Brussels, 26/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 25 July, the European Investment Bank signed a €200 million contract with Finlombarda, the finance company of the Lombardy region, for financing small and medium-sized regional businesses (SMEs).
The EIB loan will serve to finance ongoing working capital requirements, the acquisition of tangible assets and investment in intangible assets up to a maximum of €12.5 million per project. Its flexible conditions will also make it possible to finance other types of requirement of Lombardy's small businesses. SMEs will thus be able to benefit from the EIB's advantageous funding conditions.
Monday's operation was the second instalment of a total €530 million loan to the Lombardy region. The first instalment, amounting to €330 million, signed in December 2009, helped to finance regional infrastructure under Lombardy's 2007-2013 regional operational programme.