The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed guarantee agreements with Santander totaling €450 million. These guarantees will enable Santander to mobilize approximately €900 million in new financing to support supply chain financing solutions for European companies operating in strategic sectors. The agreements were announced today by Nadia Calviño, President of the EIB Group, during the Group’s results presentation in Brussels.
The agreements aim to expand and enhance the range of financing solutions available to the European supply chain ecosystem in key sectors such as security and defense, clean technologies, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure. These operations are expected to significantly improve financing conditions for end beneficiaries by broadening access to loans and mobilizing additional private capital.
European manufacturers in the security and defense industry will have access to €400 million in new financing to support supply chain financing solutions that promote investment in cybersecurity, surveillance, resilience, and defense technologies, in line with EIB eligibility criteria. Strengthening Europe’s security and defense industrial base is a strategic priority for the EIB. In this context, the Bank has launched a pan-European intermediated financing instrument with a total allocation of €3 billion to address financing constraints faced by EU companies active in the European security and defense supply chains. Santander is the fourth major European bank to participate in this program.
Companies operating in other strategic sectors—such as clean technologies, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure—will benefit from €500 million in new financing through supply chain solutions, including reverse factoring, which will help strengthen EU value chains. This agreement contributes to TechEU, the EIB Group program designed to accelerate innovation in the EU, which aims to mobilize €250 billion in investments by 2027 for startups, scale-ups, and innovative companies across Europe.
"These agreements will improve access to supply chain financing for European companies operating in strategic sectors such as security and defense or digital technologies," said Gemma Feliciani, Director of Financial Institutions at the EIB. "The EIB is strengthening its partnerships with banks across the EU to ensure that companies have the necessary financing to invest in critical capabilities that contribute to the EU’s strategic autonomy, particularly in a context of increasing geopolitical uncertainty."
Mencía Bobo, Global Head of Global Transaction Banking at Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, stated: "This agreement with the European Investment Bank reinforces Santander’s role as a key partner for European companies operating in strategic sectors. By mobilizing supply chain financing at scale, we help strengthen critical value chains at a time when resilience, innovation, and strategic autonomy are more important than ever. At Santander, we are committed to supporting our clients and sectors that are essential for Europe’s long-term competitiveness and security."
Marcel Patiño, Global Head of Private Debt Mobilization at Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, added: "The EIB and Santander are well-positioned to cooperate in this area. Santander brings a broad and diversified client network across Europe, deep expertise in Global Transaction Banking, and a proven track record in mobilizing private debt, which allows us to channel additional lending capacity to our corporate clients. We firmly believe this combination makes us a natural partner for the EIB in achieving its strategic objectives in Europe."
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