InvestEU: EIF backs BPER Banca Group with €110 million to support sustainable and innovative investments in Italy

• The EIF financing is backed by the InvestEU programme, which aims to mobilise at least €372 billion in investment for EU policy priorities by 2027.

Milan — 6 July 2023

The European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, has granted a guarantee worth €110 million to BPER Banca Group, consisting of BPER Banca and Banco di Sardegna, assisted by Banca Finint. The agreement will promote investments carried out by small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and small mid-caps in the fields of sustainability, innovation, digitalisation and, to a lesser extent, cultural and creative sectors. These EIF transactions are supported by the InvestEU programme.

Backed by the InvestEU guarantee, this EIF support will allow BPER to keep fostering the green and sustainable transformation of the economy as well as investments in cultural and creative sectors, supporting Italy’s thriving, agile and innovative ecosystem while consolidating its resilience.

Thanks to the new agreement, the BPER Group can provide Italian companies with €110 million in guarantees, thereby facilitating a portfolio of EIF-guaranteed loans totalling up to €240 million.

European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni remarked, “InvestEU is a crucial tool for supporting SMEs operating across Europe, including in the cultural, creative, digital and sustainability sectors. This InvestEU agreement will contribute to Italy's progress towards a greener, more innovative and more resilient economy. The support will help Italian businesses grow and create quality jobs.”

EIF Chief Investment Officer Alessandro Tappi added, “We are delighted to partner once again with BPER, a bank that has benefited under several EIF guarantee programmes to support the investment needs of SMEs in Italy. This agreement under InvestEU will enable small businesses in Italy to drive their digital and green transition, increasing their competitiveness and resilience.”

As explained by BPER Banca Chief Retail & Commercial Banking Officer Stefano Vittorio Kuhn, “This agreement is of particular importance because it aims to strengthen financial support for companies that are pursuing ESG objectives and helping increase the level of innovation in our country. I therefore express my full satisfaction, as we will be able to position ourselves alongside our customers with this particular form of financing, within the framework of the programme provided by InvestEU.”

Banco di Sardegna General Manager, Giuseppe Cuccurese, said: “Thanks to this transaction, Banco di Sardegna will also have an important tool at its disposal to support companies that invest in innovative and sustainable projects, adding to its range of products and services the opportunities offered by the European Investment Fund while confirming the role of reference of the BPER Group in relation to the productive fabric."

Background information

The EIF is a financial institution and part of the EIB Group. Its main mission is to support European SMEs by helping them access finance and venture capital. It is also active in supporting climate and infrastructure fund investments, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability. In this role, the EIF pursues the objectives of the European Union to support innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth and employment.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

BPER Banca is the parent company of the BPER Banca Group. The Group brings together two banks (BPER Banca and Banco di Sardegna) with around 1 800 branches covering all regions of Italy, with over 20 000 employees and more than 5 million customers. It is the country’s third largest listed banking group in terms of global deposits, and includes numerous product and instrumental companies in addition to its credit institutions. The Group’s distribution structure on the Italian peninsula now spans ten regional departments.

BPER operates through investee companies or joint ventures in all the main market segments (corporate & investment banking, wealth management & insurance, leasing, factoring, and consumer credit). Thanks to its robust network of investments and partnerships, it can provide expert assistance to its customers on all major international markets.

Press contacts

EIF: Lorenzo Squintani, l.squintani@eib.org, mobile: +366 57 90 312
Website: www.eif.org/press — Press Office: +352 4379 21000 press@eib.org

European Commission: Flora MATTHAES
Tel.: +32 229 83951
Email: flora.matthaes@ec.europa.eu

BPER Banca: Davide Lamagni, davide.lamagni@bper.it, mobile: +39 366 9265756
Website: https://istituzionale.bper.it/en/media-relations/contacts — Press Office: +39 059 202 2158