BPCE ITALY LOAN FOR SMES AND MIDCAPS AND AGRI

Dedicated EIB Loan to finance eligible small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap investments via leasing schemes in Italy. 100% of the loan will be allocated to final beneficiaries active in the agriculture and bioeconomy sectors. The operation will have a contractually binding minimum 10% dedication to financing young and/or new farmers.

Financing of small/medium projects carried out by small and medium-sized enterprises.

The loan with the BPCE Equipment Solutions entities in Italy is expected to support EU policy objectives, such as modernisation in the agriculture sector and rural development. It is also aligned with the EIB's objectives to support agriculture and bioeconomy as one of the eight policy priorities of the Bank as per the EIB Group 2024-2027 Strategic Roadmap.

The project will ease constraints on access to finance faced by Italian SMEs mainly acting in the agricultural and bioeconomy sectors. The beneficiaries face deep market failures related to lack of track-record, insufficient farm net asset value to collateralize and high screening costs for small investments. Based on this, the project will enable SMEs and young farmers to benefit from financing with tenors that match the economic life of the investment undertaken, as well as from transfer of financial advantage and complementarity that prompts the intermediary to match the EIB contribution. Furthermore, it will mobilize private sector investment, contributing to the sustainability of both sectors. Overall, the project can generate positive externalities in terms of competitiveness in a key sector for Italy and the EU. This operation supports the agriculture/bioeconomy sector in general.

The proposed operation falls within the scope of the EIB's Environmental and Social Standards - "Standard 11 Intermediated Finance". The Borrower / Financial Intermediary has adequate capacity, systems and processes in place for identifying, assessing, managing and monitoring environmental, climate and social (ECS) risks related to the potential sub-projects benefitting from EIB support. The final beneficiaries will be required to comply with applicable national and EU legislation in respect of environmental and social matters, as appropriate.

Final beneficiaries will be requested to comply with applicable national and EU legislation, as appropriate.