INTESA SANPAOLO RENEWS ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

• The circular economic model decouples economic and social development from the use of finite natural resources and is widely recognised as a key driver of industrial competitiveness, resource security and economic resilience.
• Intesa Sanpaolo is the first bank in the world to translate the circular economy into concrete financial solutions: €15.9 billion in financing over the course of the 2022–2025 Business Plan; €7.7 billion under the 2018–2021 Plan.
• Paola Angeletti: “Our commitment has been tangible, translating into financial instruments and open innovation initiatives supporting a large number of companies engaged in the transition. We will continue to work alongside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate change.”
• Jonquil Hackenberg: “Transforming markets takes more than business innovation and policy reform. It takes funding and investment. Through its circular economy finance initiatives, Intesa Sanpaolo has shown how capital can be deployed to support and scale circular economy solutions.”

Milan/Turin, 5 May 2026 – The artnership between Intesa Sanpaolo and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a leading global advocate for the transition to a circular economy, marks its tenth anniversary and is being renewed through the signing of a new four-year collaboration agreement.

Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center will continue to coordinate the  as the Intesa Sanpaolo Group's centre of expertise on the circular economy, a strategic lever to guide innovation, investment and value creation.

The circular economic model decouples economic and social development from the use of finite natural resources and is widely recognised as a key driver of industrial competitiveness, resource security and economic resilience. It reduces dependence on virgin raw materials and mitigates exposure to commodity price shocks – an increasingly strategic factor in a context marked by energy volatility and geopolitical tensions. International research, including studies promoted by the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Bocconi University, highlights how circular business models can reduce corporate financial risk and improve the risk-return profile of investments. The European Union has identified the circular economy as a key pillar of its industrial and sustainability policies and aims to become a global leader in circularity by 2030.

Intesa Sanpaolo is the first bank in the world to translate the circular economy into tangible financial instruments. Its collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, of which it has been the first inancial ervices Strategic Partner since 2016, has contributed to defining validation criteria for credit facilities dedicated to the circular economy. Through these instruments, over the course of the 2022–2025 Business Plan, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group supported the transformation of production models from linear – based on the take-make- approach – to circular models, inherently regenerative of natural capital, by providing €15.9 billion in financing, in addition to the €7.7 billion disbursed under the 2018–2021 Plan. The new 2026–2029 Business Plan confirms its commitment to the circular economy within the broader framework of sustainable lending, which will account for 30% of new medium- to long-term lending.

The artnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has enabled the Intesa Sanpaolo Group to strengthen strategic relationships with European institutions and international organisations, contribute to the debate on national and European industrial and financial policies, and foster innovation ecosystems and collaboration among companies, start-ups, universities and research centres to accelerate the circular transition. Over the past ten years, the collaboration has helped integrate circular economy principles into the Italian and international financial sectors.

The renewed Strategic Partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will see Intesa Sanpaolo involved in new international initiatives, with the aim of strengthening dialogue with Italian and European regulators and policymakers and contributing to discussions on the implementation of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Act and other regulatory initiatives. Intesa Sanpaolo will also continue to promote education and awareness-raising activities on the circular economy at both national and international levels, fostering dialogue and launching concrete initiatives to support the circular transition.

“Over the past ten years, we have demonstrated that the circular economy is a transformative paradigm for the economic system, a driver of innovation, investment, competitiveness and growth,” said Paola Angeletti, Chief Sustainability Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo and Chair of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. “Our commitment has been tangible, translating into financial instruments and open innovation initiatives supporting a large number of companies engaged in the transition. We will continue to work alongside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate change, including through joint initiatives to develop a supportive regulatory framework, starting with the forthcoming European Circular Economy Act.”

Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “Transforming markets takes more than business innovation and policy reform. It takes funding and investment. Through its circular economy finance initiatives — including dedicated credit facilities and the first circular economy bond, raising €750 million when it was launched in 2019 — Intesa Sanpaolo has shown how capital can be deployed to support and scale circular economy solutions. Intesa Sanpaolo is leading the way. We will continue our work with them, and other financial actors, to build the partnerships needed to design systemic funding strategies and create the conditions for circular solutions to move from promising pilots to commercially viable systems.”

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