INTESA SANPAOLO AT SALONE DEL MOBILE.MILANO 2026 TO SUPPORT DESIGN AND THE MADE IN ITALY SUPPLY CHAIN

• €26 billion disbursed to SMEs in the Made in Italy sector since 2020
• Event at Gallerie d’Italia on Made in Italy and presentation of the volume “Le fabbriche del design”
• On 23 April, appointment at the Salone pavilions with Intesa Sanpaolo’s talk on finance and competitiveness in the furniture-design sector

Milan, 8 April 2026 – Intesa Sanpaolo, Institutional Partner of Salone del Mobile.Milano, renews its commitment to supporting design companies and the home & living sector with the event: “Design e Made in Italy. Il supporto di Intesa Sanpaolo all’impresa italiana e alla visione creativa sulla scena globale” (“Design and Made in Italy. Intesa Sanpaolo’s support for Italian enterprise and creative vision on the global stage”), scheduled today at 5.30 pm at the bank’s museum, Gallerie d’Italia-Milan.

This initiative forms part of the support initiatives that the Bank has pursued for years for the design sector and, more broadly, for Made in Italy, a supply chain comprising thousands of SMEs representing excellence in production and creativity recognised internationally.

Partnerships and tools for the supply chain

The collaboration with Salone del Mobile.Milano, launched in 2017, represents a concrete tool to support companies in the design and home & living sector. This commitment also sees Intesa Sanpaolo active through the Supply Chain Development Programme, which today involves over 240 Made in Italy supply chains, more than 32,000 employees and almost 7,700 suppliers, with turnover exceeding €32 billion in the furniture, clothing, food and automation sectors.

The programme, launched by the Group ten years ago, has been extended to all Italian manufacturing sectors and over time has enabled SMEs to strengthen access to credit and more effectively support investments in innovation, digitalisation, sustainability and the circular economy, while supporting them in their growth and expansion into international markets.

Since 2020, Intesa Sanpaolo, through the activities of the Banca dei Territori Division led by Stefano Barrese, has supported Made in Italy SMEs with €26 billion in financing for internationalisation, exports and scaling up, confirming its role as a strategic partner for the development of Italian industry.

Creativity and Made in Italy: presentation of the volume “Le fabbriche del design”

The event at Intesa Sanpaolo’s Gallerie d’Italia provides an opportunity to explore the economic and cultural value of Italian design through contributions from Bank representatives involved in cultural promotion and business development support, together with designers and leading companies such as Kartell.

During the meeting, Intesa Sanpaolo’s Research Department will also present an update on the macroeconomic scenario, which remains uncertain and complex, also in light of recent international geopolitical tensions, with possible effects both internationally and on consumption. In this context, expansion into foreign markets remains a priority for Made in Italy furniture and design companies, making further diversification of market outlets necessary. This growth path will rely on the high quality of national production, rooted in manufacturing expertise and know-how, combined with the strength of the design sector, where Italy, with a turnover of €6.2 billion, is a European leader.

The event will also provide an opportunity to present the re-edition of the volume “Le fabbriche del design”, published by Allemandi with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo and Salone del Mobile.Milano. The book, considered a classic in the sector’s publishing landscape, offers a reconstruction of the industrial and cultural roots of Italian design and contributes to the debate on the value of the creative vision of Italian enterprise, as promoted by the Intesa Sanpaolo Group.

The meeting will conclude with a dialogue between Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, and Stefano Barrese, Head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo.

“The collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo is part of a shared commitment to supporting the Made in Italy design supply chain, with the value of enterprise, creativity and industrial culture at its core,” said Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano. “In this context also lies the republication of Le fabbriche del design, a project we strongly believe in because it brings back to the forefront a fundamental text for understanding the roots of Made in Italy, reinterpreting our past and offering concrete tools to those working in business and design today. Created together with Allemandi and Intesa Sanpaolo, our long-standing Institutional Partner, the initiative confirms Salone del Mobile.Milano’s commitment to enhancing memory as a lever for the future, offering new generations an authentic key to understanding our industrial heritage. The Salone thus confirms its role as a benchmark platform not only for creativity, but also for dialogue between the production system and the tools that support its growth, helping to strengthen the value and competitiveness of Made in Italy in global markets.”

“Design has historically been one of the strongest elements in projecting Italian know-how abroad and entails a close connection between culture and the economy, with a positive impact on business. Like finance, creative language cuts across supply chains, naturally engaging with key Made in Italy sectors, from tourism to food and fashion, from high-end manufacturing to art. Italian design and creativity remain a key driver of competitiveness and value for our companies in international markets; we observe this as a bank even in challenging times, where memory, art and beauty become drivers of economic revival for these sectors,” commented Stefano Barrese, Head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo. “Over the past five years, we have disbursed more than €26 billion to distinctive Made in Italy supply chains – furniture, clothing, agri-food and automation – and even today Intesa Sanpaolo’s support remains focused on access to credit, investment in innovation and attention to foreign markets, offering SMEs the most suitable tools for the current environment.”

Intesa Sanpaolo’s initiatives will continue during Salone del Mobile.Milano with the talk “Arredo e design italiano – Il ruolo della finanza per mantenere l’eccellenza del settore a livello globale” (“Italian furniture and design – The role of finance in maintaining the sector’s global excellence”), scheduled for 23 April at 3 pm within the exhibition. This event will complete the series of initiatives promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo to highlight the economic, cultural and international value of the Italian design supply chain.

 

Intesa Sanpaolo
Intesa Sanpaolo, with €425 billion in loans and more than €1.5 trillion in customer financial assets at the end of December 2025, is the largest banking group in Italy, with a significant international presence.
It is a European leader in wealth management, and operates an integrated Wealth Management, Protection and Advisory platform, built on fully owned product factories and distribution networks working under full strategic control.
With a world-class position in social impact, Intesa Sanpaolo is also committed to decarbonization and to supporting clients in the sustainable transition.
The Bank’s network of museums, the Gallerie d’Italia, hosts its owned artistic heritage and cultural projects of recognized value.
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