Enel and Intesa Sanpaolo enter into a partnership to support supply chain companies and launch pathways to sustainable growth

• The agreement aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises that are part of the Enel supply chain in their growth and sustainable development

• Companies that join Enel’s Supplier Development Program will have quick access to a wide range of loans, at the best terms and conditions, and with faster disbursement of loans

• In the launch phase, around 130 suppliers selected by Enel from among the best performing companies operating in areas of strategic interest to the Group will benefit from the partnership

Milan, 20 August 2020 – Enel and Intesa Sanpaolo signed a partnership agreement to provide access to credit for the Group’s suppliers under Intesa Sanpaolo’s Sviluppo Filiere Programme and Enel’s Supplier Development Program.

The agreement aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Enel’s supply chain and facilitate their access to credit so they can initiate their paths to growth and sustainable development. Supply chain companies will then be able to activate development processes with ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) in mind focusing particularly on environmental issues and the transition to Circular Economy models.

With the Sviluppo Filiere Programme promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo at the end of 2015, Enel and the banking group embark on a partnership that during the launch phase will benefit about 130 suppliers selected by Enel from throughout Italy. Thanks to the agreement and through the exchange of industrial and sectoral information, access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises is facilitated and economic advantages are recognised by leveraging the experience Intesa Sanpaolo has accumulated over the years supporting supply chains and its extensive presence throughout the country.

The partnership will allow the bank to evaluate suppliers as players in a solid production chain and to leverage, within the supplier credit assessment process, the industrial information provided by Enel. Enel’s companies will thus be able to benefit from the “value” of the chain leader through increased access to credit and faster disbursement of loans.

The agreement also allows suppliers to take advantage of a wide range of loans, particularly those linked to investments in the Circular Economy and ESG integration, and advanced financial instruments for the supply chain to facilitate access to liquidity, growth and overcoming difficulties, and thus help them get back on track.

“The challenge of the energy transition necessarily requires the growth and development of our suppliers. Without them, it would not be possible to achieve our decarbonisation, renewable energy development and network digitisation objectives”, said Alberto De Paoli, Chief Financial Officer of the Enel Group. “With our Supplier Development Program, we want to accompany SMEs operating in sectors key to Enel on the path towards sustainable, technological and skills development, by providing dedicated services offered by selected partners. Joining Intesa Sanpaolo’s Sviluppo Filiere Programme will allow suppliers participating in the Supplier Development Program to take advantage of financial services and access to credit that can facilitate their implementation of circular economy principles and develop innovation and sustainability processes.”

Stefano Barrese, Head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, said: “The important supply chain agreement reached with Enel, thanks to the invaluable contribution of our colleagues in the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, further strengthens Intesa Sanpaolo’s Sviluppo Filiere Programme, which already includes 700 large companies in Italy and their 16,000 suppliers. In the first phase of this new agreement, we look to the 130 companies that supply Enel, adapting our offering to support the entire supply chain down to the smallest supplier and leveraging our qualitative rating model: one that is shared with the ECB, which allows companies that invest in innovation, sustainability and product quality to improve the cost of credit. Thanks to the cooperation of a partner like Enel, we are confident that other organizations will join our Programme to involve medium, small and even very small-sized enterprises in relaunching our economy.”

Enel is a multinational power company and a leading integrated player in the global power, gas and renewables markets. It is the largest European utility by ordinary EBITDA, and is present in over 30 countries worldwide, producing energy with over 86 GW of installed capacity. Enel distributes electricity through a network of over 2.2 million kilometers, and with around 74 million business and household end users globally, the Group has the largest customer base among its European peers. Within the Enel Group, Enel Green Power is the world’s largest renewable private player, with around 46.4 GW of wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower plants installed in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Enel X, Enel's global advanced energy services business line, is the worldwide demand response leader, with a total capacity of over 6 GW managed globally; the company has installed 110 MW of storage capacity as well as, in the electric mobility sector, it has made available around 130,000 public and private EV charging points around the globe. 

Intesa Sanpaolo is one of the soundest and most profitable banks in Europe, offering commercial banking, corporate investment banking, asset management and insurance services. It is the leading Bank in Italy, with approximately 12 million customers who are assisted through both digital and traditional channels. The Group’s international subsidiary banks serve 7.2 million customers across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Intesa Sanpaolo is considered one of the most sustainable banks in the world.

For the Group, creating value means being a driver of social and economic growth. As regards the environment, the Group has set up a 5-billion-euro fund for the circular economy. Intesa Sanpaolo supports major economic inclusion and poverty reduction projects, including an impact fund of 1.2 billion euro for loans available to social groups who struggle to access credit. Intesa Sanpaolo has a high level of involvement in cultural initiatives, organized by itself or in collaboration with other entities in Italy and further afield. These include permanent and temporary exhibitions showcasing the Bank’s impressive artistic heritage at the Gallerie d’Italia, the Group’s museums located in Milan, Naples and Vicenza.