Intesa Sanpaolo, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Space Agency (ESA) launch the first Space Lending Facility agreement to support Italian space SMEs

Intesa Sanpaolo, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement designed to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating across Italy’s space supply chain.

The agreement marks the first signature under the ESA-EIB Space Lending Facility and is expected to enable approximately €300 million in financing for SMEs operating across Italy’s space supply chain. By combining financial resources, risk-sharing mechanisms and sector expertise, the partners aim to support growth and strengthen the competitiveness of the European space sector.

Supporting growth across Italy’s space supply chain

The agreement aims to improve access to finance for SMEs operating across Italy’s space supply chain. Through the initiative, the EIB will provide €150 million in funding, which is expected to generate up to €300 million in financing with Intesa Sanpaolo.

ESA will contribute technical and industrial expertise while helping raise awareness of the financing opportunities available to space companies.

Commenting on the agreement, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher noted that access to capital remains one of the most significant barriers to growth for many space SMEs and highlighted the importance of providing companies with pathways to expand and compete internationally.

This challenge is particularly relevant in the space sector, where long development cycles and reliance on highly specialised technologies can make access to traditional financing more difficult, particularly for smaller businesses.

Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of the Ventures and Financing Office at ESA, speaking at “From technology to market: Italy, the European Commission and ESA working together to create global champions” at Finance and Aerospace: Challenges in Creating Italian Global Champions event

Strengthening Europe’s space economy

The agreement was announced during the conference Finance and Aerospace: Challenges in Creating Italian Global Champions, held in Turin, Italy, at Intesa Sanpaolo’s Skyscraper, and attended by representatives from European and Italian institutions, industry and the financial community.

The initiative represents a new step in ESA’s efforts to strengthen Europe’s space economy by helping innovative companies access the resources needed for growth, industrialisation and international expansion.

Facilitated by ESA’s Ventures and Financing Office, the agreement reflects the agency’s broader efforts to improve access to finance for the European space sector through closer engagement with financial institutions and investors. Acting as a bridge between ESA’s technical expertise and the financial community, the Office works to remove investment bottlenecks and help companies secure the funding needed to scale their activities and bring innovations to market.