Another mammoth Italian firm is Eni, a competitor in the oil and gas sector while Telecom Italia sells telecommunications services. A distinguished family of specialty stores, Luxottica Group designs, manufactures and distributes fashionable eyewear.
To give some contextual perspective on recent company performance, the overall value of Italian exports rose by 3.2% from US$529.5 billion in 2014 up to $546.6 billion during 2018. From 2017 to 2018, Italy’s exported goods appreciated by 8.7%.
In the analysis below, we compare 10 of Italy’s top export-oriented companies based on asset values, sales and profitability at December 2018. Also presented is the Italian city where each business has its headquarters.
Italy’s Top 10 Major Export Companies
Assets
Below are Italy’s biggest companies associated with exports organized by asset value. Shown within parentheses is the primary industry in which each company operates. Also shown is the change in asset value as of December 2018 compared to 2017.
- UniCredit Group (bank): US$1 trillion, up 10.8% from 2017
- Intesa Sanpaolo (bank): $956.9 billion, up 25.1%
- Banco BPM (bank): $193.6 billion, up 5.6%
- Banca MPS (bank): $167.3 billion, up 3.4%
- Eni (oil, gas): $143.1 billion, up 5.3%
- Telecom Italia (telecommunications services): $83.6 billion, up 12.5%
- Atlantia (infrastructure, mobility networks): $48.7 billion, up 17.3%
- Leonardo (aerospace, defense): $30.1 billion, up 12.4%
- Luxottica Group (specialty stores-eyewear): $12.1 billion, up 11.4%
- Ferrari (automobile maker): $5.4 billion, up 30.4%
Automobile manufacturer Ferrari posted the strongest increase from 2017 to December 2018 via its 30.4% gain in total asset value. In second place was financial institution Intesa Sanpaolo (up 25.1%) trailed by mobility networks provider Atlantia (up 17.3%).
The smallest asset expansion was a 3.4% year-over-year uptick for Banca MPS.
Sales
Sales is the life blood of most businesses, particularly for firms that compete on the international stage. Oil and gas industry player Eni (up 22.6%) achieved the second-fastest sales increase from 2017 to December 2018, sandwiched between banks Intesa Sanpaolo (up 71.3%) and UniCredit Group (up 18.8%).
- Eni: US$75.5 billion, up 22.6% from 2017
- Intesa Sanpaolo: $42.5 billion, up 71.3%
- UniCredit Group: $29 billion, up 18.8%
- Telecom Italia: $22.4 billion, up 6.4%
- Leonardo: $13 billion, down -2.1%
- Luxottica Group: $10.3 billion, up 2.5%
- Banca MPS: $6.5 billion, up 10.4%
- Atlantia: $6.1 billion, up 2%
- Banco BPM: $5.2 billion, up 2%
- Ferrari: $4 billion, up 3.1%
Defense industry firm Leonardo posted the sole sales decline, down -2.1% year over year.
Profit
UniCredit Group reversed -$13 billion in red ink in 2017, earning a $6.1 profit at December 2018. Almost as dramatic was energy sector player Eni’s transition from a -$1.6 billion loss in 2017 to $3.9 billion in black ink one year later.
- Intesa Sanpaolo: US$8.3 billion, up 141.3% from 2016
- UniCredit Group: $6.1 billion, reversing a -$13 billion loss
- Eni: $3.9 billion, reversing a -$1.6 billion loss
- Banco BPM: $3 billion, no change
- Telecom Italia: $1.3 billion, up 4.8%
- Atlantia: $1.3 billion, up 4.8%
- Luxottica Group: $1.2 billion, up 27.6%
- Ferrari: $655 million, up 7.4%
- Leonardo: $307 million, down -45%
- Banca MPS: -$4 billion, expanding loss by 11.4%
Achieving by far the strongest percentage gain in year-over-year profit was financial institution Intesa Sanpaolo (up 141.3%) trailed by eyewear specialist Luxottica Group (up 27.6%).
Financial institution Banca MPS was the lone top Italian business to post a loss at December 2018, expanding its -$3.6 billion in red ink as of May 2017 to -$4 billion at December 2018.
Headquarters
Four of Italy’s major export companies have their headquarters in Rome, Italy’s capital and largest city. The second-most highly populated Italian city, Milan is home to a trio of other top enterprises.
- Atlantia: Rome
- Banca MPS: Siena
- Banco BPM: Milan
- Eni: Rome
- Ferrari: Maranello
- Intesa Sanpaolo: Turin
- Leonardo: Rome
- Luxottica Group: Milan
- Telecom Italia: Rome
- UniCredit Group: Milan
Note: Some of the above company offerings may include products other than the principal category shown within parenthesis under the Assets tab.
For example, Atlantia is a holding company that operates through a handful of business segments including Italian Motorways, Italian Airports, Overseas Motorways and Other Activities. The Overseas Motorways segment deals with the holders of motorway concessions in Chile, Brazil and Poland.
See also Italy’s Top 10 Exports, Italy’s Top 10 Imports and Italy’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Forbes Global 2000 individual company profiles, Example of top Italian company compiled for this study: Eni. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Forbes Global 2000 rankings for Italy, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Forbes Banca Popolare di Milano (at May 2016). Accessed on October 1, 2019
GuruFocus Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Accessed on October 1, 2019
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 1, 2019
MarketWatch, Prada S.p.A. Financials. Accessed on October 1, 2019
S&P Global, Market Intelligence Data Dispatch: The world’s 100 largest banks. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Wikipedia, Banco BPM. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Wikipedia, Category: Companies of Italy. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Wikipedia, Ferrari. Accessed on October 1, 2019
Wikipedia, List of companies of Italy. Accessed on October 1, 2019
WikiVisually, List of largest banks. Accessed on October 1, 2019
World Atlas, The Biggest Italian Banks by Total Assets. Accessed on October 1, 2019