- European Investment Bank (EIB) provides €185 million to DLL in support of new lending to entrepreneurs in the Benelux with circular economy-related or sustainability plans.
- DLL will match-fund the EIB loan amount to provide a total of €370 million in climate-related financing to SMEs in the Benelux region.
- The facility supports the climate commitments of both institutions as well as the ambitions of the Benelux countries themselves in making available more money for climate finance.
DLL and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed new lending agreements that will make available up to €370 million in new lending to climate-conscious SMEs in the Benelux. The EIB will provide €60 million in sustainability lending for Belgium and the Netherlands as part of a wider European green financing programme, of which a first portion was signed recently in Ireland. Alongside this, the EIB will lend €125 million for circularity initiatives in the Benelux region as a whole. As DLL will match-fund both figures, a total of €370 million in new financing will become available for SMEs with green or circular projects.
Catherine Meyers, General Manager for Benelux at DLL, said: “This funding from the European Investment Bank helps us and our partners to provide our joint customers with suitable lease proposals with an interest benefit that lowers the threshold to invest in used refurbished machines. In this way, we can stimulate the circular economy and create a win-win for all parties involved. One example is our collaboration with Vervaet Rebuild, which for instance offers rebuilt Vervaet slurry injectors and beet harvesters to farmers who don’t want to invest in new equipment but do require a machine that is not inferior to a new machine in terms of quality, reliability and capacity.”
Heddi Khatib, Account Manager Construction, Transportation and Industrial at DLL, confirms: “Another good example is crane rental companies in the Netherlands, which not only compose their fleet in terms of tonnage but also in terms of new and used refurbished equipment. They make informed decisions when investing in used mobile cranes, and when a reconditioned used crane can be adjusted according to their needs, it will retain its value.”
"Green business will continue to increase in importance, as shown by recent paradigm shifts in lending, bond issuing and buying,” said EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters. “DLL and the EIB are longstanding partners and we hope that this agreement will be seen as a signal that green business makes sense also from a financial point of view.”
The new lending to be made available by DLL is intended for circular economy projects and sustainability initiatives by SMEs as intended in the European taxonomy. The final lending decisions rest with DLL.
Background information:
The EIB is owned directly by the EU Member States - the Netherlands owns 5.2% of its shares - and is therefore able to make extremely cheap loans available on the capital market. This enables the EIB to provide long-term financing for solid investments which contribute to the EU’s policy goals. The EIB made available approximately €2.2 billion in loans for projects in the Netherlands in 2020.
DLL is a global asset finance company for equipment and technology with a managed portfolio of more than EUR 35 billion. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, DLL provides financial solutions to the Agriculture, Food, Healthcare, Clean Technology, Construction, Transportation, Industrial, Office Equipment and Technology industries in more than 30 countries. DLL partners with equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors, as well as end-customers on a direct basis, to enable businesses to more easily access equipment, technology and software. The company also delivers insights and advice to partners and customers that drive smarter and more economical methods of use. DLL combines customer focus with deep industry knowledge to deliver sustainable solutions for the complete asset life cycle, including commercial finance, retail finance and used equipment finance. DLL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group.