European Investment Fund

Last updated

European Investment Fund
Type International financial institution
Location
Owner EU member states
Website www.eif.org

The European Investment Fund (EIF), established in 1994, is a financial institution for the provision of finance to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), headquartered in Luxembourg. It is part of the European Investment Bank Group.

It does not lend money to SMEs directly; rather it provides finance through private banks and funds. Its main operations are in the areas of venture capital and guaranteeing loans. Its shareholders are: the European Investment Bank (62%); the European Union, represented by the European Commission (29%); and 30 financial institutions (9%). [1]

The European Investment Bank Group is able to assist the development of a broader creative, green ecosystem through the European Investment Fund: venture capital funds, technical transfer, business perspectives, and private-sector equity (infrastructure funds) in general. [2] [3]

Since 2015, the EaSI Guarantee Instrument (EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation), managed by the European Investment Fund, has provided over €280 million in guarantees across Europe and is expected to provide over €3 billion in financing to micro-enterprises and social enterprises. In the coming years, the EIF intends to continue providing assistance to these types of final beneficiaries in areas heavily impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy. [4]

The EIF is managed by a Chief Executive who acts independently in the EIF’s best interests. As of January 1, 2023, the Chief Executive is Marjut Falkstedt. [5]

See also

Sources

  1. "EIF – Shareholders".
  2. Bank, European Investment (14 December 2020). The EIB Group Climate Bank Roadmap 2021-2025. European Investment Bank. ISBN   978-92-861-4908-5.
  3. "OTB Ventures launches new $60m fund to back European businesses at the next stage of growth". eif.org. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  4. "EaSI Guarantee Instrument". eif.org. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  5. "Senior Management". www.eif.org. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Finance Corporation</span> World Bank Group member financial institution

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Bank for Reconstruction and Development</span> Financial institution which supports more than 30 countries

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Investment Bank</span> Investment bank of the European Union

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt solutions companies and projects that achieve the policy aims of the European Union through loans, equity and guarantees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business Development Bank of Canada</span> Bank in Canada

The Business Development Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation and national development bank wholly owned by the Government of Canada, mandated to help create and develop Canadian businesses through financing, growth and transition capital, venture capital and advisory services, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Mourad Cohen</span>

Sir Ronald Mourad Cohen is an Egyptian-born British businessman and political figure. He is the chairman of The Portland Trust and Bridges Ventures. He has been described as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of Georgia</span> Bank headquartered in Tbilisi, Georgia

Bank of Georgia Group PLC is a UK incorporated financial services holding company with its registered office in London, England, and its corporate headquarters in Tbilisi, Georgia.

A non-banking financial institution (NBFI) or non-bank financial company (NBFC) is a financial institution that is not legally a bank; it does not have a full banking license or is not supervised by a national or international banking regulatory agency. NBFC facilitate bank-related financial services, such as investment, risk pooling, contractual savings, and market brokering. Examples of these include hedge funds, insurance firms, pawn shops, cashier's check issuers, check cashing locations, payday lending, currency exchanges, and microloan organizations. Alan Greenspan has identified the role of NBFIs in strengthening an economy, as they provide "multiple alternatives to transform an economy's savings into capital investment which act as backup facilities should the primary form of intermediation fail."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caisse des dépôts et consignations</span> French public-sector financial institution

The Caisse des dépôts et consignations is an idiosyncratic French public financial institution created in 1816, often referred to as the investment arm of the French State. It is defined in the French Monetary and Financial Code as a "public group serving the public interest" and a "long-term investor". Its governance framework places it under the control of the Parliament.

