Title: 20 Years at Intesa Sanpaolo Group: How Dalla Via Views Insurance as More Than Just Business — A Deep Dive into the World of Protection

Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione, the non-life and health insurance arm of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, is advancing its bancassurance model as a strategic channel for protection services, according to Massimiliano Dalla Via, its CEO and General Manager. Speaking in a recent interview, Dalla Via emphasized that the integration of insurance offerings within the bank’s distribution network represents a model of excellence for delivering comprehensive protection to individuals, families, and businesses.

Dalla Via, who has spent 20 years within the Intesa Sanpaolo Group focused on insurance, described protection not merely as a business function but as a societal responsibility. He highlighted the reorganization of the group’s insurance sector six months prior, which merged Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura with Intesa Sanpaolo RBM Salute to form Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione—a single entity managing both non-life and health insurance classes under his leadership.

The restructuring, completed in late 2024, created a unified perimeter for protection that now includes cyber and climate risk coverage as emerging priorities. Dalla Via noted that this integrated structure allows the group to respond more effectively to evolving protection needs, moving beyond traditional indemnity models toward preventive and holistic risk management.

Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni, the rebranded name for the group’s insurance company effective December 1, 2024, oversees the Insurance Group, which includes Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione as its 100% controlled subsidiary. As of September 30, 2024, the Insurance Group contributed 10% to the gross current profit of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, reflecting the maturity and profitability of its bancassurance approach.

The bancassurance model, championed by Group CEO Carlo Messina, remains unique in Italy for its full integration of banking and insurance services. Dalla Via affirmed that this model enhances accessibility to protection solutions by leveraging the bank’s widespread branch network and customer relationships, particularly in the areas of social security, health, welfare, and investment-linked savings.

To support the strategic shift, Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni launched the communication campaign “Together, we can go far” in December 2024, developed with Accenture Song. The campaign aims to raise awareness of protection as a proactive tool for resilience rather than a last-resort measure, aligning with Dalla Via’s view that insurance can make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Looking ahead, Dalla Via indicated that the focus will remain on innovation within the protection perimeter, including digital health services and climate-adaptive coverage. The group continues to invest in initiatives such as the Protection Lab and collaborates with partners like EMFgroup and PLTV STUDIOS to explore new dimensions of risk prevention and customer engagement.

With a foundation built on two decades of internal experience and a recently streamlined organizational structure, Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione positions itself at the forefront of Italy’s evolving insurance landscape—where protection is increasingly seen not as a cost, but as a driver of security and long-term value for clients across personal and commercial segments.