The European Investment Bank e Intesa Sanpaolo strengthen support for the Italian production system with two new financial agreements with a total value of 700 million euros, intended to facilitate access to credit and support investments by small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps. The operations, announced by the vice-president of the EIB Gelsomina Vigliotti and from Stefano Barreseresponsible for the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, are destined to involve around a thousand businesses and generate a total volume of investments estimated at over 1.9 billion euros in the real economy.
EIB and Intesa Sanpaolo, 700 million for businesses and mid-caps: investments of over 1.9 billion activated
The initiative is part of the framework of European policies to support growth, with particular attention to the green transition and the development of the territories of Southern Italy. «With these agreements we confirm our strong commitment to supporting the Italian entrepreneurial fabric, with particular attention to the green transition of businesses and the economic development of Southern Italy», he declared Gelsomina Vigliotti.
«Being able to count on solid partnerships like the one with Intesa Sanpaolo allows us to mobilize significant resources and generate a concrete impact on the real economy, supporting investments and promoting sustainable growth in the territories».
From the side of Intesa Sanpaolo, Stefano Barrese underlined the institute’s role as a link between finance and business. «Intesa Sanpaolo acts as a bridge between the real economy and finance, our objective is to make SMEs and Mid-Caps increasingly competitive by accompanying them with the best growth strategies according to a sustainable and medium-long term approach”, he stated. «We look at the development of small and medium-sized Italian businesses together with institutional partners such as the EIB, with whom we share support for the country’s productive fabric».
The first of the two operations involves the subscription by the EIB of a 500 million euro covered bond issued by Intesa Sanpaolo. The resources will be used to improve access to credit for SMEs and mid-caps, with a share of 25% allocated to green projects linked to climate action, such as energy efficiency interventions, investments in renewable energy and sustainable mobility initiatives. Part of the funding may also be directed to projects located in the South, which will benefit from the benefits provided by the Single ZES. The operation should enable the activation of approximately 1.4 billion euros of new investments.
The second operation consists of a 200 million euro risk sharing guarantee granted by the EIB to Intesa Sanpaolo to support investments by Italian mid-caps. Also in this case, 25% of the fund will be allocated to interventions related to climate action. The EIB will share the credit risk of the new operations, allowing the bank to expand its financing capacity and encourage new productive investments, with a leverage effect estimated at over 500 million euros on the real economy. The guarantee is part of the European REPowerEU programme, aimed at strengthening the energy security of the European Union through investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and electricity networks. The European Investment Bank is the long-term financial institution of the European Union and is owned by the Member States.
Through the financing of projects that respond to eight strategic priorities, the EIB contributes to the achievement of the EU’s objectives in areas including climate and environment, digitalisation, technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture, social infrastructure and capital markets union. In 2024, the EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund, signed over 900 projects worth almost €89 billion. In Italy, 99 operations were signed for a total of 10.98 billion euros, capable of activating investments of almost 37 billion.
All funded projects are in line with the Paris Agreement and approximately 60% of annual funding supports initiatives related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Intesa Sanpaolo is the main Italian banking group, with 421 billion euros in loans and over 1,400 billion euros in customer financial assets at the end of September 2025. The group boasts a significant international presence, a European leadership position in wealth management and a strong orientation towards digital and fintech. In the ESG field, disbursements of 115 billion euros are expected by 2025 for the community and the green transition, as well as a 1.5 billion euro program intended to support people in difficulty in the period 2023-2027.
