Between ambitions and uncertainties, the party for the first fifty years of Artfidi Lombardia presents the organization of financial intermediaries with a new challenge: extend its network to respond to contemporary problems. Despite sailing against the wind, the government does not lose its way. «We are working to bring the maximum limit of small amount transactions to 120 thousand. We built the reduced amount, commissions and concessions that we included in the budget law thanks to the work done with you. It is no coincidence that the operation of the Confidi activity increased by 70% in the first months of 2024″ declares Massimo Bitonci, undersecretary of the Ministry of Business.
THE 900 thousand members of Artfidi Lombardia generate a business volume of 3.5 billion euros and they are destined to increase in the next period «we want to involve the realities of the Veneto to achieve economies of scale that translate into lower costs for the guarantee of our members» states Enrico Giorgio Mattinzoli, president of Artfidi Lombardia.
For this reason, the association addresses its wishes to politics: «The increase in the minimum requirements, i.e. the guarantee flow, the share capital and the guarantee stock to be admitted to Confidiand ensure that within the next 5 years all consortiums are supervised by the Bank of Italy” specifies the Lombard representative of Artfidi.
But heavy negativity can be seen on the horizon. «The global context is alarming and we wonder if we are faced with de-globalization. The decline in Europe’s weight is evident but we are aware that we cannot do without it” explains Alessandro Azzi, President of ABI Lombardia. Among the major critical issues attributed to the EU: the lack of completion of the banking union with the establishment of the deposit guarantee fund “has been pending for 15 years because Germany doesn’t trust it” comments Azzi.
Added to this are Italy’s decades-long problems, the birth rate which leads to difficulties in finding the workforce and the growing public debt. «Projections on public debt indicate that from 2030 more will be spent on paying interest on government bonds than on education and healthcare. A country like this has little future” underlines Stefano Vittorio Kuhn, Chief Retail and commercial Banking BPER Banca.
As the moderator of the meeting, the journalist Massimo Mucchetti, suggests, the only way is attract professionals from across the border. «The future is non-EU citizens, we need trained manpower. This is the obligatory step we must take” concludes Mattinzoli.
After fifty years of activity, financial intermediaries continue to invest in Italy’s future.
