IF INNOVATION AND EXPORT ARE THE TWO STRATEGIC LEVERS TO INVEST IN, SACE REPRESENTS THE FULCRUM ON WHICH COMPANIES MUST LEVERAGE TO EXPRESS THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

Tariffs, geopolitical uncertainties, energy transition and incessant innovation: these are just some of the main challenges that companies are facing today. SACE is ready to support them on this journey. SACE is the insurance and financial group owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, specialized in promoting the growth of Italian companies through a wide range of tools to support exports, innovation and sustainability. With a solid network of 11 offices in Italy and 14 abroad, SACE is active in high-potential markets for Made in Italy. Today it supports over 60,000 companies, helping them achieve their goals both on the domestic market and internationally. The overall portfolio of insured operations and guaranteed investments amounts to approximately 270 billion euros, distributed in over 200 global markets. To address new economic and environmental challenges, SACE focuses its efforts on two strategic pillars: innovation and exports. Innovation is not just an objective, but an essential condition for sustainable and competitive growth. While it is true that today one in three Italian companies invests in technological and digital innovation, it is equally true that more needs to be done to accompany traditional sectors towards the industries of the future. According to SACE estimates, bridging the innovation gap with the euro area would require approximately 15 billion euros in additional investments each year. An ambitious goal that would generate value not only for individual companies, but for the entire national economic system.

On average, companies that invest in innovation record a turnover increase that is two percentage points higher than those that do not. The second lever is represented by exports, which have always been one of the main growth drivers for Italy. Exports account for almost a third of the national GDP. Exporting companies are more resilient, profitable and ready to seize new business opportunities. Combining innovation and exports is the key to structured and lasting growth. Together, these two levers can increase company turnover by up to four percentage points. One of the most effective strategies for growing abroad is market diversification. Expanding into new areas means reducing dependence on traditional partners and better distributing risks. To guide Italian companies in this direction, SACE has developed the Growth Map, a strategic compass for international expansion. Among the main results, the identification of 14 GATE countries – an acronym that encompasses the characteristics of growth, ambition, transformation and entrepreneurship. These are high-potential markets located on every continent: from Brazil to Mexico and Colombia, passing through China, India, Vietnam and Singapore in Asia, up to Serbia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Companies that invest in exports record, on average, an annual growth in turnover that is 1.5 percentage points higher than those that operate exclusively on the domestic market. To support this internationalization process, SACE offers a range of flexible solutions, designed to meet the specific needs of companies.
Among the most innovative tools there is Growth Guarantee, a digital and rapid solution that allows companies to access bank financing of up to 50 million euros with a SACE guarantee that can cover up to 70% of the amount. Designed to support investments in innovation, digitalization and sustainability, this guarantee is issued within 24 hours, ensuring essential timeliness in a constantly evolving context. It can be applied to future expenses, ongoing or incurred in the previous five years, generating a concrete leverage effect on the growth of the company.

However, growing also means protecting yourself from new risks. In particular, climate risks now represent a concrete threat to production continuity. This is why SACE has introduced Climate Risk Protection, an insurance policy designed to protect companies from extreme weather events, safeguarding company assets and production capacity.
For more complex and articulated projects, SACE offers tools such as Archimede Guarantee And Green Guarantee, designed to accompany companies in profound transformation processes, such as those related to the energy transition, decarbonization and digitalization of industrial processes. These guarantees facilitate access to long-term capital and make it possible to make strategic investments for national and corporate competitiveness.

All these tools form the foundation of what SACE defines as theGrow Effect: an integrated model that combines financial, insurance and development solutions to accelerate growth and enhance the competitiveness of companies.

The Grow Effect is based on four fundamental pillars:

• G – Guarantees and liquidity, to facilitate access to credit and support investments;
• R – Risk management, to protect against global uncertainties;
• O – Opportunities, thanks to advisory activities, business matching and opening to foreign markets;
• W – Worldwide presence, with operational support in over 200 markets worldwide.

In a global context where only the most agile and far-sighted companies manage to emerge, SACE is proud to be a reliable partner, offering vision, tools and trust to accompany the growth of Italian companies.