Rome, 03 July 2024 - SIMEST, the company of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group that supports the internationalization of Italian companies, is contributing EUR 1.2 million to the growth of Italiacamp in the United Arab Emirates. Italiacamp is an innovative SME based in Rome and Milan, specialized in providing consultancy services on sustainability, impact economy and innovation for public and private organizations and institutions. With this investment, SIMEST acquired a minority stake in Italiacamp EMEA FZE, a service company established by Italiacamp at the end of 2022, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Italiacamp EMEA is dedicated to internationalization pathways to support and enhance Made in Italy and manages the Dubai Hub for Made in Italy, a space of over 2,000 square meters through which consultancy activities are provided to support the internationalization of companies, networking with local institutions, education and training on Made in Italy topics. The Hub is located in the Convention Tower of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), a free zone dedicated to international trade, one of the world's leading exhibition centers and a reference point for MENA and Asian countries.Italiacamp EMEA operates in three different areas:

• Space: to develop relations between Italian companies with institutional and business partners in the MENA region;

• Advisory: to support Italian companies setting up their business in the area through a network of relationships and access to a 'phygital' platform of services for business acceleration and internationalization;

• Education: to provide training and know-how on Made in Italy to local graduates and professionals through specific training programmes.

Thanks to SIMEST's investment, the Company will be able to act as a business accelerator for SMEs in the Gulf countries, fostering the development of Italian companies in strategic priority sectors for this geographical area such as agritech, design, healthcare, fintech, mobility, fashion, tourism and where Made in Italy is a best practice to look up to. The Venture Capital Fund, a facilitating instrument that SIMEST manages in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is also involved in the operation. Italiacamp was founded in 2010 with the aim of creating social and economic value for the country by harnessing organizational, relational and project skills, a mission that has evolved over time and now aims to promote the internationalization of Italian companies in the leading markets for Made in Italy. The organization’s share capital includes some of the country's leading companies: Poste Italiane, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Invitalia, Rcs MediaGroup, UnipolSai, TIM and, as the majority shareholder, the Italiacamp Association. The investment is in addition to SIMEST's current equity portfolio of more than 220 projects worldwide, amounting to approximately EUR 800 million. In 2023 alone, through its activity of entry into the capital of enterprises, SIMEST has recorded equity transactions totalling approximately EUR 170 million, of which EUR 94 million from its own resources and EUR 74 million from the Venture Capital Fund's resources.