1816
Beginnings
The Central Charity Commission was established in 1816 to combat poverty following the Napoleonic wars.
1823
Initial action
The Commission created the Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde, which collected savings to finance the economy and charities in the region.
1900 – 1950
Dealing with the crisis of WWI
In the early 20th century, the Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde was a benchmark for activities to grapple with the major crisis of World War I and maintained this role again in the wake of World War II.
1950 – 1991
Expanding financial commitment and geographical coverage
The years of the Italian economic boom saw an increase in the commitment to medium-term credit, especially to small businesses.
Since the 1960s, the institution has been a commercial bank; in the following two decades, there was a major expansion of the geographical coverage of Cariplo, both domestically and internationally.
1991
Separation of Bank and Foundation
The “Amato-Carli
” law imposed a separation of banking and philanthropic activities. Cariplo SpA became a bank, whereas Fondazione Cariplo continued the philanthropic charitable activity carried out until then by the Cassa di Risparmio savings banks.
1997
Founding of Banca Intesa
The president of Fondazione Cariplo Giuseppe Guzzetti and the president of Banco Ambrosiano Veneto Giovanni Bazoli signed an agreement to merge Cariplo and Ambroveneto, resulting in the founding of Banca Intesa.
1998
Fondazione Cariplo a main shareholder in Intesa San Paolo
Fondazione Cariplo completed the process of separation from Cariplo SpA, then launched the major industrial development project that led to the establishment of Banca Intesa, now the leading credit institution in Italy. Following the merger of Banca Intesa and San Paolo IMI, Fondazione Cariplo became a main shareholder in one of the largest banking groups in Europe.
2003
Foundation’s legal status
The Constitutional Court, in its ruling no. 300 of 2003, confirmed the private legal status of banking Foundations, using an idiosyncratic definition of “entities of the organisation of social freedoms”, which effectively emphasised the position of Foundations as “intermediaries” between public institutions and the community of citizens.
