European Investment Bank (EIB)

Investing in Africa’s women is smart economics. Africa has the highest rate of women entrepreneurs—yet less than 5% of funding goes to female-led businesses. Empowering women means building stronger communities and boosting economic growth. To mark #IWD2025, Andrew McDowell, Director General at EIB Global, and 'Tokunboh Ishmael, CFA, Co-founder & MD at Alitheia Capital, share how supporting women entrepreneurs creates lasting impact. 🎥Watch the video to learn more about how closing gender gaps drives opportunity across the continent. #IWD2025 #GenderEquality #WomenEntrepreneurs

📢 Some of our weekly highlights:   ✔️ The EIB Board agreed to further boost investment in European security and defence, and critical raw materials.   ✔️ President Nadia Calviño met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, French Prime Minister François Bayrou, and Finance Minister Eric Lombard. ✔️ We strengthened our collaboration with the CEB - Council of Europe Development Bank.   ✔️ We celebrated diversity and inclusivity at our annual Zero Discrimination event.   ✔️ We also announced new financing for: hydropower in Austria digital connectivity in rural Central Asia   Find out more in President Calviño's weekly recap video ⤵️   #WeeklyRecap #NewsOfTheWeek

On #WorldWaterDay, we celebrate the power of reliable access to water to transform lives.   In Boufekrane, Morocco, wushu trainer Zazia struggled with water scarcity: at work, her gym’s low pressure discouraged clients. At home, water quality was a daily challenge.   With our support, a 13.5 km pipeline now provides clean, reliable water to 30,000 residents.   📽️Watch the video to see the impact in Boufekrane ⤵️

Today our Board of Directors approved new measures to:   🔵 Step up support for Europe's security and defence industry: we are expanding the range of projects we can finance and integrating our €8 billion Strategic European Security Initiative into a permanent cross-cutting public policy goal. Financing levels in this area will be determined annually. 🔵 Double investment in critical raw materials: the initiative includes an expected €2 billion earmarked for 2025 to support the green and digital transitions. It also introduces a new Task Force and a dedicated one-stop shop.   The Board also approved €8.9 billion for projects in transport, education, energy grids, water schemes, and business investment. 🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/BoD_March

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming LUMICKS CEO Hugo de Wit and CFO Edmee Verhulp - van Dijk, recognised as one of Europe’s Most Visionary Women Leaders in Healthcare. LUMICKS is at the forefront of transforming cancer treatment through its groundbreaking cell avidity technology, which enables direct measurement of immune cell interactions with cancer cells—a critical step in developing more effective immunotherapies. To help accelerate the next generation of this technology, we recently signed a €20 million venture debt agreement with the company. Key takeaways from their discussion included: 🔵The importance of strategic partnerships in advancing life sciences innovation in Europe 🔵The value of diverse leadership in shaping the future of healthcare Advancing life sciences and fostering diverse leadership are one of the core priorities for us, and our investments play a vital role in shaping the future of healthcare across Europe. We’re proud to support visionary companies like LUMICKS that are pushing the boundaries of science and transforming the future of human health.

What is the state of Investment in Europe? Based on a survey of 12 000+ EU firms, it explores how Europe can stay competitive, reduce fossil fuel reliance, and lead in tech. 📊 Key insights: 🔵 EU green tech exports are up 65% since 2017 (China +79%, US +22%) 🔵 51% of firms struggle with a skilled labour shortage 🔵 Increasing women’s workforce participation could boost EU GDP by 4%. Get the full picture in the EIB Investment Report out now ⬇️ https://bit.ly/EIBGIR25

Ena Melvan founded her company, Metabelly, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. She had recently returned from Australia, where she completed her PhD specializing in the study of the microbiome. Unable to find a job, she decided to start a company focused on microbiome analytics and prebiotic production. She has been growing and developing her business with the assistance of the newly opened Tehnološki park Split, a hub for tech entrepreneurs. We supported the City of Split in creating this largest technology park in Croatia.

A clean energy future starts with bold investments today. In Portugal, we are backing Galp with a €430 million loan to produce renewable fuel and hydrogen, helping cut emissions from trucks and planes. Investments like this strengthen Europe’s energy security and strategic autonomy, while driving the transition to a greener future. More on the project ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eqww9k2M

📢 Some of the highlights of our week:   ✔️ EU Finance Ministers agreed to increase the limit of our balance sheet, giving us more room to invest where it matters.   ✔️ President Nadia Calviño welcomed Spain's President Pedro Sánchez to our headquarters to discuss strategic cooperation.   ✔️ We announced new support for: Water management and sustainable transport in Spain Solar power in Estonia Electricity grids in the Netherlands.   ✔️ Vice-President Nicola Beer announced new investments in Viet Nam and Cambodia.   Find out more in President Calviño's weekly recap video ⤵️   #WeeklyRecap #NewsOfTheWeek

Women make up 50% of the population and drive 50% of global consumption—yet still face major hurdles in accessing venture capital. When women lead, they open doors for others. Greater diversity and representation fuel innovation and create a fairer, more inclusive economy.   For #IWD2025, European Investment Fund (EIF) Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt and Deepali Nangia, Partner at Speedinvest, dive into the challenges women entrepreneurs face, and how having more women at the top can transform the game. 🎥Watch the video to hear how Marjut and Deepali are working to level the playing field in entrepreneurship.