Takes off the Bond Food Noon, the first minibond issue program launched by UniCredit and SACE to finance medium-long term development plans linked to the sustainable and international growth of companies in the South belonging to the agri-food sector. The initiative was inaugurated by eight companies from the South that issued variable-rate minibonds with a duration of 7 years, subscribed by UniCredit: Caffè Moak, Cantine Ermes, Gustibus Alimentari and Pastificio Di Martino which benefited from the SACE guarantee, in addition to Dairy Palazzo and Gruppo Leone (Mangimi Leone, Almeda and Leone Group). In all, the total resources collected amounted to over 27 million euros.
As regards the improvement of environmental and social impacts, the issuing companies that have chosen Nativa, a Regenerative Design Company and the first Benefit Company and B Corp in Europe, as Sustainability Advisor for identification, the implementation and measurement of ESG objectives, a reward is recognized in the form of a reduction in the coupon rate upon achievement of the objectives set at the time of the issue of the minibond. UniCredit, in line with the ESG paradigm, envisages three categories of objectives in terms of improving business sustainability: environmental protection, improvement of the social aspects of the community and ethical business management.
“With the Bond Food Mezzogiorno program – explained Andrea Casini, Corporate Manager of UniCredit Italia – as a leading bank in Italy in facilitating the access of SMEs to the capital market, we set ourselves an ambitious goal: to make available companies in the agro-food sector of the South, excellence of Made in Italy, a distinctive offer that combines specialist consultancy for the definition and implementation of sustainability strategies with an advanced financial instrument such as the minibond, with the possibility of also benefiting from the SACE guarantee. With Bond Food Mezzogiorno we have created a system operation to mobilize new credit, encourage alternative forms of investment financing and promote internationalization and the culture of sustainability”.
