Triodos Bank secures €200 million in European guarantees to boost access to finance for SMEs

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• The European Investment Fund signs a new guarantee agreements with Triodos Bank, which will enable over €200 million in new lending to some 600 SMEs in four EU countries.
• The new guarantees aim to support SMEs investing in sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and the cultural and creative sectors with reduced interest rates and lower collateral requirements.
• This fourth collaboration between Triodos Bank and the EIF is again supported under the European Commission’s InvestEU programme.  

Luxembourg/Driebergen-Rijsenburg, 15 April 2025: The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Triodos Bank have signed three new guarantees that, in total, will enable over €200 million of new lending for small and medium sized companies (SMEs), intended to be split evenly between the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany. The guarantees are supported by the InvestEU programme of the European Commission, specifically aiming to support social entrepreneurship, sustainability, and the cultural and creative sectors. SMEs who qualify will be able to benefit from loans at a reduced interest rate, with lower collateral requirements.

With these transactions, the partnership between the EIF and Triodos Bank will have jointly made available over €600 million for European SMEs since 2018. The guarantees for the cultural and creative sector have been instrumental to be able to finance the independent film industry in Spain, Belgium and Germany, supporting important films about labour rights and democratic values such as freedom and equality. In the Netherlands, a Triodos Bank loan backed by a EIF guarantee made it possible to finish the renovation of Amare, a now thriving and buzzing cultural hub in The Hague. Among the many social entrepreneurs that were financed are E-Flight Academy, Cyclobility, Fundacio Oxigeno, Ecoalf and Nature snacks, covering a diverse array of sectors, including healthcare, nutrition, e-mobility, circular economy, and education.

“Our relationship with Triodos Bank is a very successful one, having made available hundreds of millions in attractive financing for SMEs in sectors that are underserved by traditional bank financing,” said EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt. “Triodos Bank has been instrumental in supporting the creative and cultural sectors, as well as social entrepreneurship, which are at the heart of European values. We are now building on that to also support sustainability in SMEs, which will be a key element in European independence and competitiveness going forward.”

A top up to an existing capped guarantee signed in 2023, will ensure that Triodos Bank can make available an additional €89 million in new lending for social entrepreneurship. A new uncapped guarantee will be split, to enhance lending to SMEs for activities concerning sustainability and the cultural and creative sectors. The part of the uncapped guarantee marked for sustainability is expected to make available up to €71 million for green investments by SMEs, and marks the first time the EIF supports Triodos Bank on this investment theme. The other part is earmarked for the cultural and creative sectors, where Triodos Bank and the EIF have a successful history, aiming to generate €43 million in new lending.

Jacco Minnaar, Chief Commercial Officer at Triodos Bank: “At Triodos Bank, we have a long track record of financing social entrepreneurship. The past agreements with the EIF have already shown that public and private partnerships can fuel the much needed transitions towards a better and more sustainable world. I am confident that this new agreement will have the same positive impact. I am particularly pleased with the introduction of the new guarantee for green investments by SMEs. It shows how our relationship with the EIF is continually developing and is focused ongetting financing to where it is most needed. We look forward to continuing our work with the EIF to make money work for positive change by empowering social entrepreneurs to add value to society.”

SMEs who qualify for one of the guarantee schemes will be able to benefit from loans at a reduced interest rate, with lower collateral requirements, under the EU supported programme. Entrepreneurs interested in financing can get in touch with their local Triodos Bank contact for more information.

Background information:

The European Investment Fund is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment.

Founded in 1980, Triodos Bank has become a front runner in sustainable banking globally. Triodos Bank is an independent bank that promotes responsible and transparent banking. It does not see any conflict between a focus on people and the planet and a good financial return. Instead, it believes that they reinforce each other in the long-term. Triodos Bank has banking activities in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain and Germany as well as Investment Management activities based in the Netherlands but active globally. Triodos Bank co-founded the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of 60 sustainable banks. Together these banks want to grow sustainable banking and its impact on the real economy substantially.Triodos Bank N.V. has a full banking licence and is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. (the Dutch central bank) and the Autoriteit Financiële Markten (the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets).

Press contacts:
EIB: Tim Smit | +352 691 28 64 23 | t.smit@eib.org

Triodos Bank: Joost Blankenspoor | +31 6112 408 37 | joost.blankenspoor@triodos.com