(Tiper Stock Exchange) – SMEs in the spotlight at the Cernobbio Forum thanks to a fully dedicated hub, which highlights their strategic role for the Italian economic fabric. An initiative by SACEin partnership with The European House – Ambrosettion the occasion of the 49th edition of the Cernobbio Forum which takes place in Villa d’Este.
During the Forum Alessandra RicciChief Executive Officer of SACE, together with Alexander TerzulliChief Economist of SACE, e Lorenzo TavazziPartner and Head of the Scenarios and Intelligence Area and of international development of The European House – Ambrosetti, presented the research “Small, medium and more competitive: Italian SMEs put to the test of exports between sustainable and digital transition” carried out by SACE Research Office in collaboration with The European House – Ambrosetti, with a focus on the development prospects of SMEs facing the challenges of international markets.
“SACE participates in the Cernobbio Forum together with Italian SMEs, offering them the opportunity to virtually follow the three days of work, meetings and debates, and above all bringing to the attention of this authoritative context the importance and prospects for small and medium-sized Italian companies, grappling with the challenges and opportunities of the sustainable and digital transition”, declared the CEO Alessandra Riccirecalling SACE’s mission, which sees it alongside 40,000 SMEs in their investment projects and sustainable growth in Italy and around the world, and ensuring “we hope to reach 65,000 over the course of the Plan”.
Crucial SMEs in the Italian productive fabric and for exports
According to research, the PMI represent the backbone of the economy Italian and play a very important role both economically and socially: the beyond 200 thousand SMEs they produce a turnover of over 1,000 billion euros, generate almost the 40% of the added value national and employ 5.4 million peopleequal to a third of all employed persons. SMEs are strongly interconnected and develop with their ecosystem forms of innovation and collaboration open in order to access strategic resources (knowledge, technology, finance or skills).
Italian SMEs have always offered a significant contribution to economic, technological and social development of the country. Despite some signs of attention that emerged during the first quarter of 2023, Italian SMEs can count on one financial structure strengthened in recent years and on levels of relatively low debtwhich allow them to mitigate, at least in part, the exposure to the adverse effects associated with the worsening of credit conditions.
For the economist Alexander Terzulliresearch ” demonstrates SACE’s commitment to SMEs – and the entire production system – for greater knowledge and awareness of the tools needed by businesses for growth in a sustainable and innovative key”. “The objective of the study – he continued – is to underline, in consideration of their importance, the characteristics that distinguish the more than 200,000 Italian SMEs, in order to enhance their qualities and help them seize development opportunities on the national and international scene, also at the light of the dual challenge of the sustainable and digital transition”.
PMI export champions
SMEs confirmed a lot dynamics in international markets: in 2021 they have exported 219 billion euros, equal to about half of total exports, with an average annual growth of 2.7% between 2017 and 2021, marking a full post-pandemic recovery. Currently the Italian SMEs realize about a third of its turnover abroad (a good 8 percentage points above the Germans) and contribute to 48% of national exports, compared to 20% of the German and French and 34% of the Spanish.
A trend that is also strengthening in perspective: according to the forecasts elaborated by the SACE Research Office, le SME exports Italians are expected grow this year by 6.2%, by 4% in 2024 and by 3.2%, on average, in the following two years (2025-2026), when they will exceed 300 billion euros. With reference to target markets: Middle East, East and Central Asia these are the areas for which the greatest increases are expected (+10.1%, +9.2%, +8.4% respectively), against lower rates for Europe (+5.5%) and for the ‘North America (+6.6%) which, in absolute terms, remain the main outlet regions. In 2024 greater dynamism will be found in Sub-Saharan Africa (+5.6%), South Central America (+5.4%) and northern America (+5.1%).
The challenges of the double sustainable and digital transition
Sustainable transition and digital revolution these are the two phenomena that are characterizing business activity in an increasingly clear and marked way. In 2022, more than 60% of averages manufacturing enterprises and almost the 40% of the small ones has in fact undertaken “sustainability actions”, showing growing attention to these issues. The so-called “Twin Transition” increases the propensity to export of SMEs: the number of companies that invest in green and digital and export is 20 percentage points higher than that of companies that export without making any transition . Embracing the Dual Transition green and digital brings le PMI to be more resilient, farsighted and awarebut most of all more productive and competitive not only nationally but also internationally.