Enterprise Capital Funds are financial schemes established by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in the United Kingdom to address a market weakness in the provision of equity finance to UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Government funding is used alongside private sector funds to establish funds that operate within the "equity gap"; targeting investments of up to £5 million that have the potential to provide a good commercial return. The first five funds supported under the scheme were launched in 2006-7 following a pathfinder competition. A further three funds were awarded ECF status in 2007. As of November 2019, 29 ECFs have been launched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public–Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets</span>

On March 23, 2009, the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve, and the United States Treasury Department announced the Public–Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets. The program is designed to provide liquidity for so-called "toxic assets" on the balance sheets of financial institutions. This program is one of the initiatives coming out of the implementation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as implemented by the U.S. Treasury under Secretary Timothy Geithner. The major stock market indexes in the United States rallied on the day of the announcement rising by over six percent with the shares of bank stocks leading the way. As of early June 2009, the program had not been implemented yet and was considered delayed. Yet, the Legacy Securities Program implemented by the Federal Reserve has begun by fall 2009 and the Legacy Loans Program is being tested by the FDIC. The proposed size of the program has been drastically reduced relative to its proposed size when it was rolled out.

Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return". At its core, impact investing is about an alignment of an investor's beliefs and values with the allocation of capital to address social and/or environmental issues.

SEAF is an international investment management group that provides growth capital and business assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging and transition markets underserved by traditional sources of capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mawarid Finance</span>

Mawarid Finance is a private joint stock company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, providing Shari'a-compliant financial services. It was founded in 2006 with a paid-up capital of AED 1 billion. All of its products are based on Islamic financial principles such as Ijarah, Istisnaa, Murabaha, Mudharaba, Musharaka, Kafalah and Wakala and its practices are governed by a full Sharia board.

Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO), is a private company, based in Brussels, Belgium.

Capital for Enterprise Limited (CfEL) was a limited company in the United Kingdom owned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). CfEL was responsible for managing BIS's financial schemes, such as venture capital funds and loan guarantees, aimed at helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It invested over £1.8 billion from its formation and alongside private capital provided £6.5 billion in credit for SMEs. It ceased operating independently on 1 October 2013 and became part of the British Business Bank.

Hungarian Development Bank Private Limited Company or Hungarian Development Bank, in short, is a credit institution fully owned by the government of Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catalan Institute of Finance</span> Bank

Catalan Institute of Finance or ICF for short, founded in 1985, is a public financial institution 100% owned by the Government of Catalonia. ICF's main objective is to foster the Catalan economy by supporting the country's business base, complementing the role of the private financial sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venture capital in Poland</span> Overview of venture capital in Poland

Venture capital in Poland is a segment of the private equity market that finances early-stage high-risk companies based in Poland, with the potential for fast growth. As of March 2019, there is a total of 130 active VC firms in Poland, including local offices of international VC firms, and VC firms with mainly Polish management teams. Between 2009–2019, these entities have invested locally in over 750 companies, which gives an average of around 9 companies per portfolio. The Polish venture market accounts for 3% of the entire European ecosystem of VC investments, mainly in the digital space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Markets Union</span> European economic policy initiative

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) is an economic policy initiative launched by the former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker in the initial exposition of his policy agenda on 15 July 2014. The main target was to create a single market for capital in the whole territory of the EU by the end of 2019. The reasoning behind the idea was to address the issue that corporate finance relies on debt (i.e. bank loans) and the fact that capital markets in Europe were not sufficiently integrated so as to protect the EU and especially the Eurozone from future crisis. The Five Presidents Report of June 2015 proposed the CMU in order to complement the Banking union of the European Union and eventually finish the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) project. The CMU is supposed to attract 2000 billion dollars more on the European capital markets, on the long-term.

The Development Bank Ghana (DBG) is a government-owned development bank in Ghana. Owned by the government of Ghana, the institution has received grants and loans for on-lending to Ghana's commercial banks, from the African Development Bank, the World Bank Group, the European Investment Bank, and the German Development Bank. The DBG focuses on providing indirect loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with less than 100 employees each. A key area of interest in their immediate and long term plans is environment, social and governance focus to help build a sustainable economy in Ghana. Fostering solid collaborations to support growth in the economy, generate jobs, and strengthen the capabilities of SMEs is the goal of DBG. DBG offer de-risking services and long-term funding, supported by technology and research and insights that are founded on solid facts. DBG additionally aims to draw in, nurture, and keep talented individuals. Run as a self-sufficient, eminently successful institution. Last but not least, DBG encourage ESG excellence within the companies we sponsor.