©Marco Santarelli/EIB

Loan to support the company’s Deliver 2022 investment plan throughout Italy

Initiatives include the installation of solar panels in post offices, the digital transformation of operations to better serve customers and the development of automated letter and parcel-sorting capacity

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Poste Italiane have agreed on a EUR 400m loan to facilitate the implementation of the company’s Deliver 2022 strategic plan.

The financing will support the implementation of 80 sub-projects including:

the installation of highly energy-efficient solar panels in 661 post offices and the improvement of energy-efficiency standards throughout the network with a view to reducing carbon emissions;

the modernisation and automation of logistics operations, as part of the drive to increase automated parcel sorting from 500 000 items a day in 2018 to 900 000 in 2022;

post office infrastructure and equipment modernisation in key “cohesion regions” (southern Italy);

the digital transformation of operations in order to simplify and optimise customer experience.

EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco said: “The EIB has been supporting Poste Italiane with all its investment programmes for many years, in recognition of the fact that, in every corner of Italy, it represents a reliable reference point for communities. The plan to modernise its post offices in line with the highest energy-efficiency criteria is of major importance. It is part of our mission as the EU bank to finance projects that aim to tackle climate change, and this focus is set to increase in the future.”

Poste Italiane’s CEO Matteo Del Fante stated: “The agreement with the EIB confirms our commitment to digital and technological innovation and to the environment. It gives us an opportunity to raise financing on competitive terms in order to support our growth plans in key business areas. Our Deliver 2022 strategic plan is instrumental in improving safety and working conditions within the company, increasing environmental standards and upgrading our capabilities and logistics.”