L’entitat va multiply the financing of social housing by four
The Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) mobilized 847.4 million euros in 2024 through its activity in loans, guarantees, and venture capital, representing a 32% increase over the previous year.
In total, the public bank of Catalonia financed 1,694 companies and entities, of which 97% were SMEs and entrepreneurs, as reported in a statement on Thursday.
ICF President Juli Fernández emphasized that the public bank is a very important tool to «leverage to drive the actions planned by the government.»
The manufacturing, energy, and agriculture industry was the most financed sector, with 205 million euros, representing one in every four euros in loans and guarantees (25%).
The second most financed sector was social housing (25%), where the entity multiplied by four the financing of official protection housing (VPO) to 201 million, making possible the construction or acquisition of 1,956 social housing units.
Fernández also said that the increase in financing for this area «reflects a clear commitment» from the government to social housing, which will continue in the coming years.
Agricultural sector – food
Trade and tourism (21%) became the third area with the most financing, although in terms of clients, the most financed sector was the primary one, which concentrated approximately seven out of ten loans in 2024.
In fact, the «ICF Agroliquidity» loan program reached a total of 1,170 farmers, breeders, and companies and increased by 13% to 87.5 million euros.
Average repayment term: 15 years
During the last year, the ICF increased financing for companies and entities by 36% compared to 2023, and loan and guarantee operations grew to 811.2 million euros, which is 214 million more than the previous year.
As part of its goal to offer long-term financing to facilitate loan repayment for its clients, loans granted by the Public Bank had a repayment period of 15 years.
For territories, the Barcelona region accounted for 55% of the financing granted by the ICF in loans and guarantees in 2024, followed by the regions of Girona (13%), Ponent (11%), Penedès (7%), and Camp de Tarragona (6%).
Social projects and venture capital
On the other hand, more than half of the loans and guarantees financing (53%) went to social and sustainable projects (ASG) with a total of 428.4 million euros, a 39% increase and another 121 million.
In addition, the entity invested 36.2 million euros through its venture capital activity and focused on direct investments, experiencing an 81% growth to 18.6 million euros.