Northern Italian regions form industrial and banking alliance

Five northern Italian regions—Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto—have formed an alliance to strengthen industrial competitiveness and credit access. During a meeting in Milan held alongside the World Manufacturing Forum, regional economic development officials met with representatives from the Italian Banking Association (ABI) and Confindustria to establish a shared industrial policy.

The alliance aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises by improving access to credit and strengthening production chains. Key proposals include reforming the Central Guarantee Fund to ensure greater certainty and continuity for businesses, as well as developing more innovative and coordinated credit support channels across the participating regions. These five territories collectively contribute more than half of Italy's national GDP.