France: Healthcare and energy transition – EIB and the Credit Agricole strengthen their support for French regions with €700 million of financing

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• Crédit Agricole and the European Investment Bank (EIB) strengthen their long-standing partnership by increasing their financial support for healthcare and the energy transition.
• This cooperation agreement provides for subsidised financing through two packages: €400 million to help liberal healthcare professionals set up, with a particular emphasis on increasing the number of women working in these professions; and €300 million to support the energy transition of businesses and the public sector.
• These initiatives are in line with the EIB’s priorities in Europe and the objectives of Crédit Agricole’s societal project. They are provided through Crédit Agricole’s network of Caisses Régionales (regional banks).

Healthcare: €400 million to help liberal healthcare professionals set up and increase the number of women working in these professions

Crédit Agricole is the first bank that approached the EIB on the theme of healthcare and incorporated gender criteria, supporting liberal healthcare professionals at every stage of their career path through dedicated schemes developed in the Caisses Régionales. Crédit Agricole offers comprehensive support, including through expert advisors and by providing a range of products and services adapted to the specific needs of healthcare workers, to help practitioners set up and develop their activity.

In partnership with the EIB, this new financing package of €400 million on favourable conditions is being made available, which brings total joint financing in France since 2020 for liberal healthcare professionals to more than €1 billion. The first financing packages were used to help practitioners set up in less densely populated areas, to develop healthcare centres and increase the number of women working in these professions.

Crédit Agricole is devoting at least 50% of this joint financing package with the EIB (€200 million) to help practitioners set up across the country, and at least 30% (€120 million) will go to projects led by health professionals, confirming Crédit Agricole’s commitment to women’s entrepreneurship.

Energy transition: €300 million to support businesses and the public sector

Faced with major environmental challenges, the EIB and Crédit Agricole are jointly committed to supporting all customers in their energy transition, at the heart of the real economy of regions across France. Businesses and the public sector play a key role in combating climate change, controlling energy consumption and producing renewable energy. In particular, they are responsible for energy infrastructure investments such as buildings and transport. It is therefore crucial that they can speed up their investments for the energy transition in order to reduce their environmental impact.

In January 2004, the two entities committed to strengthening their collaboration on joint strategic projects, also by supporting small and medium businesses, mid-caps and public sectors in their transformation towards a low-carbon economy. The Crédit Agricole Group and the EIB are proposing this new €300 million package for companies (small businesses and mid-caps) and public sectors (local authorities, social housing, etc.) to enable them to achieve their climate and environmental objectives.

This joint financing operation supports renewable energy production, energy efficiency, innovation and soft mobility.

Olivier Gavalda, Managing Director of Crédit Agricole S.A. in charge of universal banking, said: “In line with our societal project, this partnership with the EIB reflects Crédit Agricole’s DNA and our commitment to the people of France. It demonstrates how we respond to the problems of the regions through dedicated local investments. This financing enables us to support healthcare professionals in terms of their financing needs, especially when they are setting up, while helping to ensure access to care for all. We are also proud to offer solutions to help businesses and the public sector in their energy transition.” 

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: “The long-standing partnership between the EIB and Crédit Agricole makes it possible to allocate EU funds as effectively as possible to meet the needs of the local economy. These new funding packages for healthcare professionals, with particular support for women working in these professions, and for public and private investments in the green transition, help facilitate targeted investments that are very useful to the economy and to society on favourable market conditions.”

Background information

About the European Investment Bank (EIB)

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. It does so, in particular, through its public and private banking partners via targeted intermediated loan packages, which accounted for around a third of its €12 billion of projects financed in France in 2023.

About the Crédit Agricole Group

The Crédit Agricole Group is the French economy’s leading financier and one of the top banking groups in Europe. It is the leading local bank, the top asset manager, the leading bancassurance company and the third-largest project financing operator in Europe.

The Crédit Agricole Group is founded on cooperative and mutual principles, with 154 000 employees and 27 000 directors of local and regional banks. It is a responsible and useful bank serving its 54 million customers and 11.8 million members.

Thanks to its universal retail banking model (there is a close connection between its retail banks and specific business areas), the Crédit Agricole Group supports its customers in their projects in France and worldwide: day-to-day banking, mortgage lending and consumer credit, savings, insurance, asset management, real estate, leasing, factoring, corporate finance and investment banking.

Crédit Agricole serves the economy and is also marked by its dynamic and innovative corporate social responsibility policy. A pragmatic approach permeates the whole group and each staff member is actively involved.