EIB lends €250 million to KONE for next-generation elevators and smart people-flow technologies

April 23, 2026 by European Investment Bank Leave a Comment

(Jason Dent, Unsplash)

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

EIB to lend €250 million to Finnish elevator and escalator company KONE for research and innovation

Financing supports development of next-generation elevators, escalators and intelligent people-flow technologies

Project to strengthen Europe’s leadership in advanced building mobility and energy-efficient urban infrastructure

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending €250 million to Finnish elevator and escalator company KONE to accelerate research, development and innovation in advanced building mobility technologies. The financing will support the development of next-generation elevators, escalators, auto-walks and intelligent digital solutions designed to optimise the movement of people in modern buildings and urban environments.

The EIB loan will support KONE’s research and innovation programme between 2026 and 2029. The activities focus on improving safety, performance and energy efficiency in elevators and escalators, while developing intelligent technologies that help manage people flow in increasingly complex urban environments.

“Smart, safe and energy-efficient mobility within buildings is an essential part of sustainable cities,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “By supporting KONE’s innovation programme, we are helping strengthen Europe’s technological leadership in advanced building systems and supporting high-skilled research and engineering jobs.”

Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, KONE is a global leader in elevators and escalators. The company reported sales of €11.2 billion in 2025 and operates worldwide across new building solutions, service and modernization.

“This programme supports our ambition to create smarter, more sustainable people flow in the urban environments,” said Kone Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Johannes Rastas. “By leveraging digitalization and innovation, we aim to improve urban mobility, enhance energy efficiency, and ensure the safe and reliable use of our equipment throughout its lifecycle.”

The research and innovation programme supported by the EIB loan will be carried out primarily in Finland, with additional activities in Italy. The project will help maintain highly skilled research and engineering jobs in Europe while advancing technologies that improve the energy efficiency of buildings where KONE systems are installed.

The operation is part of the EIB’s TechEU initiative, which supports European companies developing advanced technologies that strengthen innovation, industrial competitiveness and Europe’s technological leadership.

Background

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

In 2023, the EIF together with six Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) launched the European Tech Champions Initiative, a fund-of-funds to scale up innovative startups. To date, this initiative has already enabled the creation of 14 European venture capital mega-funds and scaled up 43 companies, including 11 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital).

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here. 

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