La Cassa di Ravenna
An Italian private and independent savings bank headquartered in Ravenna, with a regional banking group serving customers through branches and affiliated financial-service companies.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
La Cassa di Ravenna S.p.A. is a private and independent Italian savings bank based in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna. Its institutional history begins in 1840, when the first deposit was accepted at an office in a building on Via Baccarini, now associated with Ravenna's Classense Library. The bank's creation followed an initiative developed by local citizens in 1838 and formal approvals obtained from the Papal Legation of Ravenna in 1839. Pope Gregory XVI approved the institution's statutes and regulations on 21 December 1839, allowing operations to begin the following year. The bank initially combined conventional savings-bank activity with a civic and developmental role. After building a sufficiently strong capital base, it expanded lending to productive sectors of the local economy. It also directed part of its profits toward charitable and public-benefit works; the historical record identifies such contributions as early as 1847. This combination of deposit-taking, credit provision and local institutional support remained central to the bank's identity as a Ravenna-rooted savings institution. A permanent headquarters was inaugurated in 1895. The historic building continues to serve as the bank's central office and general direction, linking the contemporary organization with its nineteenth-century origins. The institution later underwent the structural transformation required by Italy's 1991 Amato banking reform. The former savings-bank structure was separated into a joint-stock banking company and the nonprofit Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna, reflecting the legal and organizational model adopted by Italian savings banks during that reform period. Today, La Cassa di Ravenna is the core institution of Gruppo La Cassa di Ravenna. The group includes Banca di Imola, in which La Cassa di Ravenna holds a 95.31% stake, Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno, in which it holds a 96.96% stake, and several other companies providing banking or financial services. Banca di Imola joined the group in March 1997, while Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno joined in February 2008. The network described for 31 December 2025 comprised 139 branches: 91 operated by La Cassa di Ravenna, 37 by Banca di Imola and 11 by Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno. The group also operates through offices and branches of its specialist companies. The group's business scope covers traditional banking and related financial services, including savings and deposit products, lending, payments, asset-management-related services, consumer-credit activity and other services delivered through group companies. Its geographic footprint remains Italian, with the main bank headquartered in Ravenna and additional branches in Bologna, Milan and Rome. As of 31 December 2025, the group reported 1,030 employees, including 524 women and 506 men. The reference material states that approximately one fifth of the workforce consisted of new hires, many of them young recent graduates. La Cassa di Ravenna therefore combines a long-established local savings-bank identity with a multi-company Italian banking-group structure.
History
La Cassa di Ravenna traces its origin to a civic savings-bank initiative in Ravenna. Local citizens began developing the idea in 1838, and negotiations with the Papal Legation of Ravenna followed in 1839. On 21 December 1839, Pope Gregory XVI approved the institution's statutes and regulations. The first deposit was made on 1 March 1840 at an office on the first floor of a building on Via Baccarini, a site now associated with the Classense Library. The new bank soon established a stable capital position. This allowed it to increase lending to productive activities while retaining a public-benefit orientation. A portion of its profits was allocated to charitable works as early as 1847, making social and civic contribution part of the institution's early operating model. In 1895, the bank inaugurated a permanent headquarters building. That property continues to function as the central office and general direction, preserving a tangible link with the bank's nineteenth-century history. The most important modern structural change came with Italy's Amato banking reform in 1991. Like other Italian savings banks affected by the reform, Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna was divided into a joint-stock banking company and a nonprofit banking foundation, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna. The operating bank subsequently developed a group structure while maintaining its Ravenna base and savings-bank heritage. The group expanded through the addition of Banca di Imola in March 1997. La Cassa di Ravenna holds a 95.31% interest in that subsidiary. In February 2008, Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno joined the group; La Cassa di Ravenna holds a 96.96% interest in it. The group also includes specialist companies covering banking support, credit and investment-related activities, including Italcredi, Sorit, Sifin and Consultinvest Asset Management SGR, the latter described as a 50% joint venture. The contemporary organization operates beyond Ravenna while remaining Italian in geographic focus. La Cassa di Ravenna has branches in Bologna, Milan and Rome, and the wider group has a combined branch network of 139 locations according to the position at 31 December 2025. Of these, 91 belong to La Cassa di Ravenna, 37 to Banca di Imola and 11 to Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno. The group also has offices and branches associated with its other companies. At the same date, the group employed 1,030 people, comprising 524 women and 506 men. Approximately one fifth were new hires, with many being young recent graduates. These figures illustrate the institution's development from a nineteenth-century municipal savings initiative into a contemporary multi-entity banking group while retaining its historic headquarters and regional identity.
- 2025
Group network and workforce reported
[1]At 31 December, the group was described as having 139 branches and 1,030 employees.
- 2008
Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno joins the group
[1]Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno became a group subsidiary; La Cassa di Ravenna's stated ownership is 96.96%.
- 1997
Banca di Imola joins the group
[1]Banca di Imola became a group subsidiary; La Cassa di Ravenna's stated ownership is 95.31%.
- 1991
Amato reform restructuring
[1]The savings-bank institution was separated into a joint-stock banking company and the nonprofit Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna.
- 1895
Permanent headquarters inaugurated
[1]The bank opened the building that continues to serve as its central office and general direction.
- 1847
Early charitable contributions
[1]The bank began directing part of its profits toward public charitable works.
- 1840
Bank begins operations
[1]The first deposit was accepted on 1 March at the bank's initial office on Via Baccarini in Ravenna.
- 1839
Statutes and regulations receive approval
[1]After negotiations with the Papal Legation of Ravenna, Pope Gregory XVI approved the institution's statutes and regulations on 21 December.
- 1838
Savings-bank initiative emerges in Ravenna
[1]A group of public-spirited Ravenna citizens began developing the idea of establishing a local savings bank.
Products and positioning
A long-established, locally rooted Italian savings bank positioned around private independence, relationship banking and the provision of integrated banking and financial services through a Ravenna-centered group.
Deposits and savings
Savings and deposit accounts
Core savings-bank products for individuals and organizations, including deposit-taking and account-based banking. The institution's historical identity is rooted in collecting savings and redeploying capital through lending.
Bank lending
Retail and corporate lending
Credit services for households, businesses and productive sectors. Lending to productive activities was an important part of the bank's development after it established a solid capital base.
Payments
Payment and transaction banking
Everyday banking services associated with accounts, payments and customer transactions, delivered through the bank's branch network and related channels.
Consumer finance
Consumer credit
Consumer-credit activity is represented within the wider group, including through Italcredi, a specialist group company.
Investment services
Investment and asset-management services
Investment-related services are provided through the banking group and its specialist companies, including Consultinvest Asset Management SGR, described as a 50% joint venture.
Brand decisions
2008
Addition of Banco di Lucca e del TirrenoM&ABackground
The group pursued further expansion through a second banking subsidiary.
Action taken
Banco di Lucca e del Tirreno joined the group, with stated ownership of 96.96%.
Aftermath
The subsidiary broadened the group's Italian branch and market presence.
1997
Addition of Banca di ImolaM&ABackground
The group expanded its banking presence through the addition of Banca di Imola.
Action taken
Banca di Imola became a subsidiary, with stated ownership of 95.31%.
Aftermath
Banca di Imola became a major component of the group's branch network.
1991
Conversion into a joint-stock bank and foundation structureStrategyBackground
Italy's Amato banking reform required the restructuring of savings-bank institutions.
Action taken
The operating bank was separated from the nonprofit Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna.
Aftermath
La Cassa di Ravenna continued as the operating banking company while the foundation became a separate nonprofit entity.
Sources1 sources
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