If it is true that healthy banks cannot exist in a sick system, it is right that the credit institutions themselves contribute to the revival of the economy. Starting from the bottom, where the crisis has done the most harm: since manufacturing sector, which in the period 2008-2012 lost 19,5% of its turnover, contributing decisively to -5,4% of GDP and saved only by exports: last year, in fact, the domestic turnover was still -7,6% (Intesa-Sanpaolo elaborations on Istat data), while the foreign one was +2,6%, mainly driven by exports to non-EU countries (+12,4%).
The fourth was signed today to deal with the crisis in the manufacturing sector agreement between Confindustria and Banca Intesa Sanpaolo – in the presence of the president of industrialists Giorgio Squinzi and the managing director and CEO of the bank Enrico Cucchiani – which provides for a plafond of 10 billion euro, of which 200 million euro to be allocated to the financing of innovative projects of new businesses.
At the heart of the agreement are three guidelines considered strategic for the development of small and medium-sized Italian enterprises in particular: the international business development (we depend more and more on the foreign market: the propensity to export was 37% in 2008, it reached 44% in 2012, it will rise to 45% in 2013); dimensional growth (to export more you need to have larger and more competitive business dimensions); And the new business (for development you have to focus a lot on startups).
Precisely on the subject of this last theme, today Piccola Industria Confindustria also presented the “Adopt a start-up” program, which provides for an active involvement in terms of "tutorship" by associated companies and a series of services and initiatives aimed at facilitating the creation and development of new businesses. The best business ideas, selected by the joint Intesa Sanpaolo-Confindustria Committee, are in fact "adopted" by companies, indicated by Confindustria, already consolidated on the market so that, as "incubators", they help them develop into sustainable businesses also thanks to the of Intesa Sanpaolo Neoimpresa and Officine Formative.
“Credit continues to be one of the emergencies – he said Giorgio Squinzi, president of Confindustria – of companies, especially SMEs, for which the liquidity problem remains a priority and requires an extraordinary commitment on the part of everyone, the banks first, but also the companies themselves. Confindustria has never stopped acting with determination on this front with the aim of making all the necessary tools and contacts available to our companies”.
“With this agreement – he declared instead the CEO of Banca Intesa-Sanpaolo Enrico Cucchiani – our Group confirms itself as a reference bank for supporting the growth of Italian companies. The demand for credit has recently shrunk significantly due to the recession. The trend of Italian companies shows a strong polarization: on the one hand, there are 20% of companies whose turnover has grown by 40-50-60% or even more over the three-year period, exporting massively. On the other hand, the 20% of less performing companies recorded an unsustainable decline in revenues in the same period. We are determined to do our part by implementing initiatives to create and strengthen a strategic partnership between companies and banks to trigger profitable growth: in this difficult situation, we must help companies in the process of internationalisation, research and innovation , in the strengthening of the commercial performance”.
“Intesa Sanpaolo – concluded Cucchiani – carries out the role of "connector" between Italian companies that want to grow abroad and the opportunities offered by the global economy, thanks to our international network present in all growth hubs. Finally, a priority objective for us is to encourage the birth of a new generation of entrepreneurs: to this end, Intesa Sanpaolo is particularly committed to creating an "ecosystem" for the development of start-ups based on new technologies, in collaboration with the major national research centres.”
