ESG Rating: Cassa Depositi e Prestiti ranks 1st globally in the banking sector according to Morningstar Sustainalytics

CDP gains the 1^st place in the “Banks” and “Development Banks” sectors and the 3^rd place overall on a global scale

In terms of governance, the Company stands out as market leader in the management and integration of ESG issues
 

Rome, 27 February 2024 – Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has achieved a significant result, gaining the first place at a global level in the Morningstar Sustainalytics “ESG Risk Rating” ranking in the reference sectors, “Banks” (1st out of 1,036 companies) and “Development Banks” (1^st out of 101 companies), and ranking third overall among the entities assessed across all sectors (3^rd out of 15,860 companies)¹. CDP’s performance has therefore been awarded by Morningstar Sustainalytics, a leading ESG ratings, research and data provider that supports investors around the world with the development and implementation of sustainable investment strategies.

Following the rating update process which has covered the results achieved until 2023, CDP has received by Sustainalytics an “ESG Risk Rating” (i.e., a measure of the size of an organization's ESG risks) equal to 4.4, improving by almost 10 points compared to the previous rating of 13.8 assigned in October 2022². This performance has led CDP to place itself in the “Negligible” ESG risk category, the best one within the agency's risk rating scale.

The result was driven by several factors, among which:

• the solid management of ESG risks at a corporate governance level, which has allowed CDP to achieve the market "Leader" position, with a rating close to zero in the corresponding category²;
• the strong integration of the corporate sustainability strategy within the core business, proven, among others, by the several ESG policies adopted, the leading role of CDP in the Sustainable Finance and the adoption of ESG criteria for the assessment and monitoring of its financing and investment activities.

Furthermore, the agency recognized the initiatives adopted to promote the development of human capital also in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, with the increase in the number of women in managerial positions, and the solid management of business ethics issues, driven, among others, by strict anti-money laundering and anti-corruption policies.

The significant improvement in the “ESG Risk Rating” also reflects the strong appreciation of the corporate disclosure, signaling a high level of transparency and responsibility towards stakeholders.

The latest assessment from Sustainalytics testifies CDP’s increasing commitment on sustainability issues and the effectiveness of the actions undertaken so far, aimed at generating positive economic, social, and environmental impacts, in line with the best practices adopted by financial institutions at international level.

¹Data as of 26 February 2024

²On a rating scale from 0 (no risk) to 100 (maximum risk)