The study of the mural painting in the 12th century monastery of Santa Maria delle Cerrate (Puglia-Italy): characterization of materials and techniques used

none6A multidisciplinary research was conducted by the University of Salento in collaboration with the Lecce Provincial Museum, in order to study different forms of art widespread in the Salento peninsula (Southern Italy) very valuable from an artistic point of view and important as driving force for the tourism of the area. In this research, the archaeometrical analysis was used to study the first cycle of paintings of the church of Santa Maria delle Cerrate, an italo-greek monastery located in the country about 15 km north-east of Lecce, probably built in the 12th century. Microscopic, chromatographic and spectrometric techniques were used: optical microscopy was used to study samples and the relevant stratigraphy, micro-Raman Spectroscopy to identify pigments and Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric Detection to investigate the techniques masters used to decorate the monastery church. Further information on organic and inorganic materials present in the samples were obtained from Fourier transform infrared analysis in attenuated total reflectance. Materials and techniques were clearly ascertained, and, interestingly, pigments were applied both by fresco and egg-based tempera. Among the various pigments detected, the identification of both lapis lazuli and lead white opened new perspectives both from the historical and conservative points of view. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Giuseppe E. De Benedetto;Daniela Fico;Eleonora Margapoti;Antonio Pennetta;Antonio Cassiano;Brizia MinervaDE BENEDETTO, Giuseppe, Egidio; Fico, Daniela; Eleonora, Margapoti; Pennetta, Antonio; Antonio, Cassiano; Brizia, Minerv

NOPAL: Natural Origin Protective for Artistic buildings in Lecce stone. Preliminary results.

EnThe work presents the preliminary results of the experimentation of innovative coatings for the protection of artefacts in Lecce stone. Starting from the cladodium of the species Opuntia Ficus-Indica (NOPAL), plant extracts were obtained and their performance have been studied through aging tests and the use of optical and spectroscopic methods, in order to develop a new ecofriendly product, that meets the requirements of non-toxicity, biodegradability, and low cost, and able to efficiently preserve the built heritage made of Lecce stone.ItIl lavoro presenta i risultati preliminari ottenuti dalla sperimentazione in laboratorio di innovativi protettivi green per la protezione dei materiali artistici in pietra leccese. A partire dalla specie Opuntia Ficus-Indica (NOPAL) sono stati ottenuti degli estratti vegetali e le loro performance sono state studiate attraverso test di invecchiamento e l'uso di metodologie ottiche e spettroscopiche, con il fine ultimo di formulare un nuovo prodotto ecofriendly che risponda ai requisiti di non tossicità, biodegradabilità, biocompatibilità, economicità

a multi analytical approach for the characterisation of the oldest pictorial cycle in the 12th century monastery santa maria delle cerrate

A multidisciplinary research, currently in progress at the University of Salento in collaboration with the Lecce Provincial Museum, interests different artistic expressions widespread in the Salento peninsula (South Italy). In the present study, the characterisation of organic and inorganic materials used in the oldest pictorial cycle found in the 12th century monastery Santa Maria delle Cerrate was carried out thanks to a multi-analytical approach. Previous investigations have focused on the problem of dating the frescoes mainly on the basis of the stylistic aspects and the material characterisation has been definitely underinvestigated. Chromatographic and spectrometric techniques were used: micro-Raman spectroscopy was used for recognising pigments and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection for analysing organic binders. These techniques enabled us to characterise pigments and binders. The presence of both true fresco and tempera bound pigments was assessed. Among the different pigments detected, the results relevant to the blue paints were interesting: two different blue pigments were, indeed, identified, lapis lazuli and smalt (cobalt blue glass) both unexpected. As a result, Santa Maria delle Cerrate appears to be the first known example of their use in South Italy. From a conservation point of view, moreover, the knowledge of the palette permitted to highlight the reason of observed decay of some paints: for instance, lead white was used in some panels, explaining their blackening

Il rapporto banca-FinTech: Open Banking, performance e profili di sostenibilità per PMI e individui

