The rise in interest rates could be detrimental to private equity and venture capital, i.e., funds that invest in companies in exchange for stock, but the recession has been extremely severe. This is an unexpected collapse, at least in terms of size. In the first half of the year, sector investments decreased by 71% compared to the same period in 2022, but still amounted to a significant $3.2 billion. "Central banks believe they can contain inflation with an economic recession, which also causes problems for our sector. This is a process that "we must find a way to stop," according to Innocenzo Cipolletta, president of the association of the Aifi sector, who, in collaboration with PwC Italia, presented the data of the sector's activities between January and June. "The first half of the year indicates an overall increase in funding, but only because of the presence of some institutional venture capital projects; otherwise, we would have seen a drop in the availability of funds for investments," adds Cipolletta.