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Eurobank is the first Greek bank to sign an agreement with the European Investment Fund (EIF) for its participation in the new guaranteed programme SME Competitiveness, with a total maximum budget of €250 million, under the InvestEU Fund.

The new Program, which is already available through Eurobank from January 23, 2023, aims at SMEs so that they will cover working capital needs and/or implement investment projects to improve their competitiveness. Under EIF’s guarantee, which covers part of the financing, all eligible companies can access liquidity with reduced collateral requirements. Eurobank also offers further reduced interest rate margin on financing provided through the program, supporting Greek companies to the maximum possible extent, especially in the current period of rising interest rates in Europe.

EIF CEO, Marjut Falkstedt, stated: “We are delighted to build on the long-standing relationship with our Greek partners to help local SMEs overcome the financial constraints they are facing. Better access to finance is vital for Greek businesses and entrepreneurship in the country in general. This new €250 million agreement under the InvestEU programme, will give local businesses preferential access to the resources they need in order to implement investments in climate action, energy efficiency and renewable energy, to enhance their competitiveness and to support their digital transformation.”.

Eurobank’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Andreas Athanassopoulos, stated: “The new agreement with EIF and our participation in the new guarantee program for Greek SMEs highlights our steady commitment to actively support domestic entrepreneurship. We wish to contribute substantially so that Greek SMEs will be able to win the competitiveness bet and participate in the investment and growth cycle of our economy on favorable terms, making the most of the available European and national funds, that constitute a powerful driver for growth.”.

The amount of funding per company depends on its transactional cycle and each company’s business requirements. Financing will be granted in the form of a loan with a duration from one (1) to ten (10) years repayable in monthly or quarterly instalments.

More information on the terms and conditions of the program, at the page of the InvestEU SME Competitiveness Programme at www.eurobank.gr, and/or at Eurobank's network branches.

The provided financing benefit from the support of the European Union through the InvestEU Fund._

EIF strong track record in Greece | Since its inception, the EIF has supported EUR 3.79 billion in financing in Greece, resulting in EUR 13.35 billion leverage financing, while as of today 35,000 SMEs have been supported financially through EIF’s programs, through 50,000 transactions which has supported more than 276,000 jobs.
A total of 91 mandates and operational agreements were signed with local counterparties including the Hellenic Republic, local FIs, fund managers, and microfinance providers. EIF financing in Greece during 2021-2022 has reached EUR 2.11 billion, ranked 7th in the EIF’s list of EU countries supported.
Background information | The InvestEU programme is a key pillar of the European Union’s largest ever stimulus package to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to help build green, digital and fair European economy. It can also support the European economy in addressing new challenges arising from major uncertainties linked to the global and security outlook.
By providing a €26.2 billion EU budgetary guarantee to support finance and investment operations, it intends to attract private capital and mobilise more than €372 billion to support public and private investment in key EU policy priorities.
European Investment Bank | The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
European Investment Fund | The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (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, the EIF contributes to the pursuit of key EU policy objectives such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability and more.