EIB Partners with BPI and Santander to Boost Green Financing Initiatives

The collaboration between the EIB, BPI, and Santander underscores a significant commitment to fostering sustainable investments and advancing Europe’s green transition.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has formalized two advisory service agreements with Banco Português de Investimento (BPI) and Santander, aimed at enhancing their capabilities in identifying and financing climate action and environmental sustainability projects. These agreements are a significant step toward supporting the green transition of small businesses, mid-cap enterprises, and energy-efficient building renovations through EIB-backed loan and guarantee operations.

Objectives of the Advisory Support

The advisory services provided by the EIB under these agreements are multifaceted:

Raising Awareness: Implementing EIB's climate and environmental sustainability requirements in alignment with the EU taxonomy.

Capacity Building: Enhancing banks' capacity, procedures, and operational tools for developing green financial products.

Promoting Best Practices: Supporting the adoption of best practices for reporting the impact of projects and monitoring investments aimed at promoting the green transition.

Statements from EIB Officials

Frank Lee, Head of Financial Intermediary Advisory at the EIB, expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative: “We are delighted to sign these agreements that promote the deployment of sustainable investments and contribute to Europe’s green transition. Our role is to enable financial intermediaries to expand their green finance portfolio by supporting investment capacity building and providing tools that support the assessment of green eligibility and implementation of investment projects.”

Green Gateway Programme

These services are part of the EIB’s Green Gateway programme, a comprehensive advisory initiative designed to support financial institutions in accelerating lending for green projects. Tools such as the Green Eligibility Checker are included in this programme to aid in the assessment of green eligibility and the implementation of investment projects.

InvestEU Advisory Platform

The Green Gateway programme is integrated into the broader InvestEU Advisory Hub. This hub offers advisory support to public and private project promoters within the EU, enhancing their capacity to develop and implement financing and investment operations. The InvestEU Programme aims to stimulate over €372 billion in investments through an EU budget guarantee, promoting investment, innovation, and job creation across Europe from 2021 to 2027. The programme comprises three main components:

InvestEU Fund: Providing finance for projects that contribute to EU policy priorities.

InvestEU Advisory Hub: Offering technical assistance to help projects reach financial readiness.

InvestEU Portal: A matchmaking tool to connect project promoters with investors.

 

The collaboration between the EIB, BPI, and Santander underscores a significant commitment to fostering sustainable investments and advancing Europe’s green transition. By leveraging advisory services and building investment capacity, these partnerships aim to create a robust pipeline of green projects, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious European economy.