Cassa Centrale Banca has launched the second ELITE Lounge with high-potential companies

Following the success of the first edition, the Group has strengthened its commitment to boosting the growth of Italian businesses, supporting them on a path of development, innovation and access to capital markets.

Trento, 15 June 2026 - Cassa Centrale Banca, Parent Company of the Cassa Centrale Cooperative Banking Group, announced the launch of the second ELITE Lounge. The programme - developed in partnership with ELITE, the ecosystem forming part of the Euronext Group that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to grow and access private and public capital markets - is dedicated to supporting business customers on a structured path of growth, managerial development and access to new financial and strategic opportunities.

The initiative stems from the success of the first edition launched in 2025 and confirms the Group's role as a strategic partner supporting entrepreneurs and their companies. This is a customised process of absolute excellence that helps these companies to consolidate their development plan, improving their networking capacity, visibility and interaction with the financial community, as well as making it easier to access the capital market.

There are more than 20 companies involved in the second edition of the course, confirming the importance of a project that has been able to meet the development needs of the national production fabric.

The selected companies operate in strategic sectors of the Italian economy, including: manufacturing, food, tourism and services. A heterogeneous group in terms of size, skills and reference markets, united by a strong vocation for growth, innovation and value creation in the long term.

Overall, the companies participating in the ELITE Lounge recorded an aggregate turnover of approximately EUR 2.3 billion and employ over 7,000 employees in 6 regions.

In a context characterised by geopolitical and economic instability, new international commercial dynamics, the acceleration of technological transformations and increasing competitive complexity, the Cassa Centrale Group continues to invest in practical tools to support the real economy, supporting companies in acquiring the skills and resources needed to successfully face future challenges.

“The launch of the second ELITE Lounge represents, for our Group, the confirmation of the value of a project that has met with strong interest from companies and which allows us to further strengthen our role as a partner for the growth of the Italian production system. The success of the first edition encouraged us to expand this initiative, involving new entrepreneurs that stand out for their innovative capacity, managerial quality and development ambition - said Sandro Bolognesi, Chief Executive Officer of Cassa Centrale Banca. - As a Cooperative Banking Group, we support SMEs, which constitute the backbone of our economy, but also the most structured companies, which intend to undertake advanced paths of growth and opening up to the capital markets. We therefore believe it is fundamental to provide tools, skills and relationships that can support them in boosting competitiveness and seizing new opportunities for sustainable development”.

Marta Testi, Chief Executive Officer of ELITE: “We warmly welcome the new companies joining ELITE today thanks to the support of Cassa Centrale Banca. We believe in a model that combines proximity to the local area and openness to global markets, investing in innovation, financial culture and governance quality. At ELITE, we connect businesses and opportunities, leveraging an international network that today has over 2,000 companies and is worth EUR 220 billion in aggregate turnover. It is this ecosystem, composed of skills, strategic relationships and patient capital, that supports lasting and sustainable growth”.

Some companies participating in the second ELITE Lounge are listed below: