EIF Launches €200M Green Private Credit Fund to Drive Sustainability and Support Women Entrepreneurs in Europe

EIF Launches €200M Green Private Credit Fund to Drive Sustainability and Support Women Entrepreneurs in Europe

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Fund (EIF) has launched the Green Private Credit fund, aimed at advancing Europe’s green transition and decarbonizing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The fund, with a target size of EUR 200 million, will generate up to €5 billion in green financing, focusing on environmental sustainability and supporting gender equality by investing in women-led businesses. The initiative has strong backing from major institutional investors, including BPCE Assurances and MACIF. The fund will support projects in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, and water, while aligning with the EU Green Deal and Capital Markets Union objectives.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 14-Feb-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Fund (EIF) has partnered with several key investors to launch the innovative Green Private Credit fund, aimed at fostering the transition to a low-carbon economy across Europe. With a target size of EUR 200 million, the fund will unlock up to €5 billion in green financing to support the environmental goals of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout Europe. The initiative has a strong focus on decarbonization and sustainability, with an emphasis on providing private credit to SMEs with high potential for creating positive environmental impact.

The fund will also play a pivotal role in supporting key sectors including agriculture, energy, and water, providing significant financing for innovative projects that contribute to climate change mitigation. The commitment to gender equality is embedded in the fund’s goals, ensuring that at least a third of the investment will be directed to businesses led by women or focused on advancing inclusive employment practices.

Among the fund’s anchor investors are major players such as BPCE Assurances, MACIF, and Mutuelle Médicis, who have collectively supported this ambitious initiative. The fund will focus on investments aligned with SFDR Article 9, emphasizing sustainability alongside financial returns. The EIF’s expertise in the private credit market, with over €7.5 billion in commitments across Europe, will be leveraged to ensure that the fund’s investments have a measurable and positive environmental impact.

This fund is designed to foster the growth of SMEs and small mid-caps, accelerating Europe’s green transition while strengthening the competitiveness of the European private credit market.

Background information

EIF

The EIF is part of the EIB Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s microenterprises and 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, it contributes to the achievement of key EU policy goals such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability. In 2024, the EIF provided over €14 billion to finance small businesses and green projects, aiming to unlock around €134 billion in investment to promote climate neutrality, the digital transition of European industries and the competitiveness of EU entrepreneurs. Against the backdrop of challenging economic prospects for 2024, the EIF intends to make progress with initiatives in relation to the Capital Market Union priority policy.

Media Contact:

Christophe Alix | c.alix@eib.org, tel.: +352 4379 84303
Website: www.eib.org/press — Press Office: +352 4379 21000 — press@eib.org

SOURCE: European Investment Fund