New agreement between the EIB Group and Santander Bank Polska to support female entrepreneurship
The EIB, EIF and Santander have signed a new synthetic securitisation agreement to support Polish SMEs with an amount of PLN 5 billion. The financing is targeted at female entrepreneurs and companies meeting gender equality criteria.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Investment Fund (EIF), Santander Bank Polska and Santander Leasing have signed a new agreement to increase support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Poland, with a particular focus on gender-equal companies. Thanks to this partnership, up to 5 billion zlotys of new financing will be made available, of which at least one-third will go to companies owned or run by women or offering products that address gender inequality.
The EIB and the EIF join forces with Santander Bank Polska to generate PLN 5 billion in new financing for Polish SMEs, with particular focus on alleviating persistent gender gaps. Promoting gender equality is not just the right thing to do – it is simply good for business. Meanwhile, women’s small and medium enterprises around the world face disproportionate challenges getting credit. The EIB Group is working to advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment through ensuring equal access to the assets, services, benefits and opportunities our investments generate. Our financing for gender equality last year amounted to €3 billion and I am happy to be collaborating with Santander on this essential matter.
We are proud to be making real impact together with Santander Bank Polska, drumming up gender finance and green investment. With this transaction, which is the EIB Group’s largest synthetic securitisation to date, we free up capital for Santander, which is then invested into targeted policy areas. Since 2013, the EIB Group has invested €12 billion ln in securitisations in Poland and Central-Eastern Europe, helping to drive a robust growth of this market in the region and deepening the European Union’s capital markets.
Polish businesses will be able to access new funding from the EIB Group’s synthetic securitisation agreement with Santander over the next three years.
We have been continuously working with the EIB Group for 15 years to find business solutions that first and foremost meet our customers' expectations and support the implementation of Santander Bank Polska Group strategy. Our cooperation with the EIB includes liquidity and capital initiatives, and through each of them we support segments such as SMEs and mid-caps. The projects completed so far have contributed to increasing the availability of financing for these customer groups, which are key to the development of Polish entrepreneurship. For me, this transaction is of exceptional importance. I personally strongly believe in the great power and agility provided by diversity and inclusiveness. Diversity is a win-win for our development, for our communities and relationships, for the development of societies and, of course, for business. Diversity of talent brings value and quality and strengthens the competitive advantage of businesses. And I mean here diversity in every respect, including age, gender, educational background or experience. It is an important source of innovation that creates new opportunities for growth. Across all sectors of the economy, more and more organisations are tapping into this potential. Thanks to the released capital we will be able to even better support female entrepreneurship in Poland . As Santander Bank Polska, we actively engage in activities supporting diversity and inclusiveness, which is evidenced by numerous awards and certificates such as Great Place to Work, Diversity in Check or the Equal Pay Certificate. We are very proud of them and feel obliged to continue our efforts.
Diversity and inclusion activities are an important part of Santander Bank Polska Group strategy. In addition to financial products and solutions that boost women’s entrepreneurship, Santander Bank Polska Group also implements numerous training projects that improve the professional competencies of women in business, such as “Strong in Business.” This is a series of educational workshops, as well as a competition for female entrepreneurs, in which participants could win educational grants and funding for the best business plans. More than 3600 women participated in the last edition of the program. At the same time, the Santander Group regularly organizes recruitment for the “Santander W50” global women’s talent development program, in which more than 800 female leaders have already participated. The program helps consolidate leadership styles, build a personal brand and join a prestigious global network of female leaders.
This is the largest securitization agreement in the history of our cooperation with the EIB Group. Thanks to our successful collaboration with the EBI, we support Polish entrepreneurs by offering them more favourable financing conditions. Our goal is to facilitate access to funds that enable businesses to grow and invest in their future. For years, we have been working with international financial institutions to use available financial resources for socially important purposes, primarily such as supporting SMEs, financing climate-friendly investments, or supporting Polish female entrepreneurs. The share of companies run by women among Santander Leasing clients is 25 percent, and we are pleased that this indicator is steadily growing. Just six years ago it was 10 percent lower. Our female clients most often operate in industries that drive the economy and innovation: wholesale and retail trade, healthcare, but also professional and scientific activities.