La tesi prende avvio dalla crescente concorrenza e dinamicità che le istituzioni finanziarie tradizionali stanno affrontando a seguito dell'ingresso delle imprese FinTech nel settore finanziario, che hanno messo in discussione il tradizionale modo di fare banca. Le nuove strategie di innovazione e di crescita percorribili dalle banche possono contemplare la partecipazione a ecosistemi di Open Banking e la cooperazione con le imprese FinTech. Entrambe le vie sono poco esplorate in letteratura, soprattutto da un punto di vista empirico. La PSD2 obbliga le banche a dare accesso ai dati di pagamento della clientela a terze parti autorizzate (TPP), favorendo lo sviluppo dell’Open Banking, un modello collaborativo in cui dati, servizi e applicazioni sono condivisi attraverso API con i TPP, tra cui le FinTech, con l'obiettivo di sviluppare prodotti e servizi finanziari orientati al cliente. Assumendo che un approccio attivo alla PSD2 permetta di andare oltre i requisiti minimi, favorendo la nascita di ecosistemi e piattaforme di Open Banking, la tesi esamina, nel contesto italiano, l'attuale propensione alla partnership delle banche, esplorandone le determinanti strutturali ed economiche e gli effetti sulla performance. I risultati rivelano una scarsa propensione alla partnership, che può ostacolare lo sviluppo dell’Open Banking. La propensione alla partnership tende ad essere più elevata per banche piccole e meno capitalizzate, che possono partecipare alle piattaforme di Open Banking al fine di superare vincoli dimensionali e di risorse. Nel complesso, l'effetto positivo di tale propensione sulla performance delle banche può giustificare la partecipazione di queste a piattaforme di Open Banking. La seconda parte della tesi si concentra sul rapporto banca-FinTech, attraverso il quale le banche ottengono l’accesso a tecnologie avanzate utili a migliorare i propri servizi digitali e le FinTech possono assicurarsi un percorso di sviluppo più rapido e meno rischioso, attraverso l’accesso a nuove risorse finanziarie e ad una più ampia base di clientela e rete distributiva. L’obiettivo è quello di esplorare se i benefici teorizzati del rapporto banca-FinTech si verificano nella sostanza e, assumendo la prospettiva delle FinTech, si indaga se le alleanze strategiche con le banche influenzano la loro performance, crescita e visibilità. I risultati mostrano che il rapporto banca-FinTech non genera performance positive; al contrario, c'è un effetto positivo sulla crescita dei ricavi e sulla visibilità, potenzialmente consentendo alle FinTech di raggiungere rapidamente un break-even point subito dopo la prima fase del loro ciclo di vita. Infine, la tesi esamina il contributo delle FinTech al perseguimento dell'Agenda 2030, un piano d'azione per le persone, il pianeta e la prosperità che integra fattori economici, ambientali e sociali. Facendo leva sulle nuove tecnologie, le imprese FinTech possono contribuire agli SDG grazie alla loro capacità di veicolare le risorse finanziarie verso usi sostenibili e di mitigare l'esclusione finanziaria. Tuttavia, questo contributo può essere ostacolato dalla fase di start-up in cui tipicamente si trovano e in cui il rischio di fallimento è elevato. La cooperazione con le banche può aiutarle nel loro percorso di crescita, sostenendone il potenziale contributo all'Agenda 2030. Si studia, quindi, se l'orientamento alla sostenibilità delle FinTech influisce sulla probabilità di avere uno o più rapporti con le banche e se tale effetto differisce tra diversi tipi di accordi. I risultati mostrano una relazione positiva, rivelando che il rapporto banca-FinTech può essere uno strumento utile nel perseguimento dell'Agenda 2030 e, in quanto tale, considerato dai regolatori nella formulazione di linee guida e normative.The following thesis originates from the increasing competition and dynamism that traditional financial institutions are facing following the entry of new players within the financial industry, i.e. FinTech firms, and which call for revisions to traditional banking. New innovation and growth strategies of banks may also contemplate the participation to Open Banking ecosystems and cooperation with FinTech firms. Both themes are little explored in the extant literature, especially from an empirical point of view, and are the focus of this dissertation. According to PSD2, banks are required to open up access to customers’ account data to authorized Third Party Providers (TPPs), fostering Open Banking, a collaborative model in which data, services and applications are shared through APIs with TPPs, including FinTechs, with the aim to develop customer-oriented financial products and services. Nevertheless, banks may decide to comply only to minimum requirements or to adopt an active approach, moving from forced to voluntary collaboration models. The thesis examines the current attitude to partnership as an antecedent of Open Banking, exploring its structural and economic determinants and its effects on banks’ performance in the Italian context. Results reveal a low attitude to partnership, which may hinder the formation of Open Banking platforms. The attitude to partnership tends to be higher for small and less capitalized banks, which can participate to Open Banking platforms in order to overcome size and resources constraints. Overall, the positive effect of attitude to partnership on banks’ performance may justify the participation to Open Banking platforms. The second part of the thesis focuses on bank-FinTech relationship, through which incumbents’ can access to advanced technologies useful to improve their digital services and FinTechs can ensure a faster and less risky development path, by accessing to new financial resources and to banks’ wider customer base and distribution channels. Here, the purpose is to find empirical evidence of the theorized benefits of bank-FinTech relationships by assuming FinTech firms’ perspective, thus investigating if the presence and diffusion of strategic alliances with banks affect the performance, growth and visibility of FinTech firms. Our results show that bank-FinTech relationships do not generate any positive performance; on the contrary, there is a positive effect on revenue growth and visibility, potentially allowing FinTechs to quickly reach a break-even point after the first phase of their life cycle. The last part of the thesis focuses on the role of the financial system, and in particular of FinTech firms, in the pursuit of the Agenda 2030, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity that integrates economic, environmental and social issues. Leveraging on new technologies, FinTech firms may contribute to SDGs thanks to their ability to redirect financial resources towards sustainable uses and to mitigate financial exclusion. However, this contribution may be hampered by their typical start-up phase, in which failure often occur. For this reason, cooperation with banks can help newcomers in their growth path, thus strengthening their potential contribution to the Agenda 2030. The last part of the thesis explores if SDG-orientation of FinTech firms affect the likelihood to establish one or more bank-FinTech relationships and if this effect differs between different types of agreement. Results show a positive correlation between FinTech firms’ SDG-orientation and bank-FinTech relationship, concluding that the latter may be considered as an additional avenue in the pursuit of Agenda 2030, and, as such, should be contemplated by regulators in guidelines and regulatory requirements

