BPER and SIMEST, a Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group entity that assists Italian businesses in internationalising, have established a collaboration agreement with the goal of improving support for Italian companies with projects overseas.
This agreement aims to make it easier to obtain subsidised loans from Fund 394/81, which SIMEST manages in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The fund helps Italian enterprises with their foreign market investments.
Fund 394/81 funds a variety of initiatives, including market entry, digital and ecological transition (with special benefits for energy-intensive and supply chain companies), participation in trade fairs and events, e-commerce, and recent initiatives to strengthen African markets and improve the competitiveness of Italian companies in Central and South America.
In addition, the agreement calls for periodic meetings to keep BPER officials up to date on the instruments maintained by Simest.
The facilities are open to companies of all sizes and sectors, with special benefits for energy-intensive companies, those interested in the Western Balkans, Africa, Central and South America, and companies located in flood-prone areas (beginning May 2023) or with at least one operational site in Southern Italy.