Photo: UniCredit
UniCredit and the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, have signed a new guarantee agreement under the InvestEU programme, which will significantly increase support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSEs and SMEs) in Central and Eastern Europe, UniCredit Bulbank’s press office announced. The agreement was unveiled during the FT CEE Forum, a regional economic forum held in Vienna.
The new EUR 445 million guarantee increases and expands the scope of the uncapped InvestEU guarantee mechanism launched in 2023. According to the announcement, this is the largest InvestEU transaction implemented by the EIF to date. With the extension of the mechanism’s availability until the end of 2027, it is expected to provide up to EUR 890 million in additional financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia.
The expanded programme will focus primarily on projects aimed at sustainability and innovation and will continue to offer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improved financing conditions, including more competitive pricing, longer maturities, and reduced collateral requirements.
The extended agreement introduces mini-bonds as an eligible financing instrument, supporting SMEs’ access to the debt capital market and thereby diversifying funding sources beyond traditional bank lending.