Madrid — May 27, 2026 — The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed an agreement with Spanish credit rating agency INBONIS to help innovative startups and scaleups across Europe gain easier access to bank financing. The initiative, funded by the InvestEU Advisory Hub, will pilot how independent credit ratings can accelerate funding for high‑growth companies.
Through EIB Advisory, the project will provide first‑time external credit ratings from ESMA‑registered agencies for companies backed by EIB venture debt instruments. These ratings will help banks better assess risk, improve comparability among firms, and facilitate access to working‑capital facilities for startups that often lack established credit histories.
The pilot, running for 18 months, will see INBONIS issue Private Credit Ratings (PCRs) for selected companies across sectors, including those supported by the CleanTechEU Guarantee programme. The goal is to bridge the gap between innovation finance and traditional banking, enabling fast‑growing firms to scale more effectively.
EIB Advisory and INBONIS aim to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy by improving financial transparency and trust between startups and lenders. INBONIS, a certified B Corp and ESMA‑registered External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAI), has already issued over 1,300 corporate ratings across 30 countries.
This collaboration underscores the EIB’s commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable growth, ensuring that Europe’s most promising companies can access the financing they need to thrive.
