EIB boosts financing for mid-cap businesses in Czechia and Slovakia

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 18. European Investment
Bank is providing a €200 million guarantee to Unicredit Bank Czech
Republic and Slovakia, enabling the lender to extend up to €400
million in new loans to mid-sized companies in the two countries,
Trend reports
via the EIB.

The guarantee allows for larger loan sizes, longer maturities,
and loans denominated in Czech korunas — a first for an EIB-backed
operation in the region. The initiative targets manufacturing and
export-oriented businesses, helping rapidly growing firms meet
higher borrowing needs.

“This operation supports competitiveness in Czechia and
Slovakia, both deeply integrated into EU supply chains, while
increasing Unicredit Bank’s lending capacity,” the EIB said.

The deal is part of the EIB’s €4 billion Growth4MidCaps Lending
Envelope, launched in March 2023 to address financing gaps for
mid-sized companies across the EU through risk-sharing operations
with financial intermediaries.

The EIB Group, including the European Investment Fund, signed
nearly €100 billion in new financing in 2025, expected to mobilise
€350 billion in investments and create 1.5 million jobs by 2029. In
Czechia alone, EIB operations totalled €1.93 billion last year.