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EIB to Seek Financing for European Startups Through Credit Ratings

The agreement with the agency Inbonis aims to facilitate access to financing for new business projects through external assessments.

Generic image of a European city with financial graphics.
IA

Generic image of a European city with financial graphics.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), chaired by Nadia Calviño, has signed an agreement with the credit rating agency Inbonis to facilitate access to financing for small European companies through external credit ratings.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) continues to support European startups and scaleups. The institution has signed an agreement with the credit rating agency Inbonis, which specializes in SMEs and is based in Spain, to enable small companies across the continent to more easily access financing through external credit ratings.
This initiative will be aimed at all companies that have financing from the EIB's venture debt instruments. In this way, the bank will facilitate the issuance of "independent credit ratings by rating agencies registered with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)".
Inbonis will be the first company to collaborate with the EIB on this initiative, which will be developed as a pilot project over the next 18 months under the mandate of the InvestEU Advisory Hub, the European Union's investment advisory and support platform managed by the European Commission and the EIB itself.
Through the agreement, Inbonis will conduct independent assessments and issue credit ratings for companies selected by the EIB. The objective is to analyze how an external rating can assist intermediary banks in risk assessment, improve comparability between companies, and accelerate access to financing for fast-growing innovative companies, according to the entity led by Calviño.
This measure aims to address one of the main challenges for European startups and scaleups: the difficulty in accessing traditional bank financing despite their technological and commercial maturity, especially when they lack a consolidated credit history.
The EIB, considered the financial arm of the European Union, signed a total of €100 billion in new financing for over 870 projects in 2025. The institution, which attracts private investment for innovative projects, reported €3 billion in profits last year, which it reinvests to offer low-interest loans.
Nadia Calviño recently highlighted that the EIB allocates 60% of its financing to the green transition, its main priority. The former Minister of Economy emphasized that the bank is a non-profit institution, allowing it to offer advantageous conditions, such as 30-year loans.

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