Enhancing online visibility through strategic alliances: the case of bank-FinTech relationships

Purpose This work aims to explore the effects of (equity and non-equity) strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs on FinTechs' online visibility. Design/methodology/approach For a sample of 124 Italian FinTechs, the authors measured online visibility through their website ranking (Google PageRank) and website traffic (Google Trends). Consistent to the historical depth of these measures, the authors separately investigated the effect of equity and non-equity (contractual) agreements on online visibility by means of ordinal logistic regressions and diff-in-diff analysis. Findings Strategic alliances with banks enhance FinTechs' online visibility. Although both equity and contractual agreements positively influence the popularity of FinTechs' website achieved through the activity of internal and external online content creators (websites ranking), only equity agreements are effective in attracting Internet users (website traffic). Practical implications When deciding to interact with banks, FinTechs' managers should consider that equity agreements may be a powerful strategic choice for enlarging the customer base and boosting visibility of FinTechs. Social implications Fostering strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs contributes to FinTechs' growth, generating virtuous mechanisms of innovation, financial inclusion and better allocative efficiency of the financial system. Originality/value This work expands marketing knowledge and literature regarding online visibility determinants, by investigating the benefits of strategic alliances and cooperation in the market, while providing an empirical strategy replicable by future marketing studies

Il mercato del credito alle famiglie nell’emergenza sanitaria: comportamenti delle famiglie e risposte degli intermediari

iL CONTRIBUTO ANALIZZA IL MERCATO DEL CREDITO ALLE FAMIGLIE NELL'ANNO DEL COVID SIA SUL LATO DELLA DOMANDA CHE DELL'OFFERTA, APPROFONDENDO I COMPORTAMENTI DELLE FAMIGLIE E LE REAZIONI DEGLI INTERMEDIARI FINANZIAT

FinTech and Sustainability

Current concerns over sustainability issues have heightened attention on the role of the financial system in supporting the transition to a sustainable economic model, which includes digital finance and FinTech. Leveraging on new technologies, FinTech firms may contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) thanks to their ability to redirect financial resources toward more sustainable uses and to mitigate financial exclusion. We investigate if FinTech firms’ SDG-orientation has a strategic potential in establishing strategic alliances with banks, which could be crucial for FinTechs’ development and growth path. More specifically, we investigate if FinTech firms’ SDG-orientation facilitates bank-FinTech relationships and if there are differences among various types of agreement (equity or non-equity agreements). Using a sample of 124 Italian FinTech firms, our evidence shows that FinTech firms’ SDG-orientation positively affects the probability to observe relationships between FinTechs and banks. This holds for social and environmental dimensions introduced by Agenda 2030. FinTech firms that contribute the most to sustainability, and particularly the economic pillar, are more likely to strongly cooperate with banks through equity agreements, which usually imply a firm commitment of banks in sustaining FinTech firms’ activity. Based on these results, we conclude this study highlights important managerial (both for FinTechs and banks) and regulatory implications

Business Models in Lending-Based Crowdfunding Industry

Lending-Based Crowdfunding (LBCF) facilitates the matching of credit demand and supply through a specific marketplace, managed through online platforms. In recent years, the LBCF phenomenon has been analysed from different perspectives. In particular, many studies focus on lenders’ and borrowers’ behaviour, companies’ operating mechanisms and network effects, since these are widely considered to be critical points for the growth and stability of market operators.However, there has been little discussion about the strategies and business models adopted by LBCF companies. The aim of this study is to arrive at a more insightful categorization of LBCF companies’ business models by simultaneously considering, in addition to their intermediation function, their strategic choices concerning customer segments (borrowers and lenders) and the additional services they provide. Specifically, we identify four main business models in the LBCF industry: diversified, business specialized, consumer specialized and peer-to-peer. This classification provides a more effective, realistic description of LBCF companies’ strategies at a global level and can be a useful tool for future analysis on the performance of LBCF companies, as well as for their market positioning and for benchmarking their activities