Economy support

Constant attention is paid to the world of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises that are the engine of our economy. 

CresciBusiness

The program, launched in 2022, continues to support micro, small and freelance businesses on their journey towards digital and sustainable growth. With a wide range of offers in various sectors, the initiative facilitates access to tailor-made financial products, promotes financial education also with reference to the state incentives available and facilitates access to credit. 

In 2024, the second edition of "CresciBusiness – Progettiamo "Sostenibile" emphasized environmental, social and governance practices. Among over 2,000 candidate companies, 120 stood out for their sensitivity to sustainability. "CresciBusiness – Let's design sustainable"  encourages companies to adopt business models that integrate business growth, environmental well-being and social responsibility, which translates into the optimization of consumption to reduce environmental impact, the implementation of circular economy practices, the choice of suppliers with sustainable practices, development of products with low environmental impact, promotion of fair labor practices and local communities.

Imprese Vincenti

An initiative that highlights the paths of growth, digital transformation and business models developed by companies also in the ESG field. The aim is to provide visibility, development support programmes, counselling expertise and workshops in collaboration with key partners.

The fifth edition recorded excellent results: over 4,000 candidate companies and 150 selected companies, celebrated as the Winning Companies during a dedicated tour throughout Italy. This edition focused on growth projects and the sustainable impact of SMEs on communities and territories, with a particular focus on Business models and ESG initiatives.

Production chain and local economies

The Sviluppo Filiere Program, dedicated to Italian production chains, concretely enhances the strategic approach aimed at strengthening relations between SMEs connected to them, maximizing opportunities for growth and development through the enhancement of industrial relations. The program has been further enriched with the introduction of the Supply Chain Development Program - Sustainable Supply Chains, aimed at promoting virtuous ESG paths for the supply chain. This initiative provides for the granting of dedicated economic conditions and the expansion of the offer of products and services to support digitization, training and cybersecurity. At the end of 2024, the Supply Chain Development Program involved over 900 supply chains, with a potential of about 22,500 suppliers and a total workforce of more than 124,000 employees, demonstrating its significant impact on local economies and industrial relations.

The Welfare Hub Service allows companies to provide bonuses to their employees which allows companies to provide bonuses to their employees in the form of welfare services, as an alternative to paying them in their salaries, thus taking advantage of the tax benefits provided by law for both the company and the employees. The service takes the form of a digital platform accessible via PCs, tablets, smartphones and Apps. At the end of 2024, 4,588 companies had joined the service in its standard version and 266 in the corporate groups version (involving main contracting parties and adherents).

Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to supporting female entrepreneurship and promoting gender equality through a range of financial products and initiatives. The Business Gemma loan is a medium-long term financial product designed to support investments or meet the liquidity needs of women-owned businesses and the self-employed. With flexible terms, including the possibility of suspending capital payments for up to 12 months in cases such as maternity, this loan also allows access to the SME Guarantee Fund dedicated to female entrepreneurs, at no additional cost. In 2024, 100 loans were disbursed for a total of over 4 million euro.

A specific sustainability-linked loan - called S-Loan Diversity - has been specifically designed to support the SMEs that strengthen the role of women in the workforce. This initiative encourages measures for gender equality, the hiring of women and the implementation of welfare policies. In line with European gender equality standards, the initiative aims to ensure that women have better access to credit and greater economic independence, thus contributing to the reduction of inequalities.

In addition, Intesa Sanpaolo celebrates gender equality through the Women Value Company - Intesa award Sanpaolo Award, created in collaboration with the Marisa Bellisario Foundation. This award honors small and  medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that excel in women's empowerment and implement inclusion policies. By 2024, the award has recognized over 800 companies for their commitment to the promoting gender equality in the workplace.

To create opportunities for business development and acceleration for the most promising start-ups with a strong innovative spirit, Intesa Sanpaolo has developed several accompanying initiatives. These include NOVA+ funding, the Intesa Sanpaolo Start Up Initiative program and the Tech Marketplace digital platform. The latter facilitates the interaction between start-ups, SMEs and large companies, connecting technology supply and demand in order to create partnerships, commercial agreements and acquisitions.

In addition, to support companies interested in improving their digital profile, the D-Loan offer has been introduced. This solution provides for the granting of loans on favorable terms, with subsidized rates, for companies that declare that they are committed to complying with a series of predefined digital KPIs.