EIB and Deutsche Leasing support green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps
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Deutsche Leasing will provide new leases on favourable terms to small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and mid-caps in EU countries
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The third tranche in the amount of EUR 70 million is available for drawdown
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The loan has a two-fold focus on cohesion, accounting for 50% of the projects, and green investments, with 30% of green leases
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Deutsche Leasing have announced the third tranche of a project designed to support small business and mid-cap leases for a total project cost of EUR 560 million, with a total of EUR 200 million of EIB financing approved. The first tranche of EUR 50 million was disbursed in 2024, followed by a second tranche of EUR 80 million in 2025.
Under the cooperation programme, Deutsche Leasing will finance machinery and technologies that lead to energy savings, low-carbon mobility and other environmental solutions, thereby supporting the green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps.
Deutsche Leasing will use the EIB loan to finance small and medium-sized companies (SMEs, with fewer than 250 employees) and midcaps (with up to 3 000 employees) in Germany and countries in Eastern Europe. The beneficiaries will be able to use the funds for long-term investment projects. The focus of the second tranche lies on climate investment. It is foreseen that at least 30% of the EIB funds will be used to support climate and the environment, such as financing of energy efficient industrial equipment and agricultural machinery, including climate adaptation measures.
As the EIB has the highest possible credit rating (AAA), it can raise funds on the capital markets on favourable terms. The advantages of the EIB-backing will be passed on to the SMEs and midcaps to enable them to invest into growing their businesses and investing in their green transition. By facilitating access to financing, this partnership will promote long-term economic growth as well as job security. This operation should support approximately 570 SMEs and thus approximately 47,300 employees.
Deutsche Leasing
The Deutsche Leasing Group is a solution-oriented asset finance partner for German medium-sized enterprises. For over 60 years, the company has supported investment projects both domestically and abroad, offering comprehensive financing solutions (Asset Finance) as well as complementary services (Asset Services) for fixed and current assets.
As a central, internationally focused partner within the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, it supports German SMEs in financing transformation and innovation—ranging from decarbonization and digitalization to future-proof infrastructure. In its international business, Deutsche Leasing is active in over 20 countries, including the most important export markets in Europe, China, the USA, Canada, and Brazil. In the 2024/25 fiscal year, the company achieved a new business volume of EUR 11.4 billion and employed approximately 3,000 people worldwide.
EIB Group
In 2025, the EIB Group signed EUR 100 billion in new financing for more than 870 high-impact projects across eight key priority areas that support EU policy objectives: climate action and environmental sustainability, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
In 2025 the EIB Group provided a record EUR 10.401 billion for investment across Germany, including EUR 1.367 billion from the EIF to support business investment across Germany, through private equity and guarantee financing. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Agreement.
