New EIB-Santander Agreement Supports Spanish SMEs, Women Entrepreneurs and Green Investment

New EIB-Santander Agreement Supports Spanish SMEs, Women Entrepreneurs and Green Investment

(IN BRIEF) The EIB Group has invested €876 million in a new Santander securitisation that will enable around €1.43 billion in financing for Spanish SMEs and mid-cap companies. The transaction will support competitiveness, job creation, working capital needs and business investment in Spain. More than €108 million will be directed to women entrepreneurs and businesses owned or managed primarily by women, while more than €162 million will support the green transition. The agreement is also notable as the first securitisation transaction in Spain where the guarantee is embedded directly in the securitisation notes. The EIB Group said the operation supports the EU savings and investments union, climate action, environmental sustainability and economic, social and territorial cohesion.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 22-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The EIB Group, comprising the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund, has invested €876 million in a new Santander securitisation designed to expand financing for small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-cap companies in Spain.

The transaction will enable Santander to provide around €1.43 billion in new lending to support Spanish businesses, strengthen competitiveness, promote job creation and help companies invest in the green transition.

More than €100 million will be directed to women entrepreneurs and businesses owned or managed primarily by women. In addition, more than €162 million will support projects linked to the green transition.

The agreement between the EIB Group and Banco Santander is intended to improve access to finance for SMEs and mid-caps, helping them meet working capital and liquidity needs while managing the impact of inflation, high energy prices and elevated interest rates on investment.

The transaction was signed in Madrid by Marco Marrone, Chief Investment Officer of the European Investment Fund; Joan Basora, Head of the Multinational Financial Institutions Division at the European Investment Bank; and Catalina Mejía García, Chief Financial Officer of Banco Santander Spain.

Marco Marrone said small and medium-sized enterprises are essential to growth, innovation and employment across Europe.

“This investment reinforces the EIF’s commitment to improving access to finance for Spanish small and medium businesses and mid-caps, particularly those pursuing sustainable projects and those led by women,” said Marrone.

Joan Basora said the transaction demonstrates the strength of the long-standing partnership between the EIB and Santander in channelling finance to SMEs and mid-caps, which he described as the backbone of the Spanish economy.

“By mobilising private investment, the EIB is helping to drive growth, create jobs and strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion across the country,” said Basora.

Catalina Mejía said Santander’s partnership with the EIB Group enables the bank to continue strengthening support for Spanish SMEs and mid-caps.

She said the agreement will broaden access to finance, support business growth, advance the sustainable transition and contribute to Spain’s economic development and competitiveness.

Under the transaction, the EIB will invest approximately €476 million, while the EIF will invest €400 million alongside other private investors.

The EIF’s investment is made through a guarantee embedded in the Class A2 securities.

The EIB Group said this is the first securitisation transaction carried out in Spain in which the guarantee is embedded directly in the securitisation notes.

The transaction highlights the EIB Group’s role in promoting financial instruments such as securitisation, which can help unlock capital for green projects, reduce risk for financial institutions and support the EU savings and investments union.

The operation also contributes to several EIB Group strategic priorities, including climate action, environmental sustainability, and economic, social and territorial cohesion.

The EIB Group said the financing will help Spanish companies access the resources they need to invest, adapt and compete, while supporting the broader transition toward a more sustainable and inclusive economy.

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations. In 2025, the EIB Group completed financing and investment operations in Spain totalling around €11 billion, which came alongside an additional €2.9 billion under the Regional Resilience Fund (NextGenerationEU loans).

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs. With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to €80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 45 companies, including 12 unicorns, since being established three years ago.

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.

Santander

Banco Santander (SAN SM) is a leading commercial bank founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain, and one of the world’s largest banks by market capitalisation. The group’s activities are organised into five global business units: Retail & Commercial Banking, Openbank, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Wealth Management & Insurance, and Payments. This model enables the bank to make the most of its unique combination of global scale and local leadership. Santander aims to be the best open platform for financial services for individuals, SMEs, businesses, financial institutions and governments, and its mission is to contribute to the progress of people and businesses by doing things in a simple, personalised and fair way. In the first quarter of 2026, Banco Santander had €1.4 trillion in total customer deposits, more than 176 million customers, 6,600 branches and 185,000 employees.

Media Contacts:

EIB
Maite Cordero
EIBG Press
m.corderomunoz@eib.org
+34 606 66 82 62
www.eib.org/press

Press Office

+352 4379 21000

Banco Santander
Corporate Communication
comunicacion@gruposantander.com
+34 91 2895211
www.santander.com

SOURCE: European Investment Fund