PRESS RELEASE
INTESA SANPAOLO AND NEXTALIA TOGETHER TO CREATE DIGIT'ED, A LEADING PLAYER IN DIGITAL LEARNING
Turin, Milan, 15 February 2022 –Intesa Sanpaolo and Nextalia SGR, on behalf of the Nextalia Private Equity Fund, have reached an agreement to create a new leading player in education, training and digital learning, harnessing Intesa Sanpaolo's innovative learning infrastructure.
The company will be called DIGIT'ED and will target both the corporate segment, i.e. large companies, small and medium enterprises, the public administration and professional associations, and the consumer segment, in collaboration with prestigious Italian and international institutions, thus meeting the growing needs of the education and training market in terms of digital transformation, skill evolution and re-skilling.
DIGIT'ED's education and training offerings will focus on premier solutions to support the development of specific skills for the digital transition (e.g., cybersecurity, data and the cloud) and ecological transition (e.g., sustainability and the circular economy), including through a plan to invest in the latest learning technologies, starting with artificial intelligence, to provide an increasingly effective and high-quality learning experience.
The binding agreement provides for the acquisition, by a newly incorporated company, of Intesa Sanpaolo Formazione, the Intesa Sanpaolo company focused on training initiatives aimed at the growth of businesses and the community, to which – in view of the aforementioned acquisition – the Parent Company is expected to contribute specific assets relating to the planning and production of training products and services for Group employees. Personnel from Intesa Sanpaolo will be a particularly important part of the new DIGIT'ED organisation.
As part of the operation, multi-year agreements are to be concluded for the exclusive provision of training products and services to both Intesa Sanpaolo Group employees and Group customers.
Confirming the importance of the project, Intesa Sanpaolo will take a 20% stake in DIGIT'ED, in line with the 2022-2025 Business Plan, whereas Nextalia will control the new company.
The agreement is part of a larger transaction aimed at positioning DIGIT'ED as an aggregator of the best companies in the education and training sector. Exclusive negotiations on this front are underway with third parties, who may be offered an opportunity to invest in the company.
Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, commented: "With the new Business Plan we intend to address the new challenges posed by a rapidly changing market environment. Accordingly, in addition to consolidating our position as the leading bank in wealth management, protection and advisory, we want to equip ourselves with the best skills in digital, fintech and technological innovation, including through our recent partnership with Thought Machine. We thus believe it is essential to create a new organisation that aims to become an education and training leader, with the appropriate scale, open to international best practice and benefiting from the contributions of the high professionalism of Intesa Sanpaolo's people, who will find further opportunities for growth by participating in the development of a leading player in digital learning. With the benefit of a key, stable shareholder such as Intesa Sanpaolo, the creation of DIGIT'ED will foster the growth of small and medium-sized Italian companies and therefore of Italy's economy, including in light of the resources made available by Next Generation Italy, in particular for the digital and green transition."
Francesco Canzonieri, CEO of Nextalia SGR, commented: "The creation of the Italian leader in digital learning is the Nextalia Private Equity Fund's the first transaction and sends a strong message: actively leading the transformation and consolidation of a key sector for the development of Italian companies and the country, perfectly consistent with Nextalia's goal of supporting investments in innovation, research and technology and actively promoting one of the key ESG factors of sustainable development: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting continuous learning opportunities."
Informazioni per la stampa
INTESA SANPAOLO
Media Relations
international.media@intesasanpaolo.com
Investor Relations
investor.relations@intesasanpaolo.com
About Intesa Sanpaolo
Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy’s leading banking group – serving families, businesses and the real economy – with a significant international presence. Intesa Sanpaolo’s distinctive business model makes it a European leader in Wealth Management, Protection & Advisory, highly focused on digital and fintech. An efficient and resilient Bank, it benefits from its wholly-owned product factories in asset management and insurance. The Group’s strong ESG commitment includes providing €115 billion in impact lending by 2025 to communities and for the green transition, and €500 million in contributions to support people most in need, positioning Intesa Sanpaolo as a world leader in terms of social impact. Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to Net Zero by 2030 for its own emissions and by 2050 for its loan and investment portfolios. An engaged patron of Italian culture, Intesa Sanpaolo has created its own network of museums, the Gallerie d’Italia, to host the bank's artistic heritage and as a venue for prestigious cultural projects.
News: group.intesasanpaolo.com/en/newsroom/news
Twitter: @intesasanpaolo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/intesa-sanpaolo
NEXTALIA SGR
Media Relations
Investor Relations
Nextalia è una società di gestione del risparmio promossa da Francesco Canzonieri insieme a primari investitori istituzionali italiani (Intesa Sanpaolo, UnipolSai Assicurazioni, Coldiretti e Micheli Associati), costituita con l’obiettivo di investire nelle eccellenze italiane per accelerarne il percorso di crescita sostenibile. Nextalia si posiziona come la piattaforma di riferimento in Italia dedicata agli investimenti nei private markets, facendo leva sul proprio network e sulle competenze di un team di professionisti altamente qualificati. Nextalia ha costituito “Nextalia Private Equity”, un fondo comune di investimento mobiliare di diritto italiano, chiuso e riservato a investitori professionali, focalizzato su PMI italiane.
Sito internet: www.nextaliasgr.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextaliasgr
Last updated 15 February 2022 at 19:21
