EIB sets €100bn financing plan for 2026, boosting defence, tech and climate

The EIB Group’s eight strategic priorities will guide investment decisions in 2026, ensuring full alignment with EU policy objectives.

The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group have approved the institution’s 2026–2028 Operational Plan, confirming that annual financing will remain at a record €100 billion in 2026. The plan reinforces the EIB Group’s role as a central pillar of European investment policy at a time of heightened geopolitical, economic and security challenges.

A key feature of the new plan is a significant increase in security and defence-related financing, which will reach €4.5 billion next year. This represents around 5 percent of the EIB Group’s total financing within the European Union and reflects growing EU priorities around strategic autonomy, resilience and defence readiness.

The EIB Group’s eight strategic priorities will guide investment decisions in 2026, ensuring full alignment with EU policy objectives. These priorities focus on accelerating green finance, supporting technological innovation, strengthening security and defence capabilities, and sustaining long-term support for Ukraine, alongside cohesion, social infrastructure and global partnerships.

EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said the plan underlines Europe’s stability and confidence in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

“Amid extraordinary geopolitical challenges, Europe stands as a beacon of stability and confidence,” she said. “The EIB Group continues to play its role in reinforcing Europe’s competitiveness and security, contributing to a strong EU voice in the new world order.”

The decisions were taken during the latest monthly meetings of the EIB Group Boards, which include both the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund (EIF). Of the planned €100 billion in financing for 2026, €15.3 billion will be delivered by the EIF through equity investments, guarantees and securitisation instruments aimed at improving access to finance for European businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises and innovative firms.

A major development under the new plan is the expansion of the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI), the EIB Group’s flagship programme for scaling up Europe’s technology sector. The expanded programme, known as ETCI 2.0, will support both large “mega funds” and mid-sized investment funds, helping technology companies across Europe access the capital they need to grow and compete globally.

ETCI 2.0 is designed to mobilise investment from EU member states as well as new institutional investors such as pension funds, insurers and banks, strengthening public-private partnerships in the European innovation ecosystem. During this week’s meetings, the Boards of the EIB and EIF committed a combined €1.25 billion of their own resources to the expanded initiative.

The ETCI is the cornerstone of the EIB Group’s wider TechEU programme, the EU’s largest financing initiative dedicated to innovation and scale-ups. Since its launch in 2023, ETCI has supported nine European technology scale-ups that have achieved “unicorn” status, each valued at more than $1 billion, helping ensure that European ideas and companies can grow and remain in Europe.

Alongside strategic planning, the EIB Group Boards also approved €7.5 billion in new project financing. Within the EU, this includes funding for hospital upgrades and healthcare innovation in France, Germany and Sweden, as well as new school infrastructure in Finland, France and Slovakia. Investments will also support sustainable agriculture in Lithuania and Poland, green and digital infrastructure projects in Spain, and water infrastructure upgrades in Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Beyond the EU, the newly approved financing will support business lending in Ukraine and contribute to the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. Projects include vaccine production in Colombia and South Africa, electricity grid improvements in Ethiopia, water infrastructure upgrades in Gambia and the Solomon Islands, and climate change adaptation initiatives in Pakistan.

The EIB Group said the Operational Plan demonstrates its commitment to combining scale, strategic focus and long-term impact, ensuring European investment supports competitiveness, sustainability and global responsibility.