Almost 60% of EIB Group’s total financing in 2025 went to green projects, from large energy grids and interconnectors to the deployment of storage and renewables, clean technologies for the decarbonisation of heavy industry, as well as adaptation investment, such as water infrastructure, reinforcing the resilience of economies and societies to climate change and its impact.
A record €11.6 billion was devoted to grids and storage projects, supporting the security of the power supply. It is estimated that the financing signed last year will help construct or upgrade 56,000 km of power lines, from the landmark Bay of Biscay interconnector between the Iberian Peninsula and France, through an underwater cable connecting two regions in central Italy, to local grids and municipal power infrastructure in Germany.
In addition to clean technologies, the EIB Group is supporting innovation in health and biotech, artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies, digital infrastructures and critical raw materials. With the rollout of TechEU last year, the biggest ever financing programme for innovation, the EIB Group plans to mobilise at least €250 billion in investment by 2027 “ensuring that ideas, technologies and innovative companies born in the EU, can stay, grow and thrive here in the EU.”
The financing deployed last year alone is estimated to mobilize more than €100 billion in investment, from AI-powered 6G networks, to semiconductors manufacturing.
“As cornerstone financier of innovation, the European Investment Fund (EIF) – EIB’s risk-finance subsidiary – delivered close to €16 billion in guarantees and equity finance for small businesses and startups across the EU,” said the EIB.
“The EIF is estimated to have contributed almost a quarter of all venture capital raised by European funds last year. In the months ahead, it will expand its European Tech Champions Initiative, building on the huge success of the first phase, which has already anchored the creation of 12 venture capital mega funds in Europe, and the scale-up of 35 startups – including nine unicorns.”
Responding to the new geopolitical landscape, the EIB Group significantly expanded the scope of its activities in security and defence and into projects dedicated to military use. Security and defence investments quadrupled to more than €4 billion, close to 5% of the EIB Group’s EU financing.
“Thanks to this step change, the EIB Group plays a leading role in safeguarding peace and security for EU citizens, with flagship projects ranging from military camps and maintenance facilities to research and development in advanced radar systems and avionics, and from sensors essential for the protection of Europe’s seabed and underwater assets to cybersecurity infrastructure and space capabilities,” said the EIB.
EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said: “Europe is a superpower, and we must punch our weight and believe in our capabilities.
“The EIB Group is making a difference. Investing in shared prosperity, security, strategic autonomy and European values, so Europe delivers on its promises to citizens and partners.”