic and social revitalization of the country. The two banks’ shared values ​and culture allows us to further strengthen the relationship of trust with our customers based on proximity and listening, accompanying them in their paths of life and growth.

"With the integration of UBI, our Group gained people, skills and stories of success, with a shared dedication to sustainability. Now the priority is to relaunch the country. And we are ready to do our part by deploying the skills and integrity of our Group's people and the resources that derive from what we represent today: one of the leading banks in Europe". 

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