With a presence across 13 countries, including Italy, Germany, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe, UniCredit serves over 1 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In 2024, the bank distinguished itself not only through the breadth of its coverage but also by its precision, digital innovation and focus on capital-efficient growth.
The transformation initiated under its UniCredit Unlocked strategy reached a new stage of maturity last year, with record financial results and consistent delivery across SME markets.
Over the past three years, UniCredit has restructured its commercial model to combine local delivery with centralised product expertise. A key development was the integration of its commercial and investment banking operations into a unified structure, enabling country-based client coverage teams to collaborate closely with centrally managed product specialists. This alignment has enabled the bank to present a coordinated approach to clients, delivering tailored, cross-functional solutions with greater speed and efficiency.
To enhance client service further, UniCredit expanded its sector-specific advisory capabilities, appointing senior talent and significantly increasing client engagement – holding 60% more meetings in 2024 than the previous year. This model allows the bank to anticipate SME needs earlier and provide bespoke, multi-product solutions sourced from across its product factories.
Financing what matters
SMEs are not only the backbone of Europe’s economy but also a vital engine for innovation, employment and sustainable development. Yet, their financing needs are often highly localised and sector-specific, requiring a partner with both scale and deep local insight. UniCredit has tailored its approach to address these diverse needs effectively.
With payments emerging as a critical area of competition for SME loyalty, UniCredit revamped its offering in 2024
One example is Italy, where the bank launched the third edition of its “UniCredit per l’Italia – imprese” programme in February 2024. The initiative allocated €10 billion in new credit to micro-enterprises, SMEs and third-sector organisations, targeting key priorities such as youth and female entrepreneurship, green agribusiness and tourism innovation.
In Central and Eastern Europe, UniCredit has partnered with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to advance sustainable SME finance. In Serbia, for instance, UniCredit Bank Serbia joined the EBRD’s SME Go Green programme, enabling €10 million in green sub-loans to help local SMEs adopt more sustainable business models.
Digital innovation
With payments emerging as a critical area of competition for SME loyalty, UniCredit revamped its offering in 2024. The newly established global payment solutions team focused on delivering real-time, cross-border and embedded finance capabilities for businesses across the continent. Its broader payments strategy includes PayFX, which provides real-time FX pricing in 140 currencies, and Swift gpi integration to enhance the transparency of international transfers.
A notable indicator of UniCredit’s SME ambitions was its investment in Banxware, a German embedded lending fintech, in late 2023 – an investment it doubled down on in 2025. This strategic move expands UniCredit’s lending capabilities for platform-based SMEs and strengthens its access to a digitally native business client base.
