Penetrazione finanziaria e sviluppo economico nel Mezzogiorno: le filiali della Comit in Sardegna (1895-1924)

stefano pisu

2023-01-01

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Abstract

The article reconstructs the history of the Banca Commerciale Italiana's branches in Sardinia between 1906 and 1924, placing those events in the broader economic and banking history of the island from the end of the 19th century to the second decade of the 20th century. This is a new perspective through which to study Comit's action on the island, hitherto examined only in its role as financier of the so-called 'Sardinian Electric Group' managed by Giulio Dolcetta. The study of the establishment and development of branches is intended to evaluate the bank's presence on the island, its penetration into the socio-economic fabric and the direct relations established with savers and entrepreneurs. This research highlights the increasing growth of Comit's presence in Sardinia and its widespread ramification throughout the territory in a context of strong competition with Banco di Napoli in the pre-war period and even more so with Credito Italiano in the post-war period. The primary sources used are the documents held in the Intesa Sanpaolo Historical Archives concerning the Sardinian branches of the BCI and their accounting records. The records of the Banco di Napoli's Sardinian branches have also been consulted in order to compare strategies and results obtained in those years.