INTESA SANPAOLO SUPPORTS SME GROWTH IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

NEW AGREEMENTS WITH SIMEST, SACE AND ICE ANNOUNCED IN DUBAI

·  Banca dei Territori mission to the UAE with SMEs from the Food-Agritech and Home System sectors to boost Italian-made products and open new international trade corridors

·  Dedicated financial tools, participatory loans, international guarantees, the involvement of local institutions and events in Italy and abroad are at the heart of the agreements between the Bank, Simest, Sace and ICE

·  Intesa Sanpaolo supports 45,000 SMEs in international foreign trade activities, of which around 8,000 are already working with the UAE

·  Barrese: "Synergic work and agreements with Ice, Sace and Simest at the service of ‘Made in Italy’ ambassadorial companies. Banca dei Territori disburses € 10 billion to SMEs for exports and investments abroad"

Dubai, 24 April 2025 - Intesa Sanpaolo accompanies Italian SMEs to Dubai in the first international mission of 2025 dedicated to business customers of Banca dei Territori led by Stefano Barrese. The mission aim - which involved 15 SMEs from the  Food-Agritech and Home System sectors from all over Italy and with a strong vocation for foreign trade and international development - is to face geopolitical and economic uncertainty, to support the distinctive value of Italian products abroad, and to offer effective solutions for the international competitiveness of “Made in Italy” in a systemic fashion.

The uniqueness of SME production chains represents the strength of Italian excellence worldwide, often concentrated in highly specialised areas where know-how and skills are handed down, combined with high product quality. Resilient in times of crisis, supply chains have contributed to the positive response of the Italian production system to the recent crises, by readjusting their production and business towards new geographies. The ongoing search for new markets, which has already been going on for several years, is now seeing an acceleration given the uncertain international context, driving Italian companies to turn to new trade routes. Among them, the SMEs that joined the mission to Dubai look with interest at the proposal of  Intesa Sanpaolo, its partners and institutions to move synergically on new international business development corridors, not only in terms of exports but also of collaborations and business partnerships.

At the centre of the event in Dubai was the announcement of the agreements signed by Intesa Sanpaolo with Simest, Sace and ICE in favour of the international strengthening of Italian companies, with common tools and initiatives both in Italy and in strategic markets of interest, starting with the Arab Emirates.  It is also an occasion full of meetings to present Italian excellence to UAE operators and offer selected SMEs the opportunity to build relationships in a dynamic and constantly evolving ecosystem.

INTESA SANPAOLO-SIMEST AGREEMENT

SIMEST, the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group's company for the globalisation of Italian companies, and Intesa Sanpaolo have signed a twofold cooperation agreement aimed at supporting the investments of Italian companies wishing to grow in international markets. The first agreement will enable companies, especially SMEs, that turn to Intesa Sanpaolo to finance their investment projects, to have access to a share of a soft loan provided by SIMEST, with the possibility of a non-repayable share, to support expenses related to digital and ecological transition processes and to reinforce their capital strength. In addition, thanks to the second agreement, regarding direct investments, companies will be able to rely on the joint participation of SIMEST in the share capital of the foreign company and that of the Bank to complete the investment plan, with the additional possibility of having access to an interest-rate subsidy on bank financing for investments in the non-EU area.

INTESA SANPAOLO-SACE AGREEMENT

Intesa Sanpaolo has joined the new initiatives of SACE, the Ministry of Economy and Finance's Company for the support of businesses in Italy and around the world, aimed at facilitating access to credit for companies working in international markets. The first concerns the Sace Growth guarantee, to secure the investment and working capital needs of companies in Italy and abroad, including acquisitions. The second concerns the Master Risk Participation Agreement, for the issuance of contractually agreed guarantees in addition to bonds, with the possibility of additional financial resources to acquire new orders and with a focus on both domestic and international markets.

INTESA SANPAOLO-ICE AGREEMENT

Intesa Sanpaolo and ICE, the Agency for the promotion abroad and globalisation of Italian companies, have signed a new agreement that provides for joint activities in favour of SMEs, from training to consultancy, from products and services instrumental to foreign growth to participation in international events and missions to support foreign development and attract foreign investors. With ICE, synergy will be fostered with foreign institutions to promote the internationalisation process of the Bank's corporate customers and the identification of solutions that can be used both online and with the support of ICE offices abroad.

