The technology balance of payments brings together several items of the balance of payments that refer to international trade in technology other than physical goods ("disembodied technology"), according to the taxonomy defined by the OECD. Data are compiled by Banca d'Italia on the basis of the statistical standards set out by the 6th IMF Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual.
In 2023 Italy's technology balance of payments registered a surplus of €1.6 billion, up compared to the previous year and close to the peak of 2021. Between 2010 and 2023, exports of disembodied technology grew faster than other types of services. In 2023, the sample of companies surveyed was expanded to meet new statistical requirements; based on the new estimates, almost 60 percent of disembodied technology transactions are attributable to companies operating in the service sector, whose balance is positive even if lower than that of manufacturing companies as a whole. The share of larger companies and companies belonging to foreign groups on disembodied technology trade remains high.
