Finland. Säästöpankki Optia
| Date of agreement: | 08 Dec 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Finland |
| Customer: | Säästöpankki Optia |
| Amount in EUR: | EUR 20 million |
| Maturity: | 7 years |
| NACE sector / loan type: | Loan programme |
Project
The loan programme has been provided for onlending to small and medium-sized companies’ investment projects in different sectors and to environmental projects. Säästöpankki Optia’s pipeline includes SME investments into R&D, machinery and equipment as well as wind turbine projects, building renovations to improve energy efficiency and investments in agricultural facilities to decrease nutrient discharge into water.
Säästöpankki Optia has approximately 70,000 clients, of which 18% are SMEs. Optia finances projects within sectors including wind energy, bioenergy, agriculture and forestry, and infrastructure.
Optia ranks as the largest (by total assets) of the 25 savings banks in the Finnish Savings Banks Group. Optia operates from its headquarters in the town of Iisalmi in the eastern part of the country, where it was established in 1883. It has 17 offices located in northern, eastern and central Finland.
Fulfilment of NIB's mandate
The loan programme is expected to improve SMEs’ access to financing and thereby support their productivity growth. To be eligible for financing from the loan programme, the borrower must comply with the EU definition of an SME. The projects to be funded must involve investments in R&D, tangible capital or ICT.
Sustainability summary
In accordance with NIB’s Sustainability Policy and Guidelines, Säästöpankki Optia will categorise projects financed from the loan programme according to their potential negative environmental impact and exclude projects with a potentially extensive environmental impact (category A) or included in the Exclusion List of the Sustainability Policy and Guidelines.
