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Supporting institution

CDP – Italy

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti

Information presented in this profile is for reference only. The Initiative, its Supporting Institutions and the Secretariat do not endorse the activities, tools or reports included in this profile.

Last updated: August 2023

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Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is Italy’s National Promotional Institution, operating in the domestic market, as well as Italy’s International Development Finance Institution (DFI), operating in over 140 countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA).

In its role as Italy’s DFI, pursuant to Italian Law No. 125/2014, CDP can finance initiatives, in ODA-eligible countries, which are in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to contrast climate change and to support resilient economic growth and social inclusion. As DFI, CDP can deploy and blend both own resources – sourced from the market – and third-party resources – deriving from Italian and European public budgets.

The CDP Group is strongly committed to combating climate change and safeguarding the ecosystem. The Group promotes these goals by directing its operations towards, inter alia, several areas of intervention: energy transition, sustainable infrastructures, food security and nutrition, water and sanitation, land preservation, and circular economy, to boost a sustainable economic and social development.

In this perspective, CDP has started to build operational partnerships with the main international players in sustainable financing aimed at promoting sustainable development and aligning financial flows with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. CDP is also member of important international networks, such as the Finance in Common Coalition (FiCS), the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) and the Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI) to contribute to a renewed global financial architecture.

To strengthen this commitment, CDP has adopted a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for its portfolio, with the aim of decreasing the carbon footprint generated by its direct financing to the private sector.

Principal Strategic Documents:

CDP’s initiatives are guided by a policy-driven approach and a risk-return-impact model. Clear strategic guidelines identify priority areas of intervention to bridge Italy’s gaps in financing the climate transition.  Initiatives in priority areas are supported by both general and sector-specific lending and investment policies that define how CDP incorporates sustainability into its actions. In this framework, CDP’s Strategic Plan is built upon the principles of sustainability, additionality and complementarity towards the market, and selectivity of interventions, which constitute the foundation of the Group’s operations, strategies, policies, and impact.

Principal Tools and Methodologies:

CDP closely monitors the main developments promoted and adopted by standards-setters and regulators, updating accordingly its tools, methodologies, and internal polices, together with its financial instruments. At the same time, CDP is committed to contributing to the promotion of sustainable and development finance through its strategic partnerships with prominent institutions and its participation in international initiatives and networks. In this vein, CDP is a member of various leading associations (for example UNGC, Social Impact Agenda) dedicated to promoting the principles of sustainable development and contributes to the development of the European sustainable finance framework by participating, as an Observer, to the work of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance. In addition, CDP has actively nurtured an ongoing dialogue with civil society organizations regarding climate change issues. Here are a few examples:

Key reports and other materials published by the institution:

The CDP Group has been reporting on sustainability, in accordance with regulatory requirements, since 2017.