Milan, 3 November 2026 – The CDP and Confindustria 'Together for the Future of Business' roadshow arrives in Milan for its tenth and final stop, with the aim of boosting local development, strengthening dialogue, and providing effective responses to the challenges businesses face. Today's event completes a journey that began in Rome and has crossed the country, visiting Cagliari, Bologna, Florence, Bari, Turin, Naples, Venice, and Palermo.

The initiative as a whole has involved businesses, representatives of associations, and the financial sector across the country, allowing for the consolidation of interaction with local companies during the meetings to support the development priorities of the various areas. The Milanese leg of the roadshow, held at the Assolombarda headquarters, saw the participation of CDP Chairman Giovanni Gorno Tempini, CDP CEO Dario Scannapieco, Confindustria Vice President for Credit, Finance and Tax Angelo Camilli, Assolombarda President Alvise Biffi, and Confindustria Lombardia President Giuseppe Pasini.

Today's event concludes a journey, but not the collaboration between Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Confindustria, which is further strengthened by the signing of an agreement between CDP Venture Capital and the industrial association. The new agreement aims to strengthen the Italian innovation ecosystem, accelerate the growth of start-ups and innovative SMEs, and foster closer cooperation between industry, venture capital, universities, research, and institutions, promoting the emergence of Italian technological champions capable of competing globally.

Giovanni Gorno Tempini, Chairman of CDP, stated: “The Milan stop concludes a journey that has crossed Italy to listen to businesses and understand their needs. Thanks to our collaboration with Confindustria, we have maintained a direct dialogue with local stakeholders, which we believe is fundamental for transforming strategic guidelines into concrete actions. The conclusion of the roadshow is the culmination of a discussion that has highlighted the potential and contribution of local areas to the country's competitiveness. Our work alongside companies will continue, in the conviction that it is essential to work as a system to face the transformations of our time.”

Dario Scannapieco, CEO of CDP, stated: “Over these months, we have strengthened the joint commitment of CDP and Confindustria to support the Italian production system. The ten stops of the roadshow have allowed us to consolidate our relationship with businesses in the regions and present the financial support opportunities offered by the CDP Group. We are proud to conclude this journey in Lombardy: a milestone that confirms the value of our collaboration and lays the foundations for its continuation. The experience gained provides us with a shared working method, which we will continue to place at the service of companies to support their growth and contribute to the country's development.”

Giuseppe Pasini, President of Confindustria Lombardia, commented: “Supporting investment in the Lombardy production fabric helps grow national supply chains and their related industries, driven by the high global competitiveness of our companies. In a region with a strong manufacturing vocation and a propensity for innovation like Lombardy, the support of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti has a leverage effect on the economy that goes beyond regional and national borders. With the end of the PNRR, the risk of centralisation and cuts to cohesion funds, and the absence of industrial policy, it is essential for Confindustria Lombardia to work as a system to protect our country's interests: in this sense, CDP represents an essential partner for the Italian system.”

Alvise Biffi, President of Assolombarda, emphasised: "The collaboration between CDP and Confindustria is an important opportunity to support business growth and translate national commitments into concrete projects in the regions. One of the main challenges is to foster the dimensional growth of SMEs through industrial aggregation, including by identifying financial instruments with timelines consistent with those of industrial development. As Assolombarda, we are already committed to this front with the Bancopass Capital Matching portal, which has collected over 110 matching requests between companies since its launch last February. The collaboration with CDP can help us transform these opportunities into concrete growth paths.”

Angelo Camilli, Confindustria Vice President for Credit, Finance and Tax, highlighted: “The roadshow has confirmed how important it is to start from the concrete needs of businesses to build effective responses to growth challenges. In ten stops, we have brought together regions, the production system, and financial instruments, strengthening the dialogue between Confindustria and CDP. Now we are called to give continuity to this work, facilitating companies' access to the resources and skills necessary to invest, grow, and compete in international markets.”

Emanuele Levi, CEO of CDP Venture Capital, stated: “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between CDP Venture Capital and Confindustria represents an important step towards building a stronger innovation supply chain, fostering the connection between research, capital, and industry. With this agreement, we want to accelerate the adoption of new technologies by the industrial system, because it is in their application that innovation can translate into growth and competitiveness for the whole country.”

The day's proceedings, which included an economic overview by CDP's Head of Impact Monitoring Cristina dell’Aquila, continued with thematic panels to explore growth opportunities in innovation and international expansion with CDP Venture Capital CEO Emanuele Levi, Simest CEO Regina Corradini D’Arienzo, Fondo Italiano d’Investimento CEO Domenico Lombardi, CDP Real Asset CEO Antonino Turicchi, CDP Business Director Andrea Nuzzi, CDP Director of Development Cooperation and International Institutional Relations Carlo Rossotto, Sinergy Flow Founder and CEO Alessandra Accogli, and Mach I Tronic President Marco Giovannini.

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