La protection it is no longer a hypothesis, but an everyday reality: Blackout IT, floods, diagnosis late, scams digital are increasingly frequent events, but few know how to deal with them. It is no coincidence that today protection - economic, health, legal - is one of the most widespread and least satisfied needs in Italy.
“Protection is a concept that has to do with all areas of our lives: it concerns our assets, our loved ones, our health, our projects,” he says. Massimiliano From The Way, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Intesa Sanpaolo Protection. “Having support and protection that helps us manage the unexpected and achieve our personal or family goals can make the difference.”
Intesa Sanpaolo reorganizes its insurance companies
To better respond to these needs, from December 2024 Intesa Sanpaolo has launched a reorganization deep of its division insurance.
Intesa Sanpaolo Life takes on a new identity, becoming Intesa Sanpaolo Insurance, the parent company of the new structure, led by Virginia Borla Also responsible for the entire Division. Under this umbrella was also born Intesa Sanpaolo Protection, the result of the merger between Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura and Intesa Sanpaolo RBM Salute, which unites the damage and health branches in a single entity: "A single point of reference for all-round protection", as underlined by CEO Massimiliano Dalla Via.
Cyber and climate: the new perimeter of protection
The real change is not so much about the products, but about the threats to be covered. “Cybersecurity” is no longer a topic for specialists: Italy is among the European countries most affected by cyber attacks, and awareness — although growing — struggles to translate into preparation.
“Sensitivity to cyber risk still varies too much based on the size of the company,” Dalla Via observes. For this reason, “it is important to spread awareness on these issues: adequate information, in fact, allows us to prevent economic and reputational damage, reduce legal risks and guarantee the operational continuity of the company.”
Even on the private front, the digital risks are multiplying. “Identity theft, online financial scams and cyberbullying are increasingly widespread. Having protection against these risks means being able to count on legal support, specialized assistance and reimbursement for any financial losses”. The policies are there, but the culture of protection as a service, not as an obligation, is missing.
And then there is the climate issue, perhaps the most obvious and at the same time the most difficult to govern. Extreme events are increasingly frequent - devastating hailstorms, fires, floods - that put individuals, businesses and territories to the test.
“Il climate change makes it increasingly clear how important it is to have responsible and preventative management of possible extreme events", Dalla Via notes.
Protection is not just prevention
There is also a more silent fracture: the aging of the population. By 2050, one in three Italians will be over 65. And longevity — 81 years for men, 85 for women — is a goal only if accompanied by quality of life. Here the insurance challenge is not just health, but existential.
“These data highlight the importance of developing products and services for this segment of the population, whether active and healthy, or in need of support,” explains Dalla Via.
It is a statement that highlights the change in tone compared to the past: no longer simple coverage, but long-term partnerships. The goal is to ensure that protection does not come after, but together with life choices.
“Il insurance sector can do a lot, both by supporting the public system in responding to the growing demand for protection, and by helping people and businesses build a sustainable future, also through personalized products”, underlines the CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione.
The market changes, the mentality less
Despite an integrated bancassurance model that works - and the Insurance sector currently contributes approximately 11% to the Intesa Sanpaolo Group's gross current income (as of 31 December 2024) - the real obstacle remains the insurance culture.
Many Italians take out insurance policies without fully understanding their value, SMEs remain exposed with insufficient coverage and public welfare is struggling to cope. The demand for protection has not yet translated into a collective leap towards conscious risk management.
The campaign launched in December by the Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni Group — “Together, we can go far” — wants to overturn the narrative: protection not as a brake, but as a lever for growth, an opportunity that combines security, development, freedom and personal and collective fulfillment.
In this scenario, the reorganization within the Group is not just a simple corporate operation, but a change of pace. Insurance is no longer the last piece, but the first tool to face an increasingly unstable world.
