What happens if the CEO of Banca Ifis Giovanni Bossi and the director of the Fondazione Nord Est, Stefano Micelli, meet one day at the presentation of the book “Futuro Artigiano”? From the meeting between a bank specialized in factoring for SMEs and the innovation of artisan know-how, the Botteghe Digitali and New Craft initiatives were born, which aim to support and highlight the Italian artisan tradition in the digital era. In particular, the Botteghe Digitali project aims to concretely project into the future, thanks to the new technologies of digital manufacturing, some selected artisan companies. New Craft, on the other hand, is an exhibition which, by placing established producers side by side with young people selected as part of an international call, offers a window onto this new way of thinking about manufacturing, which stages the virtuous encounter between artisan know-how, innovation technology and design culture. Both initiatives are enclosed under the hat of the new Banca Ifis initiative: Fare Impresa Futuro, born , reads the dedicated website "as an expression of the bank to promote Italian artisan excellence, in the area and abroad".
BANK, TERRITORY AND…DIGITAL
Why is a bank that does factoring and buys NPLs interested in digital craftsmanship? The same question was raised by the CEO of Banca Ifis, Giovanni Bossi, yesterday during the presentation of the project at the Fabbrica Del Vapore: “What is a bank doing here, developing non-customers, in a moment of great difficulty for banks? We are witnessing directly what has made us develop over the last 30 years, what has led us from scratch to become a medium-sized Italian bank today: innovation and change are the thread that binds what we have done and we want to continue doing” . Bossi recalled that the task of Italian banks is to help businesses and households by giving more credit: if this does not happen, the way out of the difficulties will be much more complicated and long. “This partnership – he continued – aims to be the concrete testimony of support for Italian excellence in a period of important technological transformations”. Change can no longer be postponed. “The banking system is paying for years of inaction – continued Bossi – And now the market is pushing the banks to do quickly what they had to do and didn't do. There is a need for credit and a new way of doing banking: if your banking business model is to charge customers for transactions, you will certainly be put out of the market by today's smart and light banks. For example, those with counters aren't doing what they should to reduce them, or are doing it too slowly. Then the market punishes you and one wonders why. The market is pushing towards change, it is also clear that the banks have governance and structure models that are struggling to move in this direction. I hope that under the pressure of the markets the banks will once again be at the service of the economy”.
MAKE, INNOVATE
On the other hand, Banca Ifis was born in an industrial induced, its target is SMEs, acronym here more often declined as Small micro enterprises. A natural interlocutor, therefore, the same to whom the Botteghe Digitali project is also aimed, which has chosen five artisan companies from different sectors, all with the precise aim of growing by responding to the new needs of the market: Occhialeria Artigiana, i Mobili Aresi, the Sartoria Concolato, the oldest in Padua, felt bags by Lefrac, mosaics by Studio Cassio. The project will end at the Maker Faire with an area dedicated to the story of the companies and their experience. “Entrepreneurship in Italy has never failed. In recent years, manufacturing capacity has had a new cultural legitimacy as a market that is not only economic but also social. Homo oeconomicus does not have those social characteristics which can hold a community together. This cultural sphere in Italy is also an economic prerequisite”, commented Stefano Micelli. “Today – continued the economist who has just published his second book on the theme “Doing is innovating” – the technological revolution makes it possible to recover ancient knowledge and give it new vitality. Will we be able to set in motion an economy that has different assumptions? Where value is no longer in many things that are all the same but in diversity and quality. If we want to imagine a generation of artisans of this type, we need a large widespread investment in human capital. Then there is the organizational aspect: when these things become an economy, they have to be organised. How do you manage people by enhancing their creative ability and at the same time the needs of turnover, margins and internationalization?”.
