The, European Union (EU), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and emerging-market asset manager ILX Management are partnering to boost private-sector finance in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Western Balkans, Türkiye, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia.

The partnership is expected to facilitate co-financing by Dutch and other European pension funds of up to €300 million over the next three years. The investments will bolster the finance available for sustainable development, particularly in climate-smart solutions, digital transformation and financial inclusion for projects that would otherwise not have benefited from private-sector participation. They will be supported by EU guarantees through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) Guarantee Programme. The EFSD+ guarantee structure will enable ILX to co-invest with the EBRD with the same risk-return profile.

The EBRD is working to enhance its partnerships with private institutional investors in its countries of operation, to support its goal of doubling private co-financing by 2025. This partnership is an important part of that process.Developing greener, more inclusive and more digital economies lies at the heart of the Bank’s work in all the regions where it operates.

Mobilising private sector capital is also central to the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, which aims todeliver large-scale investments of €300 billion in sustainable and high-quality projects by 2027. This strategy will support partner countries in their green and digital transition, as well as in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This partnership will provide ILX with a broader range of highly impactful investment opportunities in EBRD countries of operation that directly contribute to the SDGs in emerging markets. ILX is currently managing ILX Fund I, which investson behalf of leading Dutch pension-fund managers, including APG Asset Management. Other Dutch and European pension-fund participants are expected to join future ILX funds.