Description
We start by discussing the general market environment, then look at the main aspects of equity finance and guarantees / SME Securitization (SME Sec). Finally, before we conclude, we briefly highlight important aspects of microfinance in Europe, and –for the first time and due to the rising importance of the segment –we complement our analysis with a chapter on Fintech.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s specialist provider of risk financing for entrepreneurship and innovation across Europe, delivering a full spectrum of financing solutions through financial intermediaries (i.e., equity instruments, guarantees, and credit enhancement instruments, as well as microfinance).
The EIF focuses on the whole range of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), starting from the pre-seed, seed-, and start-up-phase (technology transfer, business angel financing, microfinance, early-stage VC) to the growth and development segment (formal VC funds, mezzanine funds, portfolio guarantees/credit enhancement).
