Milan, 16 September 2026
- 78% of Italians consider it important or essential for their company to offer welfare tools, and 77% see welfare as an ally against the cost of living in everyday spending
- 3 out of 4 Italians say they would perceive greater savings from €200 in welfare than from the same amount taxed through payroll; 1 employee in 2 would prefer to receive their performance bonus as welfare credit, recognising its greater spendable value
- The opportunity can grow for everyone through greater ease of use and broad acceptance networks
Milan, 16 September 2026 - As the cost of living continues to weigh on household budgets, corporate welfare remains a valuable ally for Italians, although one that is still not fully exploited. This is the finding of the "Italians and corporate welfare" Observatory, produced by SWG for Satispay, which portrays a country where corporate welfare is now widely perceived and used as an indispensable source of financial support. To unlock its potential, the market must respond with services that are simple and easy to spend.
Alberto Dalmasso, CEO and Co-founder of Satispay “A few years ago, we saw clearly how corporate welfare was becoming a macro trend and a key pillar for managing the cost of living and planning for the future. From the outset, our commitment has been to give workers an immediate, intuitive user experience—the same one already familiar to our more than 6.5 million users—and a genuinely extensive acceptance network. In less than three years, we have come to serve more than 430,000 workers at over 45,000 companies: the findings emerging from the Observatory confirm our business and product vision.”
The "Italians and corporate welfare" Observatory
Today, the value of corporate welfare is recognised and sought after: 78% of Italian workers consider it essential or important for their company to offer it. It is perceived first and foremost as a source of financial support, both in daily life, with 77% agreeing that it helps combat the cost of living in everyday spending, and for the future, with 73% considering it a tool capable of easing current expenses and leaving greater room to save and invest for the future.
In terms of compensation, 3 out of 4 Italians say they would perceive greater savings from €200 in welfare than from the same amount taxed through payroll; 1 employee in 2 would also prefer to receive their performance bonus as welfare credit, recognising its greater spendable value compared with a gross payroll increase.
The picture of the market is clear: corporate welfare is now firmly established among Italian companies. Half of employees say they have company benefits (a proportion that rises with company size), and the most widespread "triad" consists of meal vouchers (52%), supplementary healthcare (48%) and fringe benefits (42%)—generally in line with the preferences expressed by Italian employees.
The network-reach issue
Although demand for welfare is strong, there remains room to improve the supply side. In fact, only half (52%) of employees with welfare are able to perceive its real value in supporting family expenditure, while more than one third of those with access to these tools still make little use of them, so much so that 37% would like a broader, more geographically widespread participating-merchant network in order to use them more.
Ease of use and an extensive acceptance network therefore emerge as the two main levers determining the benefit's genuine effectiveness for workers and companies on a large scale.
Satispay Welfare data
It is precisely Satispay's ability to address these two factors that has enabled the fintech to position itself among the sector's leading operators in three years. The figures confirm the trajectory: in July 2026, annualised corporate-welfare volume provided through Satispay exceeded €480 million, up 197% year on year.
In terms of use, it is interesting to note that 78% of spending with Satispay Fringe Benefits (Buoni Acquisto) is concentrated precisely in the 25–54 age group, when careers become established, families are formed, the future is planned, and the need to meet many expenses and allocate financial resources consciously increases.
Fringe Benefits are spent both at physical merchants (40.6%) and through digital gift cards (59.4%). In the former case, the distribution reflects families' daily needs: large-scale retail and supermarkets are the largest category (16.3%), followed by dining (12.5%) and retail (8%). In the latter, gift cards cover a broad spectrum of everyday and family needs: from groceries to fuel, clothing to electronics, and travel to personal care—confirming that digital spending also addresses daily, diverse needs. Completing the picture is a figure that illustrates the impact of the Satispay network on the local commercial fabric: in the first eight months of 2026, €45 million in Meal Vouchers was spent at local merchants—22% of the total, twice the competitor average of 11%. This result confirms that the network's reach translates not only into greater freedom of choice for workers, but also into a tangible benefit for local commerce.
Further confirming ease of use, network reach and actual usage, when considering credit allocated in the 12 months ending in June 2026, Satispay recorded that allocated welfare credits are used quickly: the median time to exhaust Meal Vouchers was approximately 32 days, compared with approximately 42 days for Fringe Benefits and approximately 51 days for FlexBen.
Methodological note
The "Italians and corporate welfare" Observatory, the second wave of SWG's research for Satispay, was conducted between 14 and 29 May 2026 using the CAWI (online) methodology on a representative sample of the Italian population aged between 18 and 74.
Satispay
On the market since 2015, Satispay is the Italian super-app and proprietary payment network that makes managing money and financial services simple and accessible. With a constantly growing community of more than 6.5 million people, the platform enables users to pay by smartphone (in-store and online), transfer money free of charge and access numerous value-added services: the Cashback Points loyalty programme, Buy Now Pay Later to split everyday spending into 3 interest-free instalments, mobile top-ups, payment of slips, car and motorcycle road tax, PagoPA, gift cards, Donations, savings, purchasing stocks and ETFs, and debit cards. After consolidating its B2C experience, the fintech extended its model to the B2B world. In September 2023, it entered corporate welfare with the innovative Satispay Meal Vouchers and Fringe Benefits, followed by the Satispay FlexBen platform, which simplifies the management of reimbursements and pension funds. In three years, Satispay has positioned itself among the sector's leading operators, with 45,000 client companies whose employees it offers next-generation welfare tools distinguished by simplicity and speed of use, together with one of Italy's broadest acceptance networks (more than 400,000 participating in-store and online merchants). Finally, Satispay expanded its offering with the Invested Money Box and Investments section, making saving and investing accessible even to those approaching capital markets for the first time.
Press Contacts
Tiziana De Icco – PR Lead Satispay
E-mail: tiziana.deicco@satispay.com – T. +39 348 350 6005
Simona Vecchies - Angèlia Comunicazione
E-mail: satispay@angelia.it - T. +39 335 1245190