- EIB teams up with bourse Euronext to help European aerospace and defence entrepreneurs raise finance publicly
- EIB Advisory accord covers Euronext stock-listings programme planned for later this year
- Deal to empower next generation of European innovators
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is joining forces with bourse Euronext to bolster small and Mid-Cap companies in Europe’s aerospace and defence industries. Under an advisory agreement, the EIB will support Euronext in setting up a programme to ensure scale-up companies in the two sectors are able to navigate financial markets and access European capital.
The goal is to help aerospace and defence entrepreneurs understand their financing options and the steps needed to prepare for stock-market listings, also known as initial public offerings or IPOs. The planned Euronext programme, called IPOready Defence, is due to begin between 1 July and 30 September this year.
“Our collaboration with Euronext is important in empowering European innovators,” said EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot. “By combining our resources and expertise, we aim to support companies in the defence and aerospace sectors, helping them grow and maintain their strategic independence. This initiative focuses on enhancing autonomy in security and defence, steering Europe towards a stronger growth model that ensures European companies born in Europe to stay in Europe.”
In March, the EIB further expanded the eligibilities for security and defence investments. The accord involving the EIB’s advisory services marks the bank’s latest move to step up support for European Union security and defence.
“This partnership will enhance our IPOready programme,” said Euronext Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Boujnah. ”The programme aims to give innovative and high-growth small and mid-sized companies that contribute to the European continent’s strategic autonomy increased visibility and access to capital markets."
In addition to facilitating innovation in the security and defence fields, the EIB support for the Euronext programme advances with a concrete step towards the improvement of the EU Capital Markets Union by filling a gap for European companies’ competitiveness.
The initiative is part of the EIB Action Plan to help European innovators scale up their businesses, getting listed on the stock market, and channel savings into productive investments.
Euronext
Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.
As of March 2025, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host nearly 1,800 listed issuers with €6.3 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.
For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow Euronext on X and LinkedIn.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. We finance investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. The EIB Group stepped up its support to Europe’s security and defence industry in 2024 by enlarging the scope of projects eligible for financing and setting up a one-stop shop to streamline processes, doubling investment to €1 billion. The EIB expects to double this amount in 2025.
The Board of Directors approved in March a series of additional measures to further contribute to European peace, and included peace and security as a cross-cutting PPG to finance large-scale strategic projects in areas such as land border protection, military mobility, critical infrastructures, military transport, space, cybersecurity, anti-jamming technologies, radar systems, military equipment and facilities, drones, bio-hazard and seabed infrastructure protection, critical raw materials and research.
By fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB's financing within the European Union targets cohesion regions, where income per capita is below the EU average.
In addition to financing, the EIB offers advisory services that help public and private partners develop and implement high-quality, investment-ready projects. In 2024 alone, our advisory teams helped mobilise over €200 billion of investment across Europe and beyond.
High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.