The Banca Popolare del Lazio Group closes the best balance sheet in its history. Blu Banca receives the seal of quality among the regional banks of Lazio and the banking group is given the important national recognition of the ABI innovation award for the Piucredix procedure. Dividend for shareholders equal to 1 euro per share.
After a long break due to the pandemic period, Banca Popolare del Lazio is calling its members in attendance on May 4th for the assembly meeting at the Mariapoli Center in Castel Gandolfo.
The next meeting of Banca Popolare del Lazio, called on 4 May at 10.00 am in the conference room of the Mariapoli Center in Castel Gandolfo, is called for the approval of the 2023 budget project and represents the opportunity for members to verify the profound evolution of the Veliterna Bank in the last 5 years, considering the long period of time that has passed since the previous in-person meeting which took place in 2019.
At the 2019 meeting, an extraordinary operation was announced with the acquisition of Banca Sviluppo Tuscia, which took place in August of the same year, which was followed by the creation of Blu Banca with the sale of 52 branches of Banca Popolare del Lazio in December 2020.
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Blu Banca has recently renewed its governance by increasing the presence of women on the board and calling to the presidency the well-known Roman professional, as well as university professor at the La Sapienza University of Rome, Daniele Umberto Santosuosso. The well-known jurist Cesare Mirabelli, former President of the Bank, remains as Honorary President of the Bank. Constitutional Court.
The Bank, founded in Velletri 120 years ago through a small group of cooperators and with the contribution of a thousand lire from Pope PIO popular.
Two other specialist companies were also acquired in the banking group: IFE (European Financial Institute), a company specializing in consumer credit and salary-secured loans, and IBS (Istituto San Pietro Broker), a company specializing in insurance brokerage. This type of holding structure with a central structure and associated product companies is typical of larger banks and allows the provision of quality services in sectors with a high remuneration margin such as retail financing and bancassurance.
The budget results of recent years are in fact unequivocal.
The intermediated volumes of Banca Popolare del Lazio, now a banking group, have increased significantly, going from 4.4 billion euros in 2019 to 5.9 billion euros in the 2023 balance sheet. This growth occurred with the branch network and the number of employees which has remained substantially unchanged.
Of particular note is the growth in loans compared to 2022 which saw a percentage increase of 4.8% in clear contrast to the Italian banking system, which saw a contraction of -3.9% in the same period.
It should also be noted that the growth in loans and therefore in credit support to local businesses was carried out by maintaining careful attention to credit risk and capital solidity.
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The coverage ratio of impaired loans has in fact increased in the last financial year, going from 48% to 51%.
The Cet1, an index that summarizes capital solidity, is equal to 17.3% in 2023, significantly higher than the minimum requirement established by the Bank of Italy and is growing by almost one percentage point compared to the figure of the last budget (16.3 %).
The Banca Popolare del Lazio Group, in clear contrast to the Italian banking system, has maintained a strong territorial presence by rationalizing branches and opening in new locations characterized by good development potential. The number of branches is currently equal to 61 branches compared to the 59 present in 2019 (+3.4%), just think that in the same period at a national level the number went from 24,312 bank branches in 2019 to 20,161 in 2023, with a decrease of 17%, which led to the phenomenon of “banking desertification”, leaving entire local communities without adequate credit coverage in the area.
The Banca Popolare del Lazio Group is present today in all the provinces of Lazio and aims to become the credit point of reference in the Lazio region for families, small businesses and third sector associations, having authentically maintained its vocation as a territorial and proximity bank.
The budget profit figure is the measure that shows the most striking progress, having substantially almost doubled in this five-year period, going from 9.9 million euros in the 2019 budget to 18.2 million euros in the 2023 budget.
The growth of the Banking Group has always translated into value for shareholders, taking into account the capital strengthening needs of the rapidly growing banking group.
In these 5 years, 24 million euros in dividends were distributed to shareholders, going from the 4.4 million euros distributed in 2019 to 6.7 million euros in 2023. A growth in percentage terms equal to +53%.
This entrepreneurial success is the result of clear strategic orientations of a governance that has been able to manage the profound changes in the market, through important technological and organizational innovations.
Since 2019, the banking group has managed an important generational turnover in both management staff and management and has seen the acquisition of important professional figures who have increased specialist skills in the various sectors of the bank: credit, finance, digital skills and marketing.
Over the five-year period, the number of resources remained substantially unchanged, going from 458 units in 2019 to 453 units in 2023, but a high turnover of 16% of the workforce was recorded.
Also in this case the comparison with the data of the Italian banking system demonstrates the identity of a proximity bank. In 2019 in Italy there were 282,129 bank employees, in 2023 261,425, with a significant decrease of -8%.
A natural consequence of the generational change is a strong orientation towards digital and technological innovation, aimed at increasing efficiency in cost containment and effectiveness in the contents of the service offered, with particular reference to the average credit approval times which have significantly increased reduced. This innovative drive in digital processes was also recognized at a national level with the award of the ABI LAB innovation award for the Piucredix procedure in 2023 and the second place classification of the same award in 2022.
The group’s digital vocation will soon materialize in a new initiative in favor of the members of Banca Popolare del Lazio, with the creation of a portal dedicated to them that can be reached both via the web and through a dedicated app. The portal will summarize all the exclusive services that Banca Popolare del Lazio dedicates to its members, from banking and credit facilities to insured products and non-banking services such as long-term rental. The portal will also include promotions and exclusive advantages that will be offered by a network of purely local merchants, customers of the Bank who operate in the most varied sectors (Health and well-being, Clothing, Electronics, Travel, Motors, etc.).
Membership of Banca Popolare del Lazio Members Portal it will be completely free for both members and the network of local affiliated merchants.
The notable growth in the quality of the service was recognized by the independent survey carried out by the German quality institute in partnership with the well-known newspaper La Repubblica Affari e Finanza. The study, in its 10th edition, collects over 358,000 opinions on Italian companies and has identified Blu Banca as one of the best banks in Lazio, awarding it the Quality Seal.
The slogan chosen for the 2024 assembly “Linnovation in the wake of tradition” effectively summarizes the ancient and winning formula that has led to these brilliant results: a business strategy based on the direct relationship with partners and customers, on the prudent management of savings and on the careful granting of credit, reinterpreted by innovating the business model of the local bank towards the digital and sustainable transition.
Captions
Photo I Massimo Lucidi CEO of Banca Popolare del Lazio Group
Photo II Awards ceremony for the ABI Prize for innovation, on the cover
Photo III Top Regional Banks Quality Seal awarded to Blu Banca Spa
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