📋 Tender Overview
EIB
Signed the first €150 million tranche, part of the broader financing package approved by the European Investment Bank
Thanks to EIB funding, CDP will be able to provide financing to companies on favourable terms to support their growth and competitiveness in Italy and abroad
Up to €500 million in new financing to support investments and projects in research and development, innovation, the energy transition and sustainability carried out by small companies in Italy and other European countries. This is the objective of the new agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), aimed at facilitating companies’ access to credit on favourable financial terms.
Under the agreement, the EIB will provide one or more loans for a total amount of up to €500 million, which Cassa Depositi e Prestiti will be able to use to finance SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and mid-caps with up to 3 000 employees. The agreement will also support CDP’s direct financing for smaller companies with turnover of between €25 million and €50 million.
More specifically, the first €150 million tranche has been signed, with further tranches to follow up to the total amount. The financing aims to stimulate investment and mobilise new resources to support companies’ growth and strengthen their competitiveness, both in Italy and abroad. In particular, thanks to the EIB’s triple-A rating, which enables it to raise funds on international markets on more favourable terms, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti will be able to support beneficiary companies on favourable terms through:
medium and long-term financing;
the subscription or purchase of bonds and debt securities issued by companies on capital markets;
the subscription of asset-backed securities[1] issued as part of securitisation transactions backed by mini-bonds issued by beneficiary companies (Basket Bonds).
The initiative will also enable Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to expand its financing activities, both in terms of the volume of direct lending to support companies’ projects and the number of companies reached.
The cooperation between CDP and the EIB is a long-standing institutional partnership supporting Italy’s growth and development. The new operation builds on this established cooperation and aims to strengthen companies’ financing capacity and support their investment, innovation and competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
Background information
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.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is Italy’s National Promotional Institution and has supported the Italian economy since 1850. Through its activities, CDP works to accelerate the country’s industrial and infrastructure development and support its economic and social growth. Sustainable local development is at the heart of CDP’s activities, alongside support for innovation and the growth of Italian companies, including their international expansion. CDP works with local authorities, providing financing and advisory services for infrastructure development and the improvement of public utility services. It is also active in international cooperation, supporting projects in developing countries and emerging markets. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is funded entirely by private resources, through postal savings bonds and passbook savings accounts, as well as issuances on domestic and international financial markets.
