We have come to the end our first four years of business, growing from a PowerPoint presentation into a banking group with almost 900 employees, more than €6 billion in assets and pre-tax profit exceeding €100 million (75 of net profit). We have never stopped investing in the future. In 2022 alone, we earmarked more than 20 million for the three new tech initiatives launched in 2021/2022: b-ilty, the first lendtech for small and medium-sized businesses,Quimmo, the digital proptech for real estate brokerage, and HYPE, Italy's leading fintech market for retail customers.
I am extremely proud of the results achieved by the illimiters, especially when I think about the time that has passed, a mere 4 years, and the context that they have had to face - often far from simple. But the greatest source of pride for all of us are the thousands of SMEs we work with on often very ambitious growth financing, acquisitions and restructuring projects.
It was also a year in which we significantly strengthened our position in the servicing sector with the creation of ARECneprix – an asset solution and structuring company - making us the third largest operator in Italy in the field of UTP corporate credit servicing. Such companies are clearly struggling, but very often they can get back on track with the right support.
It was a year in which we continued to believe strongly:
• in innovation as a strategic lever that permeates the entire organisation and is an integral part of who we are.With our unique and legacy-free next-generation ICT architecture, we are beginning to reap the benefits of our investments in operational efficiency and decision-making through machine learning and AI.
• in people: with nearly 900 illimiters, who represent a balanced gender mix, span three generations, and come from 300 organisations and more than 20 different industries. Such qualities have enabled us to achieve UNI PdR gender equality certification and, for the fourth year running, the Great Place to Work award.
• in sustainability wich, our motto “make profits and be useful”, has always been at the core of all our strategies, processes and governance. Evidence of our commitment can be seen in our improved ratings, the maintenance of Carbon Neutrality (Scope 1 e 2) and the activities of the illimity foundation , which supports urban and social regeneration projects.
The end of 2022 also marks the end of the investment phase for the development of the bank and the technologies that support the business. As we enter our fifth year of business, we can confirm the trajectory of our strategic plan as we aim to finish 2023 growing even more with at least 100 million in net profit .
