Habacus at “Credito e Finanza 2025”: advancing student loans and the digital transformation

On April 1–2, 2025, the Credito e Finanza 2025 event took place in Milan, at the Auditorium Bezzi Banco BPM. Organized by the Italian Banking Association (ABI), the conference—now in its third edition—has become a key platform for dialogue among financial institutions, banks, businesses, and industry stakeholders. The event focused on three thematic areas: Credit to Families, Finance for Businesses, and Credit to Enterprises.

Habacus at the panel on sustainability in youth financing

One of the most relevant moments of the event was the panel discussion titled “Sustainability in family credit: The ‘E’ and ‘S’ in ESG criteria.”
Among the panelists was Paolo Cuniberti, CEO of Habacus, joined by several prominent figures from the financial and institutional world:

• Angelo Peppetti, Head of the Credit and Development Office at ABI
• Luca Bertalot, Secretary General of EMF-ECBC
• Marco Marocco, Head of Retail Financing at Intesa Sanpaolo
• Pierfrancesco Severini, Head of Financial Guarantees and Solidarity Division at CONSAP

In a context of growing attention to social sustainability, the CEO of Habacus spotlighted a strategic issue for the country’s future: the student loan market and the need to bridge the gap in access to education financing.

Student loans: an international perspective and Italy’s challenge

In his address, Paolo Cuniberti highlighted how Italy still lags behind other European countries in guaranteeing the right to education and providing young people with access to finance.

“To match what is offered in countries like Germany, scholarships and loans should reach over 330,000 students. Today in Italy, only just over 50,000 students have been able to access education financing since 2019.”

These figures underline the urgent need for change, which requires stronger public-private collaboration and broader access to instruments such as the Per Merito student loan by Intesa Sanpaolo, supported by Habacus in the eligibility verification process.

Per Merito Intesa Sanpaolo and the digital evolution of student loans

The panel also focused on improving the operational processes behind student loans. Several speakers emphasized the importance of simplifying and streamlining access to education financing to ensure greater efficiency and transparency.

In particular, Angelo Peppetti (ABI) stressed the strategic role of Habacus:

“We believe Habacus can play a key role in the student loan market by making the process of verifying eligibility requirements—necessary for banks to grant financing—faster and more efficient.”

This sentiment was echoed by Marco Marocco (Intesa Sanpaolo), who reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to the Per Merito loan, emphasizing the goal of accelerating the digital transformation of the entire loan process, from application to management.

Habacus and Consap: a strategic partnership to simplify access to education financing

During the discussion, the panel also highlighted the strategic agreement between CONSAP and Habacus, which aims to simplify and digitize the procedures for accessing the Fondo per lo Studio (Study Fund).
This collaboration is designed to make the student eligibility verification process more efficient, ultimately facilitating access to student loans.

As Pierfrancesco Severini (CONSAP) stated:

“Our goal is to ensure that every deserving young person, regardless of their financial background, can access financing to develop their talent. Merit must truly be the only decisive factor.”

This agreement marks a significant step forward in digitizing the financing process, in line with Habacus’ mission to innovate and modernize education financing, making it more accessible, transparent, and inclusive.

A more equitable future through student loans

Education remains the cornerstone of social inclusion and upward mobility. Financial tools such as student loans can truly make a difference in enabling young people to invest in their future.

Habacus will continue to pursue this goal, promoting innovative, transparent, and digital solutions, in partnership with banks, institutions, and ecosystem stakeholders. The aim is to expand access to education finance as a concrete and universal right.