Intesa Sanpaolo

Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. is a big bank in Italy. It is the largest bank in Italy and one of the biggest in the world. The bank started in 1583 in Turin and grew over time. In 2007, two big banks, Banca Intesa in Milan and Sanpaolo IMI in Turin, joined together to form Intesa Sanpaolo.

The bank has two main offices, one in Milan and one in Turin. It helps millions of people with their money. It works through many smaller banks like Alexbank, CIB Bank, PBZ, and VÚB Banka.

Intesa Sanpaolo is very important in the world of banking. The bank is part of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index. Since 2014, it has been supervised directly by the European Central Bank because it is a very big and important bank.

History

Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI joined together in 2007 to make Intesa Sanpaolo. Banca Intesa started when Cariplo and Banco Ambrosiano Veneto merged in 1998. Cariplo began as a savings bank in Milan in 1823. Sanpaolo IMI started when Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino and Istituto Mobiliare Italiano joined in 1998.

In January 2007, Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI officially became one, making two of Italy’s biggest banks. This happened because of rules from the Italian Competition Authority. Later, Intesa Sanpaolo bought smaller banks, like Banca CR Firenze in 2008 and Banca Popolare di Vicenza in 2017. In 2020, it bought UBI Banca, getting even bigger. By 2026, it grew to become Italy’s largest bank and one of the biggest in Europe.

Divestment from Russia

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Intesa Sanpaolo started to sell its banking business in Russia. In September 2023, Vladimir Putin agreed to a plan for selling these operations. As of January 2025, the bank had not finished this process.

Snooping controversy

In August 2024, Intesa Sanpaolo let go of an employee, Vincenzo Coviello, after finding he broke the rules. The legal team in Bari, Italy, said Coviello may have put national safety at risk by looking into the bank accounts of about 3,500 people without permission. These people included important leaders in Italy, such as the prime minister Giorgia Meloni and the Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, as well as officers from Italy's police forces. Some believe this might have been part of a bigger plan by certain groups.

Major shareholders

As of 2024

Corporate governance

Intesa Sanpaolo uses a single-tiered system. In this system, the Board of Directors makes important decisions and watches over things. This system began in April 2016. Before that, it used a two-tiered system. In the old system, a supervisory board helped watch over things. Now, the Board of Directors does most of that work.

Board of directors

The members of the Board of Directors were chosen on 29 April 2022. They will serve through the years 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Financial information

This section shows how well Intesa Sanpaolo has used its money in recent years.

Business units

Intesa Sanpaolo has six main areas of work.

The Banca dei Territori Division helps everyday people, small businesses, and non-profits with services like loans and online banking.

The IMI-Corporate and Investment Banking Division works in 25 countries, helping big businesses and governments with their money needs.

The International Banks Division operates in 12 countries, focusing on commercial banking in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The Private Banking Division gives financial advice to wealthy individuals.

The Asset Management Division creates investment plans for customers and institutions, including Eurizon Capital, which manages money for investors.

Finally, the Insurance Division provides insurance and pension services through several companies it owns.

Subsidiaries

Intesa Sanpaolo has branches and offices around the world. It owns many banks, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. These banks have many branches and help about 7 million people with everyday banking.

Photo gallery

Intesa Sanpaolo has important buildings in different cities. One is the former headquarters in Turin, and another is in Milan. These buildings show the history and style of the bank.