The Italian Securities Commission published an update on the inter-agency Sustainable Finance Table’s move into an operational phase of support for companies, introducing new tools and online training intended to make sustainability reporting easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to facilitate ESG information exchanges between SMEs and banks. Following earlier analytical work that produced the “SME-Bank Dialogue Document on Sustainability”, the Ministry of Economy and Finance published an interoperability table linking that document to the European voluntary VSME (Voluntary Standard for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) developed by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group. The mapping shows which requested disclosures are already aligned with VSME, which require minor adjustments, and which are specific to the Italian bank-corporate relationship, including information on catastrophic risks, with the aim of reducing duplication and administrative burden from heterogeneous bank data requests. The update also points to 2024 work to improve the quality and accessibility of data on climate, physical and energy risks, develop common tools for SME-intermediary ESG information exchange, and strengthen initiatives to reduce the insurance protection gap for natural disasters. Planned 2026 initiatives across Italy include meetings for companies and local operators, ESG training, practical informational materials and further direct engagement with the banking system.

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