INTESA SANPAOLO: IMI CIB DIVISION’S “OBIETTIVO ITALIA 2026” KICKS OFF IN FLORENCE

• The initiative promoted by the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division returns with an eight-city nationwide programme
• The third edition opened in Florence, bringing together entrepreneurs and managers to discuss economic and geopolitical scenarios, risk management and innovation
• Michele Sorrentino: “With Obiettivo Italia, we aim to further strengthen direct engagement with businesses, offering high-level opportunities for discussion and practical tools to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving global environment”

Milan, 19 March 2026 – In an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving economic and geopolitical environment, the third edition of Obiettivo Italia kicked off in Florence. The travelling series of meetings across Italy is promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo’s IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, headed by Mauro Micillo, and brings together the Bank’s managers, experts, entrepreneurs and public-sector representatives to explore the key challenges facing the country’s productive system.

Following the strong interest generated by the previous edition, the initiative returns in 2026 with an enhanced and more extensive programme, which will reach eight Italian cities throughout the year. The aim is to further strengthen direct engagement with businesses on the issues that are currently shaping corporate strategies: from the volatility of international scenarios and risk management to the increasingly decisive role of innovation as a driver of transformation and growth.

The programme began in Florence and will continue with further events in Battaglia Terme (Padua), Lonato del Garda (Brescia), Turin, Milan, Naples, Bologna and Rome, engaging some of the most dynamic areas of the national economic fabric. These meetings represent a privileged opportunity for discussion between companies and specialists from the IMI CIB Division on strategic topics such as macroeconomic outlooks, geopolitical developments, risk management, innovation and the transformation of business models.

“With Obiettivo Italia, we aim to further strengthen direct engagement with businesses, offering high-level opportunities for discussion and practical tools to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving global environment,” said Michele Sorrentino, Head of the Italian Network, IMI CIB Division, Intesa Sanpaolo. “Our goal is to reinforce our role as a strategic partner for clients by providing specialised expertise and advisory solutions to support their growth paths and competitiveness in international markets.”

A network firmly rooted across Italy

The Italian Network is the structure within the Distribution Platforms & GTB Area of the IMI CIB Division that coordinates commercial activities nationwide through a team of professionals operating across six Regions and fifteen Corporate Centres located in Italy’s main cities, serving more than 2,400 groups.

Within this framework, the Centre-North Region – which includes Marche, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Molise and Umbria – operates through three Corporate Centres located in Ancona, Florence and Bologna-Parma, with an operational presence in Ancona, Florence, Bologna and Parma.

In this area, 40 professionals support approximately 320 commercial groups, representing a total of around 1,600 corporate and institutional client companies. In 2025, the IMI CIB Division’s average lending volumes in the Centre-North Region reached approximately €5.5 billion, accounting for around 7% of the Italian Network’s overall volumes.

The inaugural event in Florence

The first stop of Obiettivo Italia 2026 took place on 18 March in Florence, bringing together around 50 representatives from leading local businesses.

The meeting opened with remarks by Michele Sorrentino, followed by an in-depth session on economic and geopolitical scenarios and their impact on local territories. Speakers included Giovanni Foresti, Head of Regional Research at Intesa Sanpaolo, who presented macroeconomic outlooks for Italian companies. The programme continued with contributions focused on risk management and innovation as drivers of business transformation, with the participation of managers from the IMI CIB Division and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, before closing remarks by Andreas Feiler, Head of IMI CIB Centre-North Region.

Through this initiative, the IMI CIB Division reaffirms its commitment to promoting opportunities for dialogue and collaboration with the Italian entrepreneurial community, contributing to the competitive and sustainable development of businesses across the country.

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Media Relations

Intesa Sanpaolo

Corporate & Investment Banking and Governance Areas

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com