Blue Economy Summit - Electric Adriatic

Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s International Banks Division, participated in the Blue Economy Summit – Electric Adriatic in Dubrovnik, a strategic platform bringing together representatives from government, industry, finance, sport and academia to discuss the future of sustainable development in the Adriatic region.

As part of the programme, Dinko Lucić, President of the Management Board of PBZ, participated as a keynote speaker. In his address, he emphasised the importance of an integrated approach to sustainability and highlighted the key role of the financial sector in enabling the transition towards a more sustainable, resilient and competitive economy. He also underlined the need to translate ESG goals and ambitions into concrete, scalable and bankable solutions that support long-term economic growth.

In a broader context, although the Mediterranean represents less than 1% of the world’s ocean surface, it remains one of the most important global trade and logistics hubs due to its strategic maritime routes. At the same time, the challenges and opportunities shaping coastal regions increasingly require cross-sectoral cooperation and integrated approaches across finance, energy, infrastructure, tourism and marine resource management.

A key message of the Summit was that sustainability is no longer solely an environmental priority, but a strategic driver of competitiveness, resilience and long-term economic growth.

At Privredna banka Zagreb we recognize sustainability and ecological transition as core pillars of our ESG strategy. We see the blue economy as an important driver of Croatia’s future development, particularly given the strategic importance of tourism and coastal resilience. Over the past three years, together with planned initiatives for 2026, PBZ has mobilized more than €1.35 billion in sustainable finance supporting renewable energy, water infrastructure, sustainable tourism and green transport projects — contributing to Croatia’s green transition, blue economy and long-term resilience.

Representatives of PBZ and Intesa Sanpaolo also participated in two thematic discussions during the Summit.

The first was the Blue Economy Industry and Investment panel, which featured Laura Maida, Executive Director and Head of ESG Steering at Intesa Sanpaolo; Danijel Benčić, CEO of Rudan d.o.o.; Antonin Kralj, Co-Owner of Texo Molior d.o.o.; Kristina Burja, Founder and Creative Director of Krie Design; and was moderated by economist and professor Sandra Damijan.

The second was the PBZ / Intesa Sanpaolo executive ESG session, “From ESG to Resilience: Water, Energy and the Future of Business”, featuring Alice Grittini, Head of ESG Business Acceleration and IBD Sustainability Manager at Intesa Sanpaolo, and Nataša Mlakar, ESG Competence Center Director at PBZ. The discussion focused on how sustainability, water resilience and the energy transition are reshaping long-term competitiveness across the Adriatic region.

The event was further distinguished by the presence of high-level institutional representatives, including the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, as well as representatives of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the European Parliament, the tourism sector, industry and international organisations. It also brought together global sports figures, including Rafael Nadal, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma, who attended Dubrovnik in support of their respective teams participating in the E1 Series Dubrovnik 2026.

The Bank was also represented at the Summit by Paolo Musso, Advisor to the President of the Management Board and candidate for Member of the Management Board responsible for the Corporate, SME and Small Business Division; Marina Puljiz, Senior Executive Director; Diego Marot, Deputy Senior Executive Director; and Vilijana Belas, Head of External Communications, together with Renato Vichi, Group Head of Institutional Affairs and External Communications International Banks at Intesa Sanpaolo.

We remain committed to supporting initiatives that advance the development of the blue economy and contribute to a sustainable future for the Adriatic region.