EIB and Societe Generale to collaborate on financing for fast-growing innovative cleantech companies

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank

• Memorandum of Cooperation aims at jointly supporting fast-growing, early stage small and mid-cap energy transition companies in Europe.
• The EIB will provide guarantees via a EUR 250 million envelope backed by the European programme InvestEU.
• As part of this guarantee programme, Societe Generale will provide working capital facilities to support the emerging leaders of the energy transition. 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Societe Generale signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to develop joint collaborations and strengthen their support of innovative, fast-growing small and mid-cap companies active in the cleantech sector.

The combination of the EIB guarantees with Societe Generale working capital facilities will address the financing gap for emerging cleantech manufacturers, that often face long production and sales cycles and struggle to access sufficient working capital financing at competitive conditions, limiting their growth potential.

Using an envelope of up to EUR 250 million backed by InvestEU, the European Commission’s programme for innovation and sustainability, the EIB will provide guarantees as collateral to cleantech start-ups and scale-ups to unlock working capital facilities, including advance payment and performance bonds, provided by Societe Generale. With this EIB guarantee programme, Societe Generale will accelerate its support of Emerging Leaders, as part of the bank’s dedicated envelope for the environmental transition launched in 2023.

The EIB and Societe Generale will target companies that promote, among others: the decarbonisation of the economy, the sustainable use and protection of natural resources, the transition to a circular economy, the development of a sustainable bioeconomy, and the prevention and control of pollution of the natural environment. Clean technologies span across different industries and areas (Energy, Mobility, Bioeconomy, Circular Economy and Decarbonisation of Industry).

Jean-Christophe Laloux, Director General for EU Operations – European Investment Bank: “We are very happy to sign our first Memorandum of Cooperation on clean technologies with Societe Generale, and we look forward to jointly supporting the scale-up of European companies. As Europe’s climate bank, the EIB considers the development of the cleantech sector as an essential tool to make the green transition a success.” 

Lénaïg Trenaux, Global Co-Head of Energy, Battery, Mining & Industries – Sustainable and Impact Advisory – Societe Generale: “This partnership reflects Societe Generale’s contribution to advancing the environmental transition. By joining forces with the EIB, we are reinforcing our action and helping emerging energy transition leaders to get the financing they need to grow and deliver impactful low-carbon solutions in Europe.”

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Paris by Jean-Christophe Laloux, Director General for EU Operations, for the EIB, and by Lénaïg Trenaux, Global Co-Head of Energy, Battery, Mining & Industries – Sustainable and Impact Advisory, for Societe Generale. The EIB financing is part of TechEU, the European Investment Bank Group’s programme dedicated to accelerating innovation across Europe, and it contributes to the EU Clean Industrial Act.

Background information  

EIB  

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.   

Societe Generale

Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

• French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
• Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailor-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
• Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).