Brussels – The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Banca Ifis have signed an agreement to provide €300 million in new finance to support innovative 4.0 investments by SMEs and mid-caps.
The EIB loan to Banca Ifis, with a nominal value of 150 million euros, is designed mainly for leasing loans supporting innovative initiatives under the National Transition 4.0 Plan. Under the agreement signed, Banca Ifis will guarantee the disbursement of an additional ceiling of the same amount, making 300 million euros available to companies.
This is the fifth agreement between Banca Ifis and EIB and the first-ever operation by the European Union’s bank with an Italian banking institution dedicated entirely to the innovative transition of small and medium-sized enterprises. This operation brings the amount of total investment unlocked by the EIB and Banca Ifis over the last four years to 700 million euros.
“Small and medium businesses play a key role in the economy. Besides creating jobs, these businesses tend to invest more in research and development and adopt emerging technologies,” says Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice President of the European Investment Bank. “This operation consolidates our strong relationship with Banca Ifis, helping us facilitate access to finance for small and medium businesses, foster innovation and make the country more competitive,” she adds.
“The fact that a prestigious and dependable institution like the EIB has joined us to launch the first project of its kind is an important acknowledgment of our ability to meet the requirements of businesses needing to speed up the innovation process to remain competitive on international markets,” says Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio, Chairman of Banca Ifis.
The new credit line, with more favorable interest rates, can be accessed by both SMEs (companies up to a consolidated workforce of up to 249 employees) and mid-caps (with a consolidated workforce of up to 2.999 employees) wishing to finance investments in innovation or acquire innovative goods under the government’s National Transition 4.0 Plan, including for financial leasing transactions with a minimum term of 24 months.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
