Generali strengthens its commitment to support for the real economy of the continent and launches the European Sovereignty Program, A new program of investments from 300 million euro intended for small and medium-sized enterprises, strategic infrastructures and the most innovative sectors.
The initiative aims to improve the resilience of the European economy At a time marked by strong geopolitical tensions, supporting industrial autonomy, the security of supply chains, and business competitiveness. Investments will be concentrated primarily in continental Europe, with a particular focus on Italy, France, and Germany.
A fund for SMEs, infrastructure, and innovation
The European Sovereignty Programme will be structured as a Fund of Funds and will adopt a diversified approach, combining equity and debt instruments, listed assets, and private investments. Generali Asset Management will manage the two divisions dedicated to private equity, infrastructure, and direct lending, while Sycomore Asset Management will be responsible for the component dedicated to listed equity markets.
The program aims to direct long-term capital Towards SMEs and companies operating in sectors considered strategic for Europe's future. Areas identified by the group include the energy transition, digitalization, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and the strengthening of critical supply chains. Particular attention will be paid to small and medium-sized enterprises, considered the backbone of the European production system but still penalized by difficulties in accessing stable, long-term financing.
Donnet: “Long-term capital for European growth”
“The Group's new investment program further strengthens our commitment to supporting the growth of the European real economy, in a phase of increasing geopolitical uncertainty,” said Generali's Group CEO. Philippe Donnet"As a responsible insurer and investor, Generali is able to mobilize long-term capital to support projects that contribute to Europe's resilience, competitiveness, and autonomy. With this initiative, we confirm the Group's commitment to leveraging its expertise and investment capabilities to drive stronger, more innovative, and sustainable growth."
"The new investment program allows us to direct capital towards strategic sectors capable of strengthening the continent's resilience, strategic autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable growth. Through a combination of investments in public and private assets, in line with our disciplined approach and responsible investor framework, we intend to facilitate access to long-term financing for businesses, SMEs, and infrastructure, contributing to the development of more resilient, innovative, and competitive industrial supply chains," commented Group Chief Investment Officer Luca Cetrano.
From energy transition to cybersecurity
The new program emerges at a time when geopolitical and economic transformations have made strengthening European autonomy and protecting value chains more urgent. Generali specifically draws on the recommendations of the Draghi and Letta reports on the Union's competitiveness, which identify investments in energy, independence from raw materials, critical infrastructure, and technological innovation as priorities.
“Generali Investments – explained Filippo Casagrande, Chief of Investments at Generali Investments, "is leveraging the specialized expertise of its asset management platform to leverage, with an integrated and complementary approach, opportunities related to strengthening European sovereignty. The strategies identified enable synergistic action on multiple levels: from investing in listed companies, with a particular focus on SMEs operating in strategic sectors, to directly financing SMEs that fuel European industrial supply chains, to selecting managers specializing in private equity and infrastructure. We aim to channel capital into key areas such as energy transition, digitalization, cybersecurity, AI, and to strengthen critical supply chains."
The European Sovereignty Programme also represents aevolution of previous initiatives of the group to support the real economy. These include Fenice 190, the plan launched in 2021 that mobilized a total of €3,5 billion to support Europe's post-pandemic economic recovery.
