- The ICO makes available new 'green credit' loans among other new facilities to finance for SMEs and the self-employed
On February 27, 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the agreement which establishes the general conditions for the implementation of five facilities charged to the loans of the addendum to the Recovery Plan, said agreement defines the conditions for the five new lines of credit, within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which will be managed by the Official Credit Institute (ICO). The total amount for this second phase amounts to a total of 40,000 million euros in loans.
ICO-Green Line
One of the most beneficial lines for self-employed people and small business owners is the Green ICO line. This line has 22,000 million euros to finance projects whose objective is to support initiatives for the green transition and have a business model that helps conserve the environment regardless of the size of the project or sector.
The project categories to qualify for this Green ICO line are diverse and include: sustainable transportation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, decarbonization of the industry, water management, circular economy and adaptation to climate change.
ICO-Companies and Entrepreneurs
This line is intended for the growth and development of companies, in particular, SMEs, and has 8,150 million euros of financing available. Of this amount, about 1,000 million will be granted particularly to companies belonging to the tourism sector. To do this, SMEs must provide innovative plans or new products that improve efficiency and sustainability. For more information consult the following link.
Within this line of ICO credits, an amount of 150 million euros is reserved for digitalization projects for universities within the PERTE New Language Economy.
ICO-Housing
The line ICO-Housing, With an investment of 4 billion euros, its goal is to facilitate the financing of projects aimed at expanding the number of homes available for social rental or at affordable prices, as well as improving existing properties in this area.
ICO-Audiovisual Center
The funds allocated to this line They reach a total of 1,712 million euros and are intended to support projects in the field of the audiovisual sector.
The purpose is to stimulate private investment and facilitate access to financing for projects related to cinema, television, content creation, digital culture, as well as the development of multimedia and interactive content, such as video games and visual effects, among others, within the framework of the plan to promote the audiovisual sector known as «Audiovisual Hub of Europe«.
Next Tech Fund
It has an endowment of 4,000 million euros and aims to promote the development of high-impact innovative digital projects and investment in growing companies (scaleups) by strengthening public financing instruments, attracting international funds and boosting the venture capital sector.
The Next Tech funds They focus on continuing to support the growth of Spanish startups in disruptive technologies, promoting innovation and digitalization. Furthermore, in attracting European and international venture capital funds and other investors to Spanish companies and implementation projects in Spain.
Financing methodology
These five lines managed by the ICO will focus on finance investment projects that will be structured through various financial instruments, as:
- Lines of credit through financial entities (mediation lines).
- Direct loans to companies by the ICO.
- Acquisition of bonds and investments in equity or quasi-equity by the ICO.
In this second phase of the Recovery Plan, collaboration with private financial entities will be crucial, since its reach will allow it to reach SMEs and companies of all sizes and sectors of activity throughout Spain.
It is important to highlight that, in these mediation lines, up to 100% of financing will be offered for business projects under favorable financial conditions and with extended repayment periods.
The loans managed by the ICO may be formalized until August 2026, with the possibility of reinvesting the amortizations until 2036, thus expanding the scope of the funds and their capacity to finance new investment projects.
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