The meeting began with a meeting reserved for delegates from the 28 member institutions and continued with a conference for employees working in the financial sector. After greetings from the President of the State Council, Claudio Zali , and an introduction by ABT Director Franco Citterio , State Councillor Christian Vitta and Swissbanking President Marcel Rohner spoke.
Here is the summary of the contributions and the results of the in-depth analysis carried out by the shareholders:
The 102nd Assembly of the Banking Association it is taking place at a difficult time for the world economy: the aftermath of the pandemic is still present, the stock markets remain volatile, inflation has returned and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has created even more uncertainty on the markets. Destabilizing factors at the origin of the understandable restlessness that winds through customers, both at the level of private banking and corporate customers. However, as pointed out by the ABT President Alberto Petruzzella, despite a complicated context, the Ticino banking sector is in good health and this is demonstrated by the positive financial results achieved by banking institutions in recent years.
The reason for this stability is to be found in the skills, seriousness and commitment that distinguish the employees of the Ticino banks. After helping to avoid an economic crisis by guaranteeing loans in no time to companies found in difficulty due to the pandemic, the banks, the ABT President recalled, are now called to manage a new difficult period, where the unknowns are multiplying. To navigate this troubled sea, banks must continue to improve and innovate: in this sense, continued Petruzzella, continuous training is an essential requirement and Villa Negroni Study Center (CSVN) represents a point of reference for the financial center. Trained employees are a guarantee of success, especially in light of the new trends that are emerging in the sector such as sustainability and digitization.
Issues on which the Banking Association is already very active, raising awareness among its members and collaborating with the CSVN, always attentive to the new training needs of the square. Finally, it remains essential to improve the framework conditions, concluded Petruzzella. Through intense lobbying activity at cantonal and federal level, the Association's goal is to unblock access to the Italian market and overcome this stalemate, created by Italy's failure to comply with the roadmap, which is unjustifiably penalizing Ticino banks, limiting their activities and growth prospects.
