Since 2005, the EIF has improved access to finance for Croatian SMEs through a mix of debt, equity, and guarantee instruments – supporting more than 6,500 SMEs and mobilising nearly €5.1 billion in financing.
Croatia’s entrepreneurial landscape is gaining momentum. The EIF supports this growth with programmes tailored to local needs, working closely with partners such as HBOR, Privredna banka Zagreb, Raiffeisen Bank, and Erste Bank Croatia. Through frameworks like JEREMIE, InnovFin and InvestEU, instruments provided by the EIF advance green transformation, micro-enterprise growth, and enhanced SME lending.
With digitalisation, I think trends in customer needs are changing in terms of how they search for products… the ability of customers to experience products without touching them will cause a dramatic shift,” says Vlatko Skarica, Managing Director at Links, the Zagreb‑based consumer electronics retailer with 12 stores and a strong online presence.
To support its ambitious digital transformation - revamping its website, improving ecommerce, and digitising internal processes - Links received an EU‑guaranteed loan backed by the EIF. This enabled the company to manage a sudden 70 % surge in online demand during the COVID‑19 pandemic while preserving jobs and keeping operations running smoothly.