The European Investment Bank (EIB) has become a significant player in the field of development finance over the last decade. Its role is pivotal to the European Union’s external financing and development toolbox, which is becoming increasingly focused on investment.

Indeed, the bank stands at the heart of various investment plans driven by the European Union (EU). For example, it is the sole implementer of investment windows dedicated to lending to sovereign and sub-sovereign entities under the new European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+). Also, it will be competing with other public banks to access guarantees from the EU budget to support the private sector.

In 2022, the EIB created a new development branch called EIB Global. The EIB President portrays this as “our new arm for international partnerships and development finance [which] aims to further enhance impact and visibility of EU investments worldwide. We are placing more EIB bankers, engineers and economists on the ground, working within EU delegations, and are working hand in hand with the European Commission in the delivery of key EU global and regional policies”.

Report by Eurodad