UniCredit and SACE strengthen their collaboration with a triple agreement to support the competitiveness of Italian companies in the world, in particular SMEs, signed today by Federico Ghizzoni, Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit, and Alessandro Castellano, Chief Executive Officer of SACE.
The agreement provides:
– a €300 million plafond for medium/long-term loans disbursed by UniCredit (now also on CDP funding) guaranteed by SACE, in support of foreign development projects of Italian SMEs (from the purchase of new machinery to the opening of points of sale abroad, from investments in research and development to participation in international fairs);
– a ceiling of € 100 million for advances or short-term foreign loans (up to 18 months), disbursed by UniCredit and guaranteed by SACE as part of the internationalization activities of Italian SMEs;
– a ceiling of at least € 250 million of international guarantees issued by UniCredit and counter-guaranteed by SACE, in favor of export activities or the execution of works abroad by Italian companies.
With these agreements, SACE and UniCredit are strengthening their commitment to Italian companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, improving their access to credit and supporting their competitiveness in international contracts and tenders. A partnership that combines Unicredit's ability to offer cutting-edge solutions and products through a widespread presence on the territory with SACE's ability to assume risks.
"The success of our companies on international markets - said Alessandro Castellano, CEO of SACE - is increasingly linked to access to competitive financial insurance instruments capable of strengthening their ability to invest in innovation, development and identification of new business opportunities . With the agreement signed with UniCredit, SACE is making the knowledge of emerging markets and the experience in risk management gained in over 30 years of activity alongside Italian exporters available to a growing number of SMEs”.
“Thanks to this new agreement with SACE – said Federico Ghizzoni, Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit – we can further support companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, in dealing with their growth on international markets by providing financial means, services and consultancy, also through the dedicated structure of Global Transaction Banking colleagues present in the area. Furthermore, our direct presence in 50 countries allows us to place our experience and knowledge of the markets at their disposal and to help them hook up to exports with a structured and sustainable approach”.
