Bigbank and the EIB Group launch synthetic securitisation to unlock more than €250 million for Baltic SMEs

Estonian-based Bigbank AS has signed a synthetic securitisation transaction with the European Investment Bank Group, comprising the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF). The transaction, which is the first synthetic securitisation transaction for the Bigbank, will support new lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with a particular focus on micro-enterprises, young companies and environmentally sustainable investments.

Under the agreement, the EIF is providing Bigbank with a financial guarantee covering a reference portfolio of more than €210 million, consisting of loans, credit lines and leases. The guarantee provides credit risk protection on a senior tranche of €184.3 million and a mezzanine tranche of €23.1 million. The EIF’s exposure to the mezzanine tranche, as well as part of its exposure to the senior tranche, is counter-guaranteed by the EIB. Bigbank retains the junior tranche of the portfolio, amounting to approximately €2.6 million.

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Originally published on 2 Mar

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