INTESA SANPAOLO: IMI CIB DIVISION’S OBJECTIVE ITALY 2025 STARTED IN VICENZA

• The initiative includes several meetings throughout Italy dedicated to the country’s entrepreneurship and public sector
  
• The first stage took place in Vicenza, with the participation of around 50 representatives of the leading economic groups in the north-east
  
• Indeed, in the north-eastern regions, the Italian network of the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division follows 300 groups and 1,800 companies with loans of approximately €10 billion in 2024.
  

Milan, 27 March 2025 - The IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, headed by Mauro Micillo, has chosen Vicenza as the location for the launch of Obiettivo Italia 2025, an initiative aimed at bringing together key figures from the Bank with leading exponents and top managers from the country’s business world and public sector.

Now in its second year, the initiative is being relaunched following its success in 2024. The aim is to further enhance the value of the dialogue and strategic support offered to companies on specific business issues of particular relevance.

Obiettivo Italia 2025 was created to offer companies concrete tools to face the challenges of a changing economic environment. The various meetings will be an important opportunity for networking and discussion between Intesa Sanpaolo companies and managers. The aim is to identify innovative strategies and solutions to support growth. The eight stages of Obiettivo Italia will take place throughout the year to give continuity to the initiative and to the dialogue with customers. They will be held in different places, representing as many areas as possible that are epicentres of the country’s economic fabric, including Vicenza, Florence, Lonato del Garda, Turin, Bologna, Milan and Naples, before ending in the capital.

“Obiettivo Italia is designed to support our customers in an environment that increasingly demands vision, innovation and adaptability, and to consolidate our role as a strategic partner for our customers. Our commitment is to provide customised solutions and advisory services that enhance the excellence of the regions and accompany companies on a path of sustainable and competitive growth”, said Michele Sorrentino, Head of IMI CIB Italian Network at Intesa Sanpaolo. “The project consolidates the IMI CIB Division’s strategy of strengthening its links with Italian leaders operating in the various manufacturing and financial sectors and competing on a daily basis in complex international markets. This is also achieved through a dedicated offer of transaction banking and capital structure advisory services”.

A business support network rooted in Italian regions and the North East.

The Italian Network is the structure that, within the Distribution Platforms & GTB Area of the IMI CIB Division, coordinates the business activities in 6 Regions, with 15 Corporate Centres located in the main cities of Italy, following more than 2,300 Groups with about 260 professionals working in the various offices.

The IMI CIB Division’s territorial network covers 300 groups and some 1,800 corporate and institutional clients. It is made up of a team of 50 professionals based in the north-east of the country. In 2024, the Division’s average loans in the area reached almost €10 billion, accounting for 12% of the overall total.

The event in Vicenza: an opportunity for companies to compare ideas

The first stop, on 26 March, was Vicenza, a benchmark for the manufacturing sector and a strategic district for the Italian economy. The inaugural event was attended by 50 corporate representatives from around 40 companies representing the main economic groups in the region.

After the opening speech by Michele Sorrentino, Head of IMI CIB Italian Network, Giovanni Foresti, Head of Regional Research Intesa Sanpaolo, illustrated the macroeconomic scenario, providing participating companies with an up-to-date picture of the economic dynamics influencing the national and international context. The programme continued with presentations on innovation, digital transformation, financial risk management and growth strategies, among other topics of burning interest to the business sector.

IMI CIB Division monitors and provides its services to groups and companies with a turnover in excess of €350 million. In this way, IMI CIB confirms its commitment to strengthening its dialogue with the Italian business community and contributing to the sustainable and competitive development of the country’s enterprises.

The new macroeconomic scenario and the economic outlook for Italy and Veneto

According to analyses by Intesa Sanpaolo’s Research Department, in 2025 the growth of the Italian economy will be driven by consumption, which will benefit from the recovery of household purchasing power. Lower interest rates will allow investments to grow again, especially among the most innovative and youth-led start-ups. A boost to investment may then come from the grounding of the national resilience recovery plan (PNRR) funds, which will accelerate in the current two-year period. There is no shortage of risks, given the highly complex environment in which Italian companies have to compete. In particular, should a trade war with the US materialise, the development of Italian exports could well be affected.

Thanks to an internal survey of colleagues in the various Intesa Sanpaolo departments dealing with internationalisation, it was possible to identify the reactions of companies to the threat of US tariffs. What we are witnessing is a strong reaction from Italian and Venetian companies: faced with the threat of new US customs duties, they are looking for new customers in other markets. At the same time, in addition to the anticipation of some deliveries to the north American market, there is an emerging interest on the part of Italian operators in opening new sales and production branches in the United States.

The survey then offers insights into markets where sales can be diversified. In first place is the Middle East, considered to be the market with the greatest potential for Italian exports, thanks to good growth prospects and high-spending consumers. This is followed by India, which stands out above all in terms of expected demand dynamics and market size. North Africa is also relevant (in terms of growth prospects and low competition), ranking ahead of South America and Western Europe.

Italian and Veneto-based companies have already shown in the recent past that they are capable of seizing the opportunities offered by new markets, proving to be highly reactive and timely in redirecting their export flows. It is no coincidence that, in 2024, the market to which Veneto exports increased most in value was the United Arab Emirates (€190 million, +18.8%). The top ten markets for growth also included Turkey (€156 million, +9.4%), Mexico (€77 million, +8.2%), Saudi Arabia (€76 million, +14.5%), Vietnam (€62.5 million, +26.4%) and China (€52 million, +3.65%).

The turnaround in German public finances, which will have an impact mainly from 2026 onwards, could also support the growth of Italian and Venetian exports. Germany is, in fact, Veneto’s leading trade outlet, with exports in 2024 amounting to €10.5 billion, 13.1% of the total.

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Media Relations

Intesa Sanpaolo

Corporate & Investment Banking and Governance Areas

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com