Regione Lombardia supports SMEs that want to list on the stock exchange

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The Lombardy Region is launching "Quota Lombardia" to support local SMEs that want to be listed on the stock exchange. The new measure aims to accompany Lombardy's small and medium-sized enterprises on their path to listing on Piazza Affari and thus gain access to new forms of financing compared to the banking channel. The instrument presented at Palazzo Mezzanotte in Milan, headquarters of Borsa Italiana, sees the allocation by the Region of 25 million euro over the three-year period 2025-2027. The aim of this measure is to provide companies with a further opportunity to capitalise and acquire greater strength and solidity, also with respect to the difficulty of access to credit that still affects the economic and production fabric. This regional tool complements the measures already put in place to foster investment, supply chains, internationalisation, and the ecological and digital transition.

"It is a further opportunity for Lombardy's companies to capitalise; doing so through the listing also allows us to reaffirm our region's leading financial role with the presence of the stock exchange. And it is right for Lombardy to play its part in the field of competence that is international; having listed companies in the region allows us to reaffirm the solidity of our production and economic system. These are the main reasons why 'Quota Lombardia', an innovative instrument, was created,' said the Lombardy Region's Councillor for Economic Development, Guido Guidesi, presenting the initiative. With this measure, the Region wants to reconfirm and reaffirm Lombardy's role as the financial centre of the country and also to propose itself as a model of intervention for other regions or supra-regional bodies.

"This is an important tool to support small and medium-sized companies in the Lombardy region, facilitating access to capital and resources to fuel growth and innovation. With more than 175 companies from Lombardy listed on our markets for an aggregate capitalisation of more than EUR 260 billion, Lombardy is the region most represented on the stock exchange," added Fabrizio Testa, managing director of Borsa Italiana/Euroonext Group. "In a constantly changing economic environment, this instrument offers companies the opportunity to consolidate their presence on the market and face future challenges with greater competitiveness. We are proud to be part of a project that promotes capitalisation and creates value for the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem in Lombardy," continued Testa.

The facility also provides access to funds for the search of analysts, who are essential figures especially for small companies, also in relation to their ability to adequately evaluate securities. In detail, "Quota Lombardia" is made up of a non-repayable contribution of up to €600,000 for costs relating to the company's entry onto the stock exchange, of which a maximum of €300,000 is for costs associated with admission to listing and €300,000 for the costs of advisory services related to the company's placement on the Milan Stock Exchange and incurred in the three years following the IPO (initial public offering). Eligible for the contribution are the consultancy costs for adapting the management control system, drafting the business plan, carrying out financial 'due diligence', drafting the admission document, the production of research by analysts, legal and tax activities connected with the listing, communication and auditing of the financial statements, and the activities of intermediaries supporting the company in its admission to trading or in its purchase and sale proposals. "Quota Lombardia" can also be added to the national IPO bonus, an aid made available by the government in the form of a tax credit.