Northern Italy manufacturing alliance strengthens ties with banks and industry

Five Italian regions—Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lombardia, Piemonte, and Veneto—have convened in Milan to strengthen the Northern manufacturing district. During the World Manufacturing Forum, regional economic development ministers met with representatives from the Italian Banking Association (ABI) and Confindustria to align industrial policies at both national and European levels.

A key outcome of the meeting was the agreement to establish a joint technical working group between the regions and ABI. This group aims to develop concrete operational tools within three months to address credit access, specifically focusing on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-businesses, and startups. Discussions also highlighted the need to reform the Central Guarantee Fund to provide greater financial security for industrial investment.

Separately, the World Manufacturing Report 2026, presented at the forum, highlighted a significant gap in technological adoption. While over 60% of global manufacturing executives intend to implement AI agents within two years, fewer than 20% have already done so. The report also noted risks identified by Gartner, suggesting that over 40% of agentic AI projects could be canceled by the end of 2027 due to rising costs or insufficient added value.