Green Agreement between the Cassa Centrale Group and SACE to support the Sustainable Transition of Businesses
Trento, 17 January 2024 - The Cassa Centrale Group is strengthening its collaboration with SACE to accelerate the sustainable transition of companies by supporting investments aimed at reducing the environmental impacts deriving from their activity.
The renewed collaboration allows the Group Banks to make the SACE guarantee available to companies operating in their territories to support and facilitate their "green" projects, such as investments intended for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, prevention and reduction of polluting activities, protection of water and marine resources, protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainable mobility and the circular economy, in line with the Green New Deal and with the taxonomy defined by the European Union.
Businesses - joint-stock companies with a turnover of up to EUR 500 million - will be able to benefit from SACE's 80% Green Guarantee, issued at market conditions, through a totally standardised and digitised process.
To make the Green Guarantee tool even more accessible, SACE has simplified and further digitised the process, also improving the customer experience with a dedicated portal. The new features introduced comprise greater flexibility in financing, including the possibility of having multiple disbursements.
The new methods of accessing the Green Guarantee represent a further step forward on SACE's digital transformation path, consistent with the strategy and objectives of the INSIEME2025 Business Plan, facilitating and accelerating the signing of new green agreements.
“Today, companies that invest in sustainability are more competitive and resilient and this is especially true for SMEs, which are the pillar of our INSIEME2025 business plan”, said Daniela Cataudella, Head of Business Dynamic Solutions at SACE. “With our Green Guarantee, we at SACE have already supported over 500 projects in Italy for a total value of EUR 12 billion, and we are committed every day to supporting investments that are useful for accelerating sustainable transition processes in all areas and sectors. A commitment that we carry forward together with the main players in the system and with Italian financial institutions, such as the banks of the Cassa Centrale Group, to once again strengthen our support for the country's green transition".
“The Banks of the Cassa Centrale Group are committed to the progressive implementation of ESG objectives within their business models”, commented Roberta Famà, Chief ESG and Institutional Relations of Cassa Centrale. “In line with the Group's sustainability objectives and cooperative values that distinguish us, we intend to closely support the country's energy transition, accompanying businesses operating in our territories on their transition path through new tools and an increasingly complex offering. The partnership with SACE fits perfectly into our sustainable development strategy, as it allows us to satisfy the growing medium-long term financial needs connected to companies' environmental transition programs".