The issuance was fully subscribed by the Bank and by CDP
The €5 million minibond carries a 50% SACE guarantee.
The Scandiano-based company (Reggio Emilia) is a recognized European solution provider and a leader in cutting-edge IT sectors, including supercomputing (HPC) and artificial intelligence.
The digitalization of the security and its registration on public blockchain ensure greater efficiency, traceability, and speed—paving the way for new digital solutions to support SMEs.
Milan, 11 December 2025 - UniCredit and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) have broken new ground in the digitalization of financial markets by structuring the first Italian minibond fully tokenized on public blockchain - in accordance with the FinTech Decree - for E4 Computer Engineering, a leading European solution provider supercomputing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
The €5 million minibond, guaranteed 50% by SACE, was subscribed in equal parts by UniCredit and CDP. The bond has a six-year maturity, including one year of pre-amortization, and will finance strategic investments such as the expansion of E4's Rubiera facility to host a new data center, along with the purchase and installation of advanced equipment and systems.
In addition to representing UniCredit's 250th structured minibond, the transaction introduces an important innovation: the complete digitisation of the issuance and management process using blockchain technology, enabled by the BlockInvest platform. The transformation of a traditionally paper-based workflow into digital process brings greater efficiency, transparency and speed, paving the way for new digital solutions to support SMEs.
The tokenisation of the security and its registration on the public blockchain Polygon POS guarantee, on the one hand, a significant simplification and transparency of the issuance process and, on the other, the acceleration of subsequent transfers, while each transaction is notarised in an immutable manner, ensuring total security and reliability.
The project represents a further step in the digital evolution of financial markets towards asset tokenisation, enabling faster, more traceable and integrated processes. In this context, UniCredit and CDP aim to put innovation at the service of SMEs, expanding their options for accessing capital with more efficient and fully digital tools.
Remo Taricani, Deputy Head of Italy at UniCredit, commented: "We are proud of this innovation, which could not have found a better partner than E4 Computer Engineering, a leader in the most advanced IT and AI sectors. After being among the first to introduce minibonds in 2017 as an alternative financing tool for SME investments, after contributing significantly to its success with 250 SMEs financed to date for approximately €1.4 billion and exporting the product to other geographies, we are now the first in Italy to launch a new phase in the evolution of this instrument in the name of digitalisation, with prospects for further development thanks to distributed technologies and to the use of digital currencies.
Cosimo Damiano Gianfreda, CEO of E4 Computer Engineering: "This is a source of great satisfaction for E4. Our collaboration with UniCredit has been ongoing for many years and has always been characterised by trust and a shared vision. We are therefore particularly excited to be able to participate in this new initiative in the field of tokenised minibonds, which we consider to be an important development in the financial sector. This initiative will enable us to consolidate the strong growth we are experiencing and to face the challenges of our sector - supercomputing and artificial intelligence - with even greater solidity. This is a sector characterised by rapid changes and the need for high dynamism and reliability."
Andrea Nuzzi, Head of Business at CDP, stated: "This project is a further testament to CDP's unwavering focus on financial innovation. Investing in Italy's first tokenized minibond on public blockchain is a milestone we are particularly proud of, marking the continuation of a broader journey launched in 2024, during which we repeatedly explored the benefits of blockchain technology in the capital markets. This transaction, carried out in partnership with UniCredit, reinforces our commitment to supporting businesses with increasingly advanced and cutting-edge tools, while confirming our leadership in the alternative finance segment."
For this first fully digital minibond issuance in Italy, UniCredit acted as arranger and subscriber, CDP as institutional investor, BlockInvest provided the technological platform, Weltix served as registry manager, and Simmons & Simmons acted as advisor with reference to the legal, documentary and tax aspects of the transaction.
Contacts:
UniCredit
Media Relations
e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu