What is a financial intermediary?

WB EDIF exists as a platform which serves to centralize expertise from around Europe to contribute – both via financial instruments as well as support measures – to creating a better future for SMEs.

In such a role, WB EDIF works via several financial intermediaries – in the form of funds and banks – in order to deploy its funding.

Any information pertaining therefore to new and upcoming opportunities to collaborate with WB EDIF will be made available here.

Open calls for Financial Intermediaries

There are currently no open calls

Which financial intermediaries are eligible to apply for the WB EDIF Guarantee Facility?

The Guarantee Facility of WB EDIF specifically targets financial or credit institutions, guarantee schemes including mutual guarantee organisations, micro-finance institutions, and any other financial institution providing loans and/or guarantees to SMEs which are established in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), or in the case of the EU for Serbia guarantee, financial institutions established in Serbia. Activities carried-out by SMEs should not breach ethical principles or focus on any of the restricted sectors.

What are the benefits of becoming an intermediary under the WB EDIF Guarantee Facility?

The key benefit of becoming a financial intermediary under the WB EDIF Guarantee Facility is that EIF provides a guarantee or counter-guarantee on part of the risk incurred of the SME loan portfolio which the financial intermediary builds up; this will enable the financial intermediaries to increase their loan volumes and to provide loans at more favourable conditions resulting in a broadened customer base and expanded business activities.

More about WB EDIF's existing financial intermediaries

WB EDIF currently works with the following financial intermediaries:

For the early stage fund, ENIF, South Central Ventures is the selected fund manager deploying funding to start-up companies
For the expansion stage fund, the EBRD, acting as manager and advisor, deploys funding to enterprises in their expansion stage
For the Guarantee Facility, managed by the EIF, 16 commercial banks were selected to build up new portfolios of SMEs loans in the region

To find out more about the financial instruments, visit our ENIF, ENEF and Guarantee Facility pages.

Documents and publications

TITLE	DATE
Proof of Concept Scheme under WB EDIF: Mechanical Ventilator Project (KO) – seeking support from our community	17.03.2022
Prospective analysis of the SME sector in the Western Balkans	17.12.2021
WB EDIF Annual Report 2020	07.12.2021
The EBRD and EU support Albanian culinary traditions	03.11.2020

See more documents & publications