The Fund has been approved by Consob and is part of “Patrimonio Rilancio - Fondo Nazionale Strategico Indiretto”, the initiative managed by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti

Milan, October 23rd, 2025 -  EQUITA Capital SGR – multi-asset management platform and part of the EQUITA Group, the leading Italian investment bank – announces the launch of “EQUITA Rilancio Small Cap Italia” (the “Fund”), an Italian closed-end alternative investment fund  approved by Consob and managed by EQUITA.

The Fund is compliant with Italian individual saving plans (so called “PIR ordinari”) and aims to invest mainly in Italian listed SMEs, which have underperformed the market in recent years, driven by investors’ focus on blue-chip stocks. The long-term horizon of the investment strategy and the closed-end nature of the Fund will allow the management team to sustain long-term value, while limiting the negative impacts from early redemptions, especially in highly volatile markets.

The Fund’s maturity date has been set to December 31st, 2032, with fundraising marketed to institutional investors, such as pension and insurance funds, as well as professional investors. Among other investors, the “Patrimonio Rilancio - Fondo Nazionale Strategico Indiretto” (“FNSI”, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, managed by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti) will subscribe up to 49% of total commitments.[1]

EQUITA aims to raise €100 million in funds by December 31st, 2026  with a hard cap of €170 million, and pursuant to the Law No. 162 / 24 (“Legge Start-Up”), at least 70% of the Fund’s assets will be invested in equity issued by Italian non-financial listed companies which do not belong to the FTSE MIB index.

The Fund will leverage the expertise of EQUITA Capital SGR and its professionals, successfully managing discretionary equity portfolios, including those with a focus on mid-small caps. The Fund’s performance will also benefit from the close collaboration of the management team and EQUITA group’s other areas of business, including the contribution of the research team – consistently ranked amongst the top brokers in Italy for the quality of its reports in international surveys. Today the team consists of more than 20 analysts and covers more than 160 listed companies, foreign and Italian, representing more than 95% of the total market capitalization in Italy.

Matteo Ghilotti, Executive Vice Chairman at EQUITA Capital SGR and Fund Manager, commented: “This initiative represents both an opportunity for investors as well as an important step towards the revitalization of a market which has been weakened by recent investor preferences. The combination of the EU’s ongoing investment programs and lower interest rates should create a favorable environment for mid and small caps. Despite the numerous delistings and the still few new IPOs on the market, this project represents a win–win initiative for the entire financial ecosystem.”