Breaking news September 18th at 5pm
In the last three months, the Board of Directors of Crias and Ircac has given the green light to almost 24 million euros in credit to artisan businesses. The latest aid package was approved during the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Cassa Regionale per il Credito alle Imprese Artigiane and the Istituto Regionale per il Credito alla Cooperazione on 13 September, the first after the resumption of the summer break. “Thanks to the collaboration with the Board and the dedication of the staff,” said the general manager Pietro Tortorici, confirmed for a further 60 days, “we have accelerated a crucial process for the Sicilian economy, which has allowed us to achieve important goals in a short time”. The merger of the two entities into a single regional institute for subsidized credit has been discussed for years and, with the March 2023 deadline having been missed, the merger process only now seems to be in the final stages. The goal is to create a new entity, Irca, which should become the point of reference for medium-sized credit in Sicily, merging, precisely, the skills and functions of Crias and Ircac. “We are close to the final goal”, added Tortorici, “this project represents an important turning point for our economy, with the creation of a single, more efficient and competitive entity. The latest acts of the Council, including the appointment of the sole Data Protection Officer after an eight-month gap, mark a new step towards the full operation of Irca, confirming our desire to continue working in a transparent and efficient manner”. “The merger of Crias and Ircac represents a milestone for the future of credit in Sicily”, insists the regional councilor for Productive Activities Edy Tamajo, “with the birth of Irca, we have managed to build a stronger and leaner regional financial system, capable of better supporting small and medium-sized businesses. The legislative measure approved in July, which establishes the single role of Irca personnel, is a step forward towards greater efficiency and transparency in the activities of the new entity”. During the last meeting, the Board of Directors approved a new tranche of financing, with over 5 million euros to be allocated to the island’s economy. Among other things, 573,000 euros of medium-term financing and over 210,000 euros for stocks in the agriculture and road transport sectors were approved. Financing for 4.5 million euros was also approved for the operating practices presented between December 2023 and January 2024. “This merger, now close to completion, represents a big step towards the modernization of the credit system in Sicily”, concluded Tortorici, “providing new opportunities for local businesses and contributing to the economic development of the entire region. The path traced by President Vitalba Vaccaro to arrive in the shortest possible time to the birth of Irca has been consolidated with the measures issued in the last Board of Directors. The merger is now truly numbered”, promises the general manager, “and for this next goal we must give credit to Councilor Tamajo for having played an important role, implementing with foresight, among others, the legislative measure approved last July, which allows the creation of the single role of Irca personnel, thus making the merger between the two entities a certainty”. (reproduction reserved)