Italian Unicorn Scalapay Secures Major EIB Funding to Scale Digital Payments and Expand Services

Scalapay

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank has approved €70 million in Scale-Up Debt financing for Scalapay — its first direct scale-up investment in an Italian unicorn. The funding will support product innovation and enhance Scalapay’s Buy Now, Pay Later services across Europe, further strengthening its role as a leading fintech in the digital payments sector. The deal, signed in Milan by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and CEO Simone Mancini, also contributes to the EIB’s TechEU programme, a major initiative aiming to channel €250 billion into European innovation over three years. The investment is supported by InvestEU and is intended to accelerate Scalapay’s growth, expand its product offering, and improve flexibility for customers without diluting ownership, particularly as the company moves toward later-stage development.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 10-Dec-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Scalapay has secured €70 million in Scale-Up Debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), marking the first time the institution has extended scale-up funding to an Italian unicorn. The fintech, founded in 2019, has rapidly grown into one of Europe’s most recognised Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers, supporting shoppers with flexible payment options both online and in physical retail stores. The agreement was formalised in Milan by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Scalapay’s CEO Simone Mancini.

The new capital will be used to enhance Scalapay’s product portfolio, advancing payment innovation designed to deliver a smoother and more versatile user experience. The investment supports the company’s goal of strengthening its leadership in digital instalment solutions across European markets, enabling further expansion and technological development.

EIB Vice-President Vigliotti stated that the partnership reinforces Europe’s digital payments ecosystem, highlighting Scalapay as an example of technological growth supported through robust security standards and high-quality service offerings. She emphasised that the operation aligns with TechEU — the EIB Group initiative positioning Europe as a hub for innovation by mobilising €250 billion over the next three years — and contributes to a competitive tech landscape where European companies can scale globally without relocating.

CEO Simone Mancini welcomed the announcement, noting that the funds demonstrate institutional confidence in Scalapay’s trajectory and will accelerate product development as well as support customer markets with increased payment flexibility. He added that the financing represents a significant milestone on Scalapay’s scale-up journey, giving room for faster expansion and a broader service offering.

The transaction falls under TechEU’s Scale-Up Debt instrument, designed for highly innovative, fast-growing companies at pre-IPO stage. The operation also benefits from backing under InvestEU, with the EIB Group serving as the main implementation partner.

Background information

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight key priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.  The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. The EIB Group signed 99 operations totalling €10.98 billion in Italy in 2024, unlocking almost €37 billion of investment in the real economy. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment. Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the funds made available by the Group unlocked over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised a further €110 billion for startups and scale-ups. Around half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

High-quality, up-to-date photos of EIB headquarters for media use are available here.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps to crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

Scalapay is the leading buy now, pay later platform in southern Europe, transforming the way over 11 million users shop online and in-store by allowing them to make interest-free instalment purchases. Its mission is to enable its more than 10 000 partner brands to offer their customers a fast and frictionless shopping experience. Brands like Douglas, Lastminute.com, OVS Group, Alpitour, Veralab, JD Sport and more have already chosen Scalapay as their buy now, pay later provider. For more information, visit: www.scalapay.com

Media contact:
Lorenzo Squintani
l.squintani@eib.org
+352437982528

Press Office
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SOURCE: European Investment Bank