The company: our history

From the intuition and vision of a single man to the present day

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Ponzi is a family name linked to the world of investigations since the 1950s, when it was established by the well-known Italian investigator and criminologist “Tom” Ponzi.

Following an initial period of professional affirmation lasting more than a decade, with consolidated results both nationally and internationally, in the late seventies the brand risked jeopardising its reputation and fame due to judicial proceedings involving Tom himself, resolved a few years later with the criminologist’s complete acquittal.

Thanks to Francesco Ponzi – son of Angelo, grandson of Tom and founder in 1979 of PONZI & Co. SRL, the Ponzi family’s first limited company that later became PONZI SpA in 1982 – the brand name was kept commercially alive, regaining its fame and respectability not just in the field of corporate and private investigations, but also and above all in the field of financial and asset investigations for debt collection purposes.

Different family members gave rise to different entities in terms of type of work, size, organisation and services: “There is me, and then there is the small circle of relatives, mostly concerned with carrying out personal and marriage investigations,” said Francesco to describe the relatives who seek to identify themselves with Tom Ponzi.

Francesco Ponzi’s business philosophy evolved over time, adapting its core values and organisational methods to the evolving social and economic context. As a result, in the early noughties he set up PONZI & ASSOCIATI Srl. Together with the existing PONZI SpA, the new company formed the PONZI GROUP, whose experience and professionalism offered a unique solution to every need of the various reference sectors: banking, insurance and legal professions in general.

For seventy years, the Group has had its registered office in Milan, in C.so Monforte 9, to which further offices have been added in Rome, Pescara, London, Dubai and Miami.

Francesco Ponzi has been the Group’s legal representative for forty years, with his sons Alessandro, Riccardo, Stefano and Massimo becoming the third Ponzi generation to enter the company between the late nineties and the early noughties.

In 2022, PONZI SpA became “Gruppo Investigativo PONZI SpA”, officially confirming the brand’s continuity and tradition.

The Group currently produces approximately 350,000 information dossiers and more than 700,000 NPL analyses per year.

Our History

Fifties

“Tom” Ponzi, the first Ponzi generation, set up the business, soon becoming a leader in the investigations field.

1956

The Terrazzano story, which shook the Italian nation, brought Tom to fame after he volunteered to help the police free an elementary school held hostage by two criminals.

Sixties

In the sixties, Italy’s industry discovered the value of the investigation and debt collection services devised by the Ponzi family, enabling various fast-growing entities to resolve serious business conflicts and avoid significant financial losses. During this time, Tom, whose fame had by then crossed beyond the national borders, confirmed his role as the number one investigator and criminologist in Europe and beyond, with prestigious cases and customers such as Ferrari, Rockefeller, FIAT, Chanel, Riva, Cirio, Star, Farmitalia, Montecatini, Zambeletti, and Enrico Mattei’s Eni.

Seventies

During this time, the Ponzi brand risked jeopardising its reputation and fame due to judicial proceedings involving Tom himself, resolved a few years later with the criminologist’s complete acquittal.

1979

In 1979, Francesco Ponzi, son of Angelo and grandson of Tom, founded Ponzi & Co. SRL, the family’s first limited company. In this way, and with a series of significant investments, the brand name was kept commercially alive.

1982

Ponzi & Co. Srl was transformed into PONZI SpA, regaining its fame and respectability not just in the field of corporate and private investigations, but also and above all in the field of financial and asset investigations for debt collection purposes.

Late Nineties– Early Noughties

The third Ponzi generation, comprising the sons of the legal representative Francesco Ponzi, entered the company: Alessandro, Riccardo, Stefano and Massimo.

2007

PONZI & ASSOCIATI Srl was established. Together with the existing PONZI SpA, the new company formed the PONZI GROUP, whose experience and professionalism offered a unique solution to every need of the various reference sectors: banking, insurance and legal professions in general.

2021

The encounter of PONZI SpA and Team Company Srl lead to the establishment of Spark Srl, a company specialised in Phone Collection and out-of-court debt collection.

2022

PONZI SpA, which is celebrating its seventieth anniversary, has become “Gruppo Investigativo PONZI SpA”, officially confirming the brand’s investigative nature.


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Ponzi is a family name linked to the world of investigations since the 1950s, when it was established by the well-known Italian investigator and criminologist “Tom” Ponzi.

Following an initial period of professional affirmation lasting more than a decade, with consolidated results both nationally and internationally, in the late seventies the brand risked jeopardising its reputation and fame due to judicial proceedings involving Tom himself, resolved a few years later with the criminologist’s complete acquittal.

Thanks to Francesco Ponzi – son of Angelo, grandson of Tom and founder in 1979 of PONZI & Co. SRL, the Ponzi family’s first limited company that later became PONZI SpA in 1982 – the brand name was kept commercially alive, regaining its fame and respectability not just in the field of corporate and private investigations, but also and above all in the field of financial and asset investigations for debt collection purposes.

Different family members gave rise to different entities in terms of type of work, size, organisation and services: “There is me, and then there is the small circle of relatives, mostly concerned with carrying out personal and marriage investigations,” said Francesco to describe the relatives who seek to identify themselves with Tom Ponzi.

Francesco Ponzi’s business philosophy evolved over time, adapting its core values and organisational methods to the evolving social and economic context. As a result, in the early noughties he set up PONZI & ASSOCIATI Srl. Together with the existing PONZI SpA, the new company formed the PONZI GROUP, whose experience and professionalism offered a unique solution to every need of the various reference sectors: banking, insurance and legal professions in general.

For seventy years, the Group has had its registered offices in Milan, in C.so Monforte 9 and C.so Sempione 50, to which further offices have been added in Rome, Pescara, London, Dubai and Miami.

Francesco Ponzi has been the Group’s legal representative for forty years, with his sons Alessandro, Riccardo, Stefano and Massimo becoming the third Ponzi generation to enter the company between the late nineties and the early noughties.

In 2022, PONZI SpA became “Gruppo Investigativo PONZI SpA”, officially confirming the brand’s continuity and tradition.

The Group currently produces approximately 350,000 information dossiers and more than 700,000 NPL analyses per year.

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