A new direction, also a result (like the entire reorganization of the Bank of Territories) of the integration with Ubi Banca. Intesa Sanpaolo launches Agribusiness, the banking group's new center of excellence dedicated to agriculture, which aims to seize the enormous potential of one of the most important productive sectors in the country and, at the same time, to further enhance the link with the territories and resources from UBI Banca .
The new direction will be based in Pavia and will be able to count on 85 branches throughout the country and around 1.000 specialists at the service of around 80 customers. "The Agribusiness network - explains a note - will concentrate in particular in the areas with the greatest agricultural vocation of the country in order to enhance their peculiarities and excellence and will address companies operating in agriculture, livestock, forestry and the use of forest areas , fishing, aquaculture and agritourisms, in addition to companies active in the transformation and distribution of agricultural production".
At the top of Agribusiness he was appointed Renzo Simonato, a manager with extensive experience developed within Intesa Sanpaolo, where he held positions of responsibility in various areas, including the Veneto, Friuli Venezia-Giulia and Trentino Alto-Adige Regional Management, where he comes from.
A research by the Intesa Sanpaolo Studies and Research Department shows that in 2019 the Italian agri-food system it generated an added value of 64,8 billion euros and employed over 1,4 million people, with a weight on the economy of 4% and 5,5% respectively. The agri-food sector sees Italy in third place for added value among the large European countries. In particular, 9,2% of European workers in the sector work in the Italian agrifood sector, distributed for about two thirds in the primary sector and about one third in the transformation sector.
The agri-food sector is therefore undoubtedly a strategic sector for Italy, capable of growing even in times of crisis, thanks to the same structural characteristics that have determined its success on world markets. The Italian sector is, in fact, supported by higher quality products (Italy is the European country with the largest number of Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication products), which express a high added value and push Italy to the top in the international ranking of market shares in the "top of range".
“The new management – he commented Stefano Barrese, head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo – wants to be a model of excellence at the service of agriculture, which will bring together the many skills of the Group internally, becoming a qualified point of reference at national level. Agribusiness is also a sign of closeness to the territory and its local excellence, with which we will give life to a new reality capable of representing an engine for the recovery and growth of the country."
