EIF and UniCredit Bank Austria agree €360 million boost for Innovation and Sustainable business investment across Austria

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• New €250 Million EIF Guarantee to unlock Financing for over 200 Austrian Businesses
• Austrian firms encouraged to contact UniCredit to access tailored financing for digital, green, and innovation investment
• Expanded partnership backed by InvestEU accelerates Austria’s innovation and sustainability transition

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and UniCredit Bank Austria have announced a major expansion of their cooperation expected to support €360 million in new financing for innovation, digitalisation, and sustainability investment by businesses across Austria.

EIB Vice President Karl Nehammer said “Austria’s future competitiveness depends on innovative business, digital progress, and leadership in sustainable development. Through this enhanced partnership with UniCredit Bank Austria and the European Investment Fund, we are making it possible for hundreds of Austrian companies to invest in their ideas and drive our shared vision for a green, digital future.”

Bank Austria CEO Ivan Vlaho “UniCredit Bank Austria is proud to collaborate with the EIF to deliver targeted financing solutions for Austria’s SMEs and mid-caps. This new facility will empower businesses to embrace transformation, pursue ambitious projects, and strengthen the backbone of Austria’s economy. We invite companies across Austria to reach out and discover how they can benefit.”

Under the agreement, signed at UniCredit Austria’s Vienna headquarters earlier today, a new EIF guarantee totalling €250 million will enable UniCredit Bank Austria to extend favourable financing to more than 200 SMEs and small mid-caps, helping accelerate Austria’s transition to a future-proof, competitive economy.

Building on the success of the 2022 InvestEU agreement—the first of its kind in Austria—this expanded partnership delivers enhanced support for Austrian innovators, digital pioneers, and green champions.

The new allocation includes €150 million for innovation and digitalisation and €100 million for sustainability, ensuring businesses can invest in cutting-edge technologies, climate action, and sustainable growth. Austrian firms seeking to finance research, digital expansion, or green projects should contact UniCredit Bank Austria to learn more about eligibility and process.

This agreement lifts the total InvestEU-backed guarantee facility with UniCredit Bank Austria to €340 million, now supporting a total portfolio expected to reach €486 million for up to 270 businesses.

The partnership between the EIF and UniCredit Bank Austria is a key piece of the European Union’s effort to mobilise public and private resources for the European Green Deal and digital transition, offering Austrian enterprise access to EU-backed risk sharing and improved lending terms.

Over the last 26 years European Investment Fund engagement with Austrian financial partners has unlocked more than EUR 13 billion of new investment by businesses across Austria.”

EIB Group

The EIB provides long-term financing for projects that contribute to EU policy goals. The EIB primarily finances investments in four areas: infrastructure, innovation, climate and environment, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The EIB is committed to supporting projects that promote climate action, economic growth, and technological progress.

UniCredit Bank Austria

UniCredit Bank Austria is part of UniCredit, a pan-European commercial bank with a unique service offering in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Our vision is to be the bank for the future of Europe. Our goal is to empower communities so they can thrive by providing first-class services to all stakeholders and enabling our customers and employees across Europe to reach their full potential.

Our core markets are in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central and Eastern Europe and are served by three high-performing product factories within the Group: Corporate Solutions for our corporate clients, Individual Solutions for our retail clients, and Group Payments Solutions for payments. This allows us to be close to our customers and leverage the scale of the entire Group to develop and offer the best products for all our markets.

We provide comprehensive service to approximately 15 million customers worldwide. Our market-leading solutions, complemented by the extensive expertise of our partners and supported by powerful digitalization and data processing, create genuine added value for our customers, who are at the heart of everything we do.

Digitalization and our commitment to ESG principles (Environment, Social, Governance) are essential prerequisites for our services. They help us deliver outstanding performance for our stakeholders and create a sustainable future for our customers, our communities, and our employees.

Press contacts

Richard Willis, r.willis@eib.org, tel.: +352 43 79 82155 / Mobile:  +352 621 55 57 58
Website: www.eib.org/press - Press Office: press@eib.org

Matthias Raftl, matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at, Tel.: +43 (0)50505-52809 / Mobil: +43 664 540 14 62

Website: https://www.bankaustria.at/