The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the lending arm of the European Union, owned by its member states. It is one of the biggest multilateral lenders in the world and finances projects that serve EU goals at home and abroad.
The bank behind the buildings
Where grants are scarce, the EIB lends. It funds energy grids, transport, clean industry and urban projects, often the large, capital-heavy work that turns a smart-city plan into something physical.
Through its EIF arm it also reaches the smallest companies, which makes the EIB Group a thread running through almost every part of European finance.