Published monthly by The European House – Ambrosetti, Business Insights from Italy provides international investors and economic operators with a concise overview of the Italian macroeconomic scenario, strategic industrial sectors, and policies aimed at supporting investments.
The July 2026 edition highlights several developments useful for understanding the current evolution of the Italian economy.
A resilient, yet evolving economic context
Preliminary estimates indicate that, in June 2026, the annual inflation in Italy has slightly decreased to 3.1%, compared to 3.2% in May. While energy prices have continued to rise, core inflation has fallen from 1.7% to 1.6%, suggesting that energy-related pressures have not yet translated into a widespread increase in prices in the economy.
Italy's trade with non-EU countries has also remained dynamic. In May 2026, exports increased by 6.3% year-on-year, particularly supported by energy products, intermediate goods, and capital goods. The country recorded a trade surplus of 3.8 billion euros, while the surplus for non-energy goods rose to 9.6 billion euros.
The Italian entrepreneurial fabric has also continued to expand. In the second quarter of 2026, the Business Register recorded a net increase of 33,709 companies, with capital companies as the main engine of growth. Professional, scientific and technical activities, financial services and business support services are among the fastest growing sectors.
Data centres: a strategic area for investments
One of the main insights of this edition concerns the rapid development of the Italian data centre market. The sector benefits from the expansion of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the digitalisation of industrial processes.
Italy currently has approximately 140 commercial data centres and by 2024 it reached approximately 513 MW of commercial IT capacity, with Milan as the main national hub. After investments amounting to 7.1 billion euros between 2023 and 2025, further investments of up to 25 billion euros by 2028.
To support this growth, Italy has introduced a unique authorisation procedure for the construction, expansion and management of data centres. The reform aims to reduce administrative fragmentation and provide greater certainty to investors, generally providing for the completion of the procedure within ten months from the verification of the completeness of the documentation.
Packaging as a strength of the Italian industry
The publication also analyses the Italian packaging sector, which generates a turnover of approximately 38 billion euros and plays a central role in numerous strategic supply chains, including food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and consumer goods.
Italy holds about the 20% of the global packaging machinery market, while the 79% of the production of automatic machinery is destined for export. The competitiveness of the sector is based on the presence of specialized industrial districts, technological skills, customized solutions and a growing focus on recyclability, resource efficiency and digitalisation.
A useful tool for understanding investment trends in Italy
Thanks to the combination of economic indicators, sector analyses and regulatory updates, Business Insights from Italy is a monthly resource useful for businesses, investors and professionals interested in monitoring the Italian market and identifying new business opportunities.
The complete edition of July 2026, which also includes an in-depth look at the tax regime for new residents in Italy, is available at the following link.
Read the full publication here .