EIB lends €80M to Italy's FNM for hydrogen transport push
What's the deal? The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed an €80 million loan to Italian transport group FNMDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to fund hydrogen-based mobility projects in Lombardy. The financing, backed by InvestEUDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and SACEDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Archimede guarantee, supports FNM's plan to cut emissions in rail and road transport.
The terms: The loan runs 15 years from drawdown, with a 36-month availability period and amortising repayment after a three-year grace period. SACE covers 50% of the financed amount, alongside financial and non-financial covenants standard for such deals.
What's the endgame? FNM wants to introduce hydrogen technology across its fleet while diversifying its funding sources. "This financing strengthens our commitment to decarbonising mobility," said Andrea Angelo Gibelli, chairman of FNM, adding that it helps "lengthen the average life of the debt." (translated from Italian)
Why now? The deal fits the EIB's TechEU strategy, which pushes clean-tech adoption in the rail sector. It also draws on InvestEU, the EU investment programme through which the EIB group has already mobilised over €6 billion in Italy for sustainable transport and alternative-fuel networks.
The signal: With a €80 million ticket, the deal sits toward the larger end of comparable financings — a sign that public lenders are underwriting hydrogen infrastructure that private capital still treats as unproven. As the EIB frames it, backing zero-emission mobility is now "a fundamental priority."
Read more: eib.org
Image credit: Linus Follert
