Economy support

Constant attention is dedicated to the world of Small and Medium Enterprises which are the engine of our economy. To facilitate access to credit, the Bank developed an innovative rating model - validated by the ECB - in collaboration also with Confindustria Piccola Industria. In addition to the usual economic and financial assessments, the new model aims to make it easier to access credit, at more favourable financial terms, by basing the assessment also on the intangible qualities of the business, such as trademarks, patents, quality and environmental certifications, research and development activities, innovation and digitisation, development and competitive positioning projects, management of the business risk and being part of a supply chain. 
The growth of Italian SMEs is also supported by the Extraordinary Finance structures and the partnership with Elite of Borsa Italiana, through innovative financial solutions that give companies high visibility to institutional investors and enhance their reputation and financial culture. In partnership with Confindustria, in 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo took 58 companies representing all of Italy and its economic sectors to three Elite Lounges (an international programme to accompany the most ambitious companies in their development phases), in a digital version.

The prolonged period of emergency caused by the pandemic has seen the Bank implement new initiatives to accompany businesses, in line with the guidelines of the NRRP.

By signing new agreements with the main trade associations (Confindustria, Confartigianato Imprese, CNA Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato, Fipe Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esercizi, Federlegno Arredo, SMI Sistema Moda Italia, Ucimu, Federalberghi) the aim has been to provide support for the immediate needs of businesses by providing tools with a view to making a recovery that increases the competitiveness of Italian companies on global markets.

The relational Industrial Dialogue approach supports the new way of making Bank: It enables business managers to assist entrepreneurs in their growth and development pathways, thanks to a better understanding of the peculiarities of their companies and the sector in which they operate and the possibility of providing answers and solutions adapted to their objectives. It has the aim of increasing the "strength of the relationship" of managers with companies, identifying a common language for a better understanding of their needs, oriented to offer solutions better suited to the objectives and peculiarities of each company.

In 2021, a specific assessment support programme was launched in the area of ESG of customers. In particular, there were improvements to information, priorities and needs in the ESG area were identified and a dedicated section was created, retrieving all the ESG information available on the individual company examined.

Considering that many small and medium enterprises are part of complex supply chain networks, often with strong relationships at local level, since 2015, another project called “Programma Sviluppo Filiere” was launched to support the growth of manufacturers of excellence by creating an innovative model of collaboration between the Bank and the Lead Company.

An offer is being developed to support the sustainable evolution of the supply chains, with the engagement of the chain leader and the suppliers to improve their sustainability profile. At the end of December 2021, there were around 800 participating lead companies with potentially over 19,000 suppliers and a workforce of over 107,000 employees.

Attention to small and medium-sized enterprises also translates into analysis activities that the Studies and Research Department carries out through in-depth studies on local economies and production chains with the aim of identifying customer needs and strengthening the offer model of the Bank, favoring access to credit, the various forms of productive aggregation and the enhancement of companies with a recognized strategic role within the supply chains.

The Welfare Hub service offers corporate welfare programmes through a digital multimedia and multi-channel platform - that can be browsed via PCs, tablets and smartphones and is accessible also via App - which allows the company to offer its employees a set of goods and services called Flexible Benefits, instead of company bonuses in their payslips, that enjoy tax benefits both for the company that offers them and for the employee who receives them. 

The Welfare Hub was proposed as a sustainability tool by the “Sviluppo Filiere” programme and by the S-Loan project and, at the end of 2021, it had 4,115 companies that had signed up to the platform.

Business Gemma funding supports women's and self-employed women's companies, benefiting free of charge from the special section of the SME Fund for Women's Entrepreneurship. In 2021, 67 loans were provided for 3.2 million euro.

In order to create business development and acceleration opportunities for the most promising technological start-ups, Intesa Sanpaolo developed several initiatives, such as the Nova+ financing programme, the Intesa Sanpaolo Start Up Initiative and the Tech Marketplace digital platform, that enables startups, SMEs and big companies to match their technology needs and offers, with the aim of creating partnerships, commercial agreements and acquisitions.

As part of the financial support to companies interested in improving their digital profile, to which the NRRP dedicates 27% of its available resources, the D-Loan offer has been developed, which provides for the granting of loans with subsidised rates for companies that promise to commit to a list of selected “digital” KPIs.

The "Programma Rinascimento" represent an innovative and timely response that we have provided to address the economic and social emergency resulting from the spread of COVID-19. These programs to support the real economy enable virtuous mechanisms of public-private-non-profit collaboration, and are intended for start-ups, micro-enterprises and SMEs that intend to carry out development and innovation projects, with impacts on the territory. As part of these programs, Impact Loans have been adopted, innovative and sustainable financial instruments characterized by long durations, which qualify them as a form of patient capital and very low cost.