The world-famous America's Cup and UniCredit are delighted to announce a brand-new collaboration, with UNICREDIT as GLOBAL PARTNER and exclusive GLOBAL BANKING PARTNER of the 37th America's Cup 2024.
The 37th America's Cup will be held in Barcelona from October 12th-20th 2024, with a preliminary regatta taking place in Vilanova i La Geltrú in Catalonia, Spain from the 14-17th September 2023. Pan-European Commercial Bank UniCredit has partnered with the long-running international sailing competition to help bring the excitement, drama, and triumphs of the race for the trophy to audiences worldwide.
The America's Cup is renowned for being both the world's oldest international sporting trophy, with the inaugural competition having taken place in 1851, and an incredible test of physical endurance for competitors. The last America's Cup was watched eagerly by an international audience of 931 million fans, with Europe producing the highest viewing figures.
The competition expects to capture an even greater audience from the continent in 2024, with the main event taking place in Barcelona and four of six teams representing the old continent (Switzerland, Italy, Britain and France). Moreover, this year, for the first time, the America's Cup will host both a Youth and Puig America's Cup, with eight of the twelve teams from Europe.
With such high interest anticipated, the America's Cup could not have picked a better Global Partner and Global Banking Partner than UniCredit, a financial institution with its own long heritage in Europe, a presence in thirteen countries across the continent, and 15 million customers worldwide. The Bank recently saw record-breaking results for Q2 and H1, achieving the best in its history for each period and ten quarters of consecutive growth.
This partnership is a powerful union based on shared values, as well as a common focus on diversity, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. AC37 Event Ltd and World Sailing's sustainability agreement will ensure that investments are made into community projects as part of Barcelona's innovative Blue Economy, which supports the region's marine environment, and that World Sailing's sustainability strategy, Agenda 2030, is supported. This edition of the America's Cup will also see the inaugural launch of the Hydrogen powered foiling chase boat, a revolutionary new zero emission foiling chase boat designed and built by Emirates Team New Zealand capable of over 50 knots.
This commitment to both environmental and social sustainability is mirrored by UniCredit's strategic objectives. The Bank has a long-standing focus on funding sustainable growth in partnership with its clients, this year alone launching the Finanziamento Futuro Sostenibile (Sustainable Future Financing) in Italy, as well as launching multiple youth focused educational initiatives through the UniCredit Foundation. June's 'Call for Education' set out to fund educational projects across the continent, while in July the Foundation partnered with Junior Achievement Europe to invest EUR 6.5 million in education programmes in ten of the Bank's territories.
Andrea Orcel, UniCredit Group CEO and Head of Italy: "UniCredit is proud to be Global Partner of a competition with such a rich heritage as the America's Cup. The trophy is symbolic of the incredible feats that can be achieved through teamwork and a determined pursuit of a common goal. These are also the driving forces behind everything we do at UniCredit - our recent successes in spite of 'choppy waters' in the macro-economic environment are proof of this - and so this is a natural partnership.This is also the case when it comes to sustainability. We admire Grant and the AC team's work to align with World Sailing's Sustainability Agenda 2030 as a World Sailing Special Event. Environment al and social sustainability are priorities for UniCredit, and this partnership will help us to make a significant contribution in both these areas for all our stakeholders".
Grant Dalton, CEO of America's Cup Events: "America's Cup are excited to welcome the UniCredit Group to the family, as Global Banking Partner of the 37th America' Cup in Barcelona. The UniCredit Group's values of integrity, ownership and caring are mirrored in all we have set out to achieve with the competition. For example, we are determined to champion diversity as the bank has done through the Youth & Puig Women's America's Cup events. We have also made sustainability commitments with the aim of empowering the local communities of Barcelona, which dovetail with UniCredit's own actions in the sustainability space and its stated Purpose: to empower communities to progress. Progression is an integral part of what it takes to compete, and indeed win, the America's Cup. We are excited to work with a partner who shares so many of the same values as us, and we look forward to working with Andrea and his global team to bring audiences a remarkable journey in 2024."
1source: Nielsen report on AC36
Milan, 14 September 2023
Contacts
Media Relations
E mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu