EIB commits up to €500M to boost lending for Italian SMEs and mid-caps
What's the deal? The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide up to €500 million in loans to Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Italy's national promotional institution, to finance small companies and mid-caps. A first €150 million tranche has been signed, with further tranches to follow.
What's the endgame? CDP will use the funds to finance research and development, innovation, the energy transition, and sustainability projects. Eligible beneficiaries include SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and mid-caps with up to 3,000 employees, plus direct lending to smaller firms with turnover of €25 million to €50 million.
How it works: The EIB's triple-A rating lets it raise funds on international markets on favourable terms, which CDP passes on to companies. Support comes through medium and long-term financing, the purchase of corporate bonds, and asset-backed securities tied to mini-bonds, known as Basket Bonds.
Why now? The agreement extends a long-standing EIB–CDP partnership supporting Italy's growth. It follows a July 2026 EIF–CDP–Mediocredito CentraleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → guarantee package expected to unlock €5.7 billion in bank lending for more than 26,000 SMEs, and a separate €150 million EIF guarantee backing CDP's lending to larger firms.
The aim is to expand both the volume of CDP's direct lending and the number of companies it reaches, in Italy and abroad. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing across more than 870 projects.
The signal: Public-backed credit remains a key channel for Europe's smaller firms as private financing stays tight. The size of this facility ranks among the largest debt deals in its category for Italy, though its real impact will depend on terms and how much financing ultimately reaches companies.
Read more: eib.org
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