INTESA SANPAOLO'S INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY FOR SME GROWTH

The Banca dei Territori Division promotes the globalisation of SMEs through collaboration with Simest, Sace and Ice and in synergy with the foreign network of the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, which operates in the Emirates with branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and with the Group's international institutional relations structure. The Intesa Sanpaolo Group's international presence is spread over some 40 countries through subsidiary banks, corporate hubs, representative offices, branches and cooperation agreements with foreign correspondent banks, plus a network of Italian and foreign partners providing assistance in more than 160 countries, in addition to the Italian network of 300 specialists working alongside companies.

Financing solutions for SMEs developing their business abroad look at trade finance needs and support for direct investment processes in international markets, as well as all risk hedging solutions. Through dedicated webinars and thanks to its international network, Intesa Sanpaolo carries out continuous information activities on international market trends and opportunities: in 2024, more than 30 in-person or remote events were held involving approximately 2,000 companies. In addition, Banca dei Territori's Business Strategy service offers advisory services for accessing international markets and for commercial and/or industrial development projects, with more than 100 selected partners advising on individual international geographies and focusing on legal, corporate and labour law aspects. More than 2,500 companies have already benefited from the support of external consultants through this service.

THE MISSION IN DUBAI AND PARTICIPATING SMEs

Intesa Sanpaolo supports around 45,000 SMEs in international foreign trade activities, of which around 8,000 are already working with the UAE

Fifteen companies participated in the mission to Dubai led by Stefano Barrese, Head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division: Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola (Imola), Farmaflor Group (Piasco, CN), Fpd (Fisciano, SA), Geocart (Potenza), Gruppo industriale Buoninfante (Battipaglia, SA), I veri sapori dell’Etna (Bronte, CT), Krill Design (Milan), Mancusa Vincenzo & C. (Aragona, AG), Master Italy (Conversano, BA), Oropan (Altamura, BA), Pastificio Riscossa Fratelli Mastromauro (Corato, BA), Promemoria (Lecco), Rega Food (Striano, NA), Saporiti Italia (Besnate, VA), Thermokey (Rivignano Teor, UD).

The ICE Agency office in Dubai supported the mission by organising meetings between the 15 Italian companies and the main UAE operators involved in the import and distribution of agri-food and household products. The mission was attended by Anna Roscio, Executive Director Sales & Marketing Enterprises of Banca dei Territori Intesa Sanpaolo, and Luca Pietrantoni, Country Manager UK & MEA IMI CIB International Network Intesa Sanpaolo, who started the first day of operational meetings. For economic diplomacy, the mission benefited from the presence and hospitality of the Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, Lorenzo Fanara, the Consul General of Italy in Dubai, Edoardo Napoli and Angela Di Maria of the Bank of Italy at the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi. They are joined by Intesa Sanpaolo's important business partners including Barbara Cimmino, Confindustria Deputy Chair for Export and Investment Attraction, Prof. Giovanni Bozzetti, Chairman of EFG Consulting, Marco Cantalamessa, Simest Head of Strategy and Sustainable Innovation, Valerio Soldani, Director of ICE Dubai Office and Ciro D'Aquino, SACE Regional Manager Middle East-Head of Dubai Office. In addition to the visit of important business and economic realities in the area, the SME meeting with UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah Al Marri was also important.

Stefano Barrese, Head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori, commented:  "The synergic work with economic diplomacy, with Simest, Sace and ICE allows us to combine the best skills at the service of the international success of our SMEs, ambassadors of ‘Made in Italy’ worldwide. It is a strategy that our Group has been pursuing for some time and intends to consolidate in this phase of international complexity, accompanying companies in the diversification of their foreign markets and in the search for new opportunities. Italian SMEs have characteristics of quality, innovation, speed and adaptation to change that few other foreign industrial systems can boast. We seek to be a global partner of our 45,000 corporate customers, to whom we have provided € 10 billion for exports and investments abroad. Support that is now more vital than ever for our production system”.

Informazioni per la stampa

Intesa Sanpaolo

Media Relations Banca dei Territori e Media Locali

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

Intesa Sanpaolo

Intesa Sanpaolo, con 422 miliardi di euro di impieghi e 1.400 miliardi di euro di attività finanziaria della clientela a fine dicembre 2024, è il maggior gruppo bancario in Italia con una significativa presenza internazionale. E’ leader a livello europeo nel wealth management, con un forte orientamento al digitale e al fintech. In ambito ESG, entro il 2025, sono previsti 115 miliardi di euro di erogazioni Impact per la comunità e la transizione verde. Il programma a favore e a supporto delle persone in difficoltà è di 1,5 miliardi di euro (2023-2027). La rete museale della Banca, le Gallerie d’Italia, è sede espositiva del patrimonio artistico di proprietà e di progetti culturali di riconosciuto valore.

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