The European Investment Bank has acquired a EUR 3.5 million equity participation in La Fayette Investissements s.i.c.a.r., a wholesale fund for microfinance institutions. Incorporated in Luxembourg, La Fayette Investissements will provide equity and debt financing to microfinance institutions in Africa and Asia, together with technical and management assistance from Horus, the French based microfinance technical assistance and service company.

With a EUR 15.3 million capitalisation, La Fayette will provide start-up capital for microfinance institutions, whereas Horus will provide management support for La Fayette as well as its investee microfinance institutions. The capital of La Fayette is provided jointly by Horus (EUR 1.3 million), International Finance Corporation (EUR 3 million) Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau of Germany (EUR 3 million), Agence française de Développement (EUR 3 million), Financiering Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden of the Netherlands (EUR 2 million and the EIB.

The objective of La Fayette Investissements is to provide socially responsible senior and junior capital contributions to micro finance institutions in low-income countries in Africa. Therefore the equity participation in La Fayette answers to the key objective of the European Investment Bank's contribution to micro finance institutions in securing economic, social and environmental returns in projects it finances.


The EIB, established in 1958 by the Treaty of Rome, finances capital investment projects that further the European Union (EU) policy objectives. It also participates in the implementation of the EU's co-operation policy towards third countries that have co-operation or association agreements with the Union.

Financing in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) is carried out under the provisions of the Investment Facility, set up by the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, signed in Cotonou in June 2000. Under the Cotonou agreement the total financial aid available amounts to EUR 15.2 billion for 2002-2006, of which EUR 11.3 billion is grant aid from the EU member states, EUR 2.2 billion is managed by the EIB under the Investment Facility and up to EUR 1.7 billion is in the form of loans from the EIB's own resources. The Investment Facility is a revolving facility (loan amortizations will be invested in new operations), aiming at supporting technically, environmentally, financially and economically sound projects in the private or the commercially run public sector.