A new partnership between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Mediobanca aims to inject up to €200 million into Italy’s small business sector, with a significant focus on microenterprises, gender equality, and regional development in the country’s south and centre.
The €100 million agreement, signed by EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti and Mediobanca Group CFO Emanuele Flappini, marks the first collaboration between the two institutions in which the funds will be distributed primarily through Mediobanca’s subsidiary, Compass Banca. The arrangement is expected to mobilise double the initial amount in new finance for the real economy.
The loans, made available on favourable terms, will support competitiveness and encourage new investments among small businesses. Of the total funding, 60% will be reserved for microenterprises while 20% will be directed towards female-led businesses and projects promoting gender equality.
Special emphasis will also be placed on enterprises located in cohesion regions across central and southern Italy, which continue to face structural and economic challenges.
“Supporting access to credit for microenterprises, female-led entrepreneurs and businesses operating in less developed regions of Italy means investing in the future of the country. Inclusion and territorial development are two key pillars of the EIB’s investment strategy: no real growth can prosper unless it is equally distributed, and no innovation exists if whole regions or segments of the working population are excluded. With this agreement, we aim to make the Italian economy more cohesive, dynamic and sustainable,” said EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti.
Emanuele Flappini, Group CFO at Mediobanca, echoed this commitment, stating: “Promoting the growth of Italian companies has always been our goal, a commitment that has gradually adapted to the changing needs of today’s economy, which now mostly comprises small and medium-sized businesses. We are therefore delighted to begin this collaboration with the European Investment Bank. We aim to commit more funds to microenterprises, paying particular attention to female entrepreneurs and areas of the country facing major difficulties, and in this way develop a plan enabling us to express ‘responsible banking’ values, a distinctive factor of our DNA, which will help create a more cohesive, dynamic and sustainable Italian economy.”
The initiative is part of a broader push by both institutions to enhance inclusive growth and support small businesses as critical drivers of employment and innovation across Italy.
