Relations with national, European and international institutions and advocacy actions

Within the Italian Banking Association (ABI), Intesa Sanpaolo actively participates in the Working Groups dedicated to issues such as the new strategy on sustainable finance, green taxonomy, the integration of ESG risk factors, in the management of risks related to corporate financing activities, non-financial reporting and social sustainability.

The Bank contributed to the definition of the ABI response to the consultation on the updating of the national strategy of the circular economy announced by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and is collaborating in the preparation of the "Vademecum on the circular economy", an informative tool, jointly created by ABI and consumer associations to transfer information on the subject to the interested consumer and increase their sensitivity. Intesa Sanpaolo actively participates in the "Carta D- Women in the bank" project to enhance gender diversity as a key resource for sustainable development and growth also in the company.

In addition to the work within ABI, Intesa Sanpaolo Group has continued to develop its relationship with the leading Italian trade associations with the aim of increasing awareness about sustainability and ESG criteria among companies and networks.

The Group participated in the drafting and presentation of the White Book of the Water Value Community for Italy, which took place on 22 March 2023, which included the themes and contents proposed, discussed and in-depth by Intesa Sanpaolo and the Partners of the Community during the annual journey. The initiative was coordinated by The European House – Ambrosetti.

For the Bank, the project was managed and coordinated by Institutional Special Projects and Policies, the scientific component was entrusted to the Studies and Research Department. Given the broad transversality of the initiative, a working group was set up which also involved the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, the Banca dei Territori Division and SRM.

Intesa Sanpaolo supported the “2030-2040. Probable Futures" by Fondazione Leonardo Civiltà delle Macchine, a broad and original work that brings together the points of view of renowned scholars, on the one hand, and, on the other, children aged 11 to 20, belonging to different geographical areas of the country. What emerges is the perception of the young generations on the issues of the relationship with the institutions, school, demography, work and free time, environment, politics, technology, energy and nuclear power, digitalisation, gaming, space economy and AI impact. The Project has already received attention from institutional stakeholders, primarily from the Ministry of Education and Merit. The first part of the project was presented in the Chamber of Parliamentary Groups of the Chamber of Deputies on 22 April 2024.

Intesa Sanpaolo has long started an open and constructive dialogue with all the Consumer Associations belonging to the National Council of Consumer Consumers (recognized by the Ministry of Economic Development) and representative at national level.

In this context, it signed the Framework Agreement "We innovate relationships" in 2019 (renewed on July 2021) which provides for the formation of 3 permanent discussion tables on the topics of greatest interest: Products and Services / Banking-insurance education / Territorial relations; Legislation / Authority-Customer Service / Conciliation; Educational / Sustainability / Impact.

Intesa Sanpaolo is also a member and member of the Board of Consumers' Forum, an independent association which includes the most important Consumer Associations, numerous industrial and service companies and their trade associations, institutions, which aims to maintain an open and permanent dialogue between companies and consumer organizations.

The issues of access to credit (public guarantees) and grants and/or alternative tools  to support companies affected by the COVID-19 crisis to promote the competitiveness of companies, also deepened in the Plenary and in different context of working groups, such as the Italian Financial Center for Sustainability leaded by banking and finance associations (ABI and Sustainable Reindustrialization.Febaf), as well as through direct talks with national and local public institutions, were also given special attention. A detailed monitoring of grants offered by regions and regional financial companies has been prepared. A specific focus in this area has been reserved to those aimed at supporting innovative companies, new-established companies (start-ups) and youth entrepreneurship.

Two projects have also been launched which provide for the establishment of permanent observatories on topics falling within the scope of sustainability and inclusion.

The first Observatory aims to analyze and dialogue on demographic trends, competitiveness and sustainability of the country, through the creation of studies and the organization of awareness raising events.

The analysis of the demographic phenomenon, in fact, can be included in the context of the reflection on the socio-economic development of Italy and can play an important role for the social sustainability of the country.

With this awareness, in 2021, the study "Italy and demographic dynamics" was promoted in collaboration with Censis. Scenarios and tools for facing the future", which offers an interpretation of the dynamics of the demographic transition (the country that is "shrinking"), of the transformation of the internal composition of Italian society and a first evaluation of the impacts it may have on health protection, the labor market and more generally on the economy.

On 18 March 2024, the Report "Society in the making: new needs, new opportunities, new paradigms" was presented in Torre Gioia in Milan, an extensive study carried out in collaboration with the Laboratory of statistics applied to corporate economic decisions (LSA) of the 'Catholic University, directed by Prof. Alessandro Rosina, [and with the contribution of the Sales & Marketing Wealth Management & Protection Department and the Insurance Division], which showed the urgency of the need to address with adequate policies a phenomenon that takes on priority characteristics and can no longer be postponed. The Report, in addition to a detailed survey, offers the public debate and the institutions a detailed reflection on the desired reversal of direction, on the assumption that the demographic aspect is transversal and therefore capable of impacting most of the factors relating to the socio-economic development of the country, and at the same time puts forward some proposals on the assumption that it is possible to accompany Italian society towards a model of sustainable growth.

The second Observatory focuses on financial inclusion, as an enabling factor of economic growth for migrants.

 As part of the work started there is the activation of a study on the dynamics of integration of migrants for the sustainable growth of the country implemented in 2018, the start and consolidation of the dialogue dedicated to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation for a continous dialogue on the best practices in support of the social and economic inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers, the continuation of the training project of the Foundation itself and of the Catholic University in which Intesa Sanpaolo defined its intervention in the project and illustrated its best practice to the students of the degree course in Sustainability Management. 

Dialogue has also been initiated with some national and international institutions, with international organizations, foundations and sector associations. In this context, Intesa Sanpaolo was invited to the national round table on financial inclusion promoted by the MEF and the Bank of Italy in the context of the country's participation in the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion and to the round table dedicated to the topic of inclusion financial institution set up at the ABI.