EaSI Funded Instrument

The EaSI Funded Instrument is part of the EU’s Employment and Social Innovation Programme (EaSI).  With an overall size of EUR 200 million - including contributions from the EU, the EIF and the EIB - this new fund aims at boosting the lending capacity of eligible financial intermediaries that operate in the microfinance and social enterprise finance space.

Thus, it complements the current product offering under the EaSI Programme, which includes to date the EaSI Guarantee Instrument and the EaSI Capacity Building Investments Window.

In line with the objectives of the EaSI programme, the new EaSI Funded Instrument seeks to improve access to finance for micro-enterprises (including the self-employed and those that employ vulnerable people) and social enterprises in order to create jobs and support social inclusion.

The EaSI Funded Instrument provides senior and subordinated loans to eligible financial intermediaries in order to increase their capacity to provide financing to micro-enterprises and social enterprises, as well as mobilizing their own resources to grow their microfinance or social entrepreneurship portfolios.

The EaSI Funded Instrument builds on the success of the European Progress Microfinance Facility (EPMF). The  facility was an EU initiative launched in 2010 and managed by EIF that has so far mobilised more than EUR 520m, supporting more than 55 000 micro-borrowers.

Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (SFDR):
EIF, in its capacity of Management Company of the Fund, defines certain excluded sectors in which the Fund is prohibited to invest directly or indirectly The selection of such sectors is based on EIF ESG guidelines: EIF Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Principles as well as on investment considerations meant to avoid inter alia any actual or potential material social, governance and/or environmental negative impact on the Fund performance. Such excluded sectors are taken into consideration in the investment process and decision-making process of the Fund.

The Management Company, on behalf of the Fund, does not consider adverse impact of investment decisions as regards the Fund on sustainability factors at the present time considering that (i) in the absence of regulatory guidance, it is not clear what regulators will expect of entities that elect to consider such matters at this time, and (ii) it is also not clear that there is sufficient data, and data of a sufficient quality, to support entities that do so in the relevant asset classes, industries or sectors in which investments have been/may be made. Sustainability factors are environmental, social and employee matters, respect for human rights, anti-corruption and anti-bribery matters.