Shareholders' Meeting: statements by the Chairman and CEO

“On the occasion of the Shareholders' Meeting, I would like to thank our shareholders for the trust they continue to place in Intesa Sanpaolo, acknowledging its capital strength, profitability, continuous reduction of risk, strong commitment to adopting ESG best practices, and leading role in supporting families, businesses, institutions and associations in the territories in which it operates.

“The important results achieved again last year through the commitment of the people who work in the Intesa Sanpaolo Group – to whom go my sincere thanks as well as those of the Board of Directors of which I have the honor of chairing – confirm the ability to proceed quickly along the growth path laid out in the 2022-2025 Business Plan and to create value for all stakeholders.

“Our strong ESG commitment, which ranks Intesa Sanpaolo in a world-class position for social impact, has translated into the implementation of numerous projects, such as the promotion of educational inclusion and youth employability, social housing for students and the less well-off, and lending to the social sector.

“The Bank also continued to support culture through the activities of its Gallerie d'Italia museums, the collaboration with Italian and international institutions, and numerous sponsorships. To promote innovation and applied research, the Group supported initiatives for the development of start-ups and innovative ecosystems.

“At the same time, the Bank accelerated its commitment to achieving net zero emissions goals, continued to support clients in their ESG/climate transition, and became a leader in sustainable investments.

“Intesa Sanpaolo is the only Italian bank included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, in the CDP Climate A list 2022 and in the 2023 Corporate Knights “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World Index” and it ranked first among peer banks in international assessments by Sustainalytics and Bloomberg (ESG Disclosure Score).

“In 2023, Intesa Sanpaolo will continue to pursue all the objectives set out in its Business Plan. In doing so, the Bank can count on its capital solidity, broad liquidity, and solid business lines focused on ESG.

“These factors, combined with the progressive decline in inflation in Italy and in Europe along with the opportunities deriving from the mix of state interventions and EU funds in the countries where we operate through our commercial banks, will allow the Group to obtain significant results, further strengthening its role in the broader Mediterranean area.

“Intesa Sanpaolo, thanks to the continuous support of its shareholders, is in the ideal position to promote the two-pronged digital and environmental transformations, helping to shift the technology frontier to the service of people, the environment and the common good.”

Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo
28 April 2023

“On this occasion, I would like to thank our shareholders for their firm and continued support: thanks to them, Intesa Sanpaolo can strengthen a business model and growth that place us among the leading banks in Europe.

“Intesa Sanpaolo's 2022 financial results were the best since 2007, enabling us to significantly remunerate our shareholders while maintaining a solid capital position. The Shareholders' Meeting approved total dividends of €3.048 billion, considering the €1.400 billion interim dividend already paid and the €1.648 billion balance to be paid, for a 70% payout ratio. Added to these is the recently-concluded €1.7 billion second tranche of the share buyback.

“The results achieved in 2022 are further demonstration of how Intesa Sanpaolo can generate significant and sustainable profitability – even in extremely challenging contexts – thanks to a highly-diversified and resilient business model that benefits all stakeholders. This leadership is built on the professionalism and competence of the People who work in our Group on a daily basis, at all levels.

“Implementation of the 2022-2025 Business Plan started at full speed, with the launch of all its initiatives despite the challenging context. The Plan will create the bank of the next decade, with a strong focus on digital and fintech, strengthening Intesa Sanpaolo’s position as a European leader in Wealth Management, Protection & Advisory.

“It is thanks to our solidity, our profitability and the professionalism of our people, that Intesa Sanpaolo has been able to stand at the side of Italy’s businesses and households, supporting the real economy while further strengthening its commitment to combating poverty and social inequalities.

“In 2022 we provided total lending of over €81 billion, of which nearly €60 billion in Italy, and we provided over €30 billion to help families and businesses face high energy costs. For our own People, we made a one-off contribution of almost €80 million to mitigate the impact of inflation.

“Aware that a country cannot grow serenely if the social gap continues to widen, we long ago committed ourselves to fighting social and economic inequalities as part of a more inclusive development model. The scale of the challenge is so great that it requires a common response from institutions, non-profits as well as the private sector and financial institutions. As part of its 2022-2025 Business Plan, Intesa Sanpaolo will allocate €50 million to supporting people in need. In 2022 alone, we carried out over 21 million interventions in terms of meals, bed places, medicines and clothing.

“In 2022, we have already allocated €9.3 billion for social lending and urban regeneration initiatives, out of the €25 billion envisaged over the Business Plan period; we provided €339 million in loans to non-profits and €53 million as part of the Fund for Impact to directly support families and individuals to ensure wider access to credit.

“We donated €10 million to support the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine and welcomed in Italy some 100 families of our Pravex Bank colleagues.

“Diversity & inclusion is a primary theme for Intesa Sanpaolo, the largest private employer in Italy. The Bank was included for the sixth consecutive year in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index 2023, with a score well above the average for the global financial sector and for all Italian companies; the Group was recognized in Refinitiv's Diversity and Inclusion Index 2022 as the #1 bank in Europe and #2 in the world; Intesa Sanpaolo was the first of the major Italian banking groups to obtain the gender equality certification “Reference Practice 125:2022”, required by the National Recovery & Resilience Plan; and it was among the first European banks to obtain the prestigious international Gender Equality European & International Standard (GEEIS-Diversity) certification for diversity & inclusion.

“Considering these results, I am certain that Intesa Sanpaolo will continue to achieve ever-higher and more challenging goals, both in economic and social terms, thanks to the commitment of the People of our Group and the support of our stable shareholders.”

Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo
28 April 2023