France - Europe: Launch of Green Private Credit – A new solution for climate and environment financing

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• The Green Private Credit is a pioneering private debt fund of funds dedicated to promoting sustainability and climate-focused financing.
• With a target size of EUR 200m, the investment solution is set to unlock several billion euros in green financing across the EU.
• Anchor investors include the European Investment Fund and 9 French institutional investors, primarily mutual and insurance companies such as BPCE Assurances, MACIF, L’Auxiliaire and Mutuelle Médicis.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) today unveiled Green Private Credit, an innovative investment solution designed to accelerate climate and environmental solutions. Launched at the new European Investment Bank headquarters in Paris, this cutting-edge fund of funds is poised to boost green financing for European SMEs and small mid-caps.

A strategic initiative for climate action

The Green Private Credit represents a new investment opportunity for institutional investors, offering a significant contribution to the financing of Europe’s environmental transition. By focusing on providing alternative credit and non-dilutive debt financing, the fund aims to facilitate sustainable growth and decarbonization for over 300 European companies through investments in more than ten private credit thematic funds.

This initiative provides institutional investors with direct access to the EIF's expertise in the European private credit market, ensuring investments are targeted at funds with a strong focus on decarbonization across Europe.

A game-changer for green investments in Europe

AMUF Green Private Credit addresses growing market demand for senior private credit strategies, offering a risk-return profile well-suited to the current market environment. It will act as a cornerstone for financing climate and environmental projects, supporting the EU Green Deal and contributing to the Capital Markets Union by channelling private capital into the senior private credit market.

Ambroise Fayolle, vice-president of EIB Groupe declared : “This promising initiative illustrates how Europe, through this innovative financial instrument, can succeed in attracting private capital and developing a single capital market it needs to finance its transition to a new low-carbon model.”  

“Attracting private investors to contribute to the decarbonisation of SMEs is a key priority for the EIF. The importance of involving private capital in achieving public policy goals is also highlighted in the Draghi report. We are always looking to strengthen the partnership between public and private players to finance major European objectives, and this new initiative does just that," said EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt.

Meeting investor needs in a growing market

Developed in response to strong market interest from institutional investors seeking senior private credit solutions with a focus on sustainability, the fund addresses a key gap in investment options for French professional investors. Recognizing this need, the European Investment Fund collaborated with stakeholders to design a pan-European strategy. The result is a diversified fund targeting investments in funds aligned with SFDR Article 9 standards, emphasizing sustainable investment alongside financial returns.

Leading investors have expressed their strong support for the fund and its environmental objectives. François-Henry BRAULT, CIO of BPCE Assurances, one of the fund's principal investors, declares: “With its pioneering and ambitious investment policy, BPCE Assurances actively contributes to financing the environmental transition. This is the meaning of its commitment to the European Investment Fund.”

Echoing this commitment, Sandrine de RAYMOND CAHUZAC, Deputy Director of Investments, SRI, and Financial Communication at Mutuelle Médicis, stated, "Mutuelle Médicis is proud to support the environmental and climate transition alongside the EIF by investing in the Green Private Credit fund."

Sabine CASTELLAN-POQUET, Chief Investment Officer at Macif, emphasized the fund's real economy impact, stating, “Macif is delighted to support the EIF as part of this fund committed to finance the environmental transition in the real economy and which helps to develop high-quality ESG practices in Europe.”

Jérémie GARROT, Deputy CEO of L’Auxiliaire, emphasized the importance of environmental monitoring and data: "As an investor for over seven years in unlisted debt funds, L'Auxiliaire immediately embraced the EIF's initiative to create a fund that would also serve as a platform for sharing best practices in monitoring environmental indicators."

Christian MARTIN, CFO of Thelem Assurances, highlighted the fund’s strategic alignment with European climate goals: "Thelem Assurances is proud to invest in the Green Private Credit fund, a new initiative dedicated to financing European companies committed to the ecological transition. This investment reflects our commitment, as an institutional investor, to support projects aligned with European climate and environmental objectives. Convinced that financing companies engaged in sustainable development is a key lever to balance environmental impact, risk management, and value creation, we thus reaffirm our ambition to support the transition towards a more responsible economy."

Finally, Yoann FRAVALO, Head of Accounting & Finance at Mutualia Grand Ouest, reflected on the alignment of the fund with its investment philosophy: “Mutualia Grand Ouest is proud to invest alongside the EIF in the Green Private Credit fund. This investment represents a tangible way for our regional mutual, committed to improving the health of populations in its territory, to contribute to the environmental transition and support the European Green Deal.”

This initiative also leverages the EIF’s expertise as a leading private credit investor, with over EUR 7.5bn in commitments across Europe. By directing investments into thematic funds that meet the EIF Climate Action & Environmental Sustainability Criteria, Green Private Credit will drive financing toward projects with tangible environmental impact.

Supporting Europe’s transition to sustainability

Green Private Credit directly addresses two core EU policy objectives by supporting the EU Green Deal by unlocking private capital for climate and environmental financing but also advancing the Capital Markets Union by fostering the development of the European private credit market, benefitting SMEs and small mid-caps in their decarbonization efforts.

By mobilizing substantial resources and catalyzing investment in innovative funds, Green Private Credit stands at the forefront of Europe’s sustainable financing efforts, demonstrating how public-private collaboration can drive meaningful progress toward a greener future.

Background information

EIF

The EIF is part of the EIB Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's microenterprises and SMEs by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments that specifically target this market segment. In this role, it contributes to the achievement of key EU policy goals such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability. In 2024, the EIF provided over €14 billion to finance small businesses and green projects, aiming to unlock around €134 billion in investment to promote climate neutrality, the digital transition of European industries and the competitiveness of EU entrepreneurs. Against the backdrop of challenging economic prospects for 2024, the EIF intends to make progress with initiatives in relation to the Capital Market Union priority policy.

Press contact

EIF: Christophe Alix | c.alix@eib.org, tel.: +352 4379 84303
Website: www.eib.org/press — Press Office: +352 4379 21000 — press@eib.org