The Business Plan will transform the Bank's operating model through a major investment plan targeting innovation in particular.

To help identify, analyse and develop innovation activities, the Chief Innovation Officer Governance Area was established, reporting directly to the CEO and working together with other Group entities. This Governance Area coordinates the Innovation Portfolio (investments equal to 159 million euro in 2016), i.e. all initiatives the Group will support concerning main emerging trends, identifying the activity plan, time frame, investments and expected returns for each one.

The aim is to support and fast track the Group's capacity for business innovation, by researching, analysing, developing and promoting solutions on the national and international market that may create new business opportunities and develop local areas and economies. An “Innovation Observatory” has been set up within the Governance Area, to research and analyse main trends and ideas and possible areas of application for innovative solutions. During 2016, the Observatory issued reports on: Industry Trend Insights, Customer Trend Insights and Tech Trend Insights. These provide information on innovation relative to market trends, the best players, development drivers and emerging technologies geared to industry specifications.

Innovation services for businesses include identifying high-impact innovative services; advisory services for sectors and technologies of excellence; support for projects to develop local areas and economies; support for start-ups with a considerable growth potential, also at international level. Digital platforms have been developed for these services, to bring together “creators of innovation” with potential users.

The Governance Area helps promote a culture of innovation, also through a network of specialist staff operating at Regional Departments and International Banks (Alexbank, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank in Slovenia, Privredna Banka Zagreb and VÚB Banka). These innovation specialists are a reference point for their area, for promoting initiatives, trialling new products and services and facilitating the supply of and demand for business innovation.

To consolidate valuable “connections” with the entire innovation ecosystem, partnerships have been forged with selected partners at a national and international level (e.g. local entities, companies, incubators, research centres and universities), that will help consolidate Intesa Sanpaolo's position in different geographic areas.

In 2016, Intesa Sanpaolo won prestigious awards, including the Italian Association for Financial Innovation's “Cerchio d'Oro dell'Innovazione Finanziaria” financial innovation award, for its projects on Customer Experience and New Branch Layout, Flexible Work and the Digital Factory; the Italian Banking Association's award for innovation in banking services, for its Tech Marketplace and Digital Factory projects; the National Award for Innovation for its Digital Factory project, and the EFMA “Global Distribution & Marketing Innovation Awards 2016” for the SEIok Evolution and IN OFFERTA projects.

AREAS OF ACTIVITY

AREAS OF ACTIVITY

SMART BIZ - initiatives for the growth of local businesses.

SMART BANK - initiatives for the growth of Intesa Sanpaolo Group: research into innovative solutions for the development of products, services and processes in the banking sector.

SMART PEOPLE - initiatives to improve people’s quality of life.