09 July 2020

With 60 mini-bond issues worth €400 million in just three years, UniCredit is the leading provider of innovative funding solutions to SMEs in Italy

2:00 min

UniCredit has confirmed its leading position in supporting small and medium sized companies through the issue of mini-bonds. Mini-bonds are an innovative financial tool that allow unquoted companies to obtain funding that is complementary to regular banking options to support investments, internationalisation and innovation, as well as working capital needs.

 

In three years, €400 million in mini-bonds have been subscribed to or structured by UniCredit, helping around 60 Italian SMEs. Here are the three most recent issues that allowed UniCredit to exceed this milestone:

 

  • U-Invest (Paruzzaro, Novara): €25 million transaction. UniCredit’s biggest issuance to an Italian SME, aimed at financing the company’s investment program;
  • Fratelli Ibba Group (Oristano, Cagliari): €10 million transaction, financed partly through guarantees issued by SACE under the Italian Guarantee program and partly thanks to the issue of a structured minibond signed by UniCredit, guaranteed by the Central Guarantee Fund.
  • ICAB (Buccino, Salerno): €1.5 million transaction aimed at modernising, improving efficiency and increasing production capacity of the Buccino plant

The mini-bond tool allows Italian SMEs to access financing to support their growth projects, a key element in the economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, while also accessing financial solutions envisaged by the Liquidity Decree.