EIB Group and Commerzbank boost SME lending

Region:

Europe

The EIB Group has provided a mezzanine tranche guarantee of around €100 million to Germany's Commerzbank on a €1.5 billion granular portfolio of loans to SMEs and mid-caps originated by Commerzbank in its ordinary business.

The guarantee will release regulatory capital for Commerzbank and will enable Commerzbank to provide further lending of up to €400 million to innovative SMEs and mid-caps in Germany.

Under the guarantee, EIB takes on the mezzanine risk under a synthetic securitisation transaction with Commerzbank.

View source

CAF pushes the MDB hybrid envelope – but will others follow?

Perspective

20 June 2025

CAF pushes the MDB hybrid envelope – but will others follow?

Latin American's CAF made headlines with its $500 million perpetual non-call 5.5-year hybrid this month. The entry of hybrid capital is the latest in a line of innovations...

Riding the gusts: Poland progresses offshore wind ambitions

Perspective

24 June 2025

Riding the gusts: Poland progresses offshore wind ambitions

Equinor and Polenergia have closed a landmark project financing for Baltyk 2&3 amid a flurry of activity in the offshore wind sector. Poland has big ambitions to establish a...

Must See

20 minutes with: Faruq Muhammad, Standard Chartered

Video

06 May 2025

20 minutes with: Faruq Muhammad, Standard Chartered

Uxolo speaks with Faruq Muhammad, Global Head, Development & Agency Finance at Standard Chartered Bank, guiding listeners through candid conversations on the bank’s role in global development finance, highlighting both challenges and opportunities across emerging markets. Faruq raises several thought-provoking topics that reveal how Standard Chartered operates at the intersection of commercial banking and development impact.

Perspective

20 June 2025

CAF pushes the MDB hybrid envelope – but will others follow?

Latin American's CAF made headlines with its $500 million perpetual non-call 5.5-year hybrid this month. The entry of hybrid capital is the latest in a line of innovations vying to redefine the MDB toolkit. But can others stretch their balance sheet without compromising the low-cost funding their clients rely on?

Perspective

24 June 2025

Riding the gusts: Poland progresses offshore wind ambitions

Equinor and Polenergia have closed a landmark project financing for Baltyk 2&3 amid a flurry of activity in the offshore wind sector. Poland has big ambitions to establish a major energy portfolio in the Baltic Sea, and soaring input costs have not seriously undermined deal flow in an industry that has become a go-to for ECA activity.