The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a €60 million guarantee to asset manager Sienna IM to unlock more private financing for biodiversity restoration across Europe, as detailed in an EIB press release. The support, delivered through the European Investment Fund (EIF) under the InvestEU Sustainability Guarantee, covers up to 70% of credit risk for small and medium-sized firms financed by the Sienna Biodiversity Private Credit Fund. Biodiversity is under growing pressure from pollution, overfarming, climate change, and invasive species, yet remains chronically underfunded.
EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle stressed that protecting and restoring biodiversity is no longer a niche concern but essential to Europe’s long-term growth, food security, and climate adaptation. The Sienna fund, targeting €200 million in total size, already secured a €100 million commitment from France’s Malakoff Humanis Group. Over 36 months, it will finance companies and projects that protect natural capital, reduce environmental footprints, and demonstrate measurable biodiversity impact to attract more private capital.
The guarantee is specifically designed to make financing accessible for early-stage projects and those with limited collateral — typically the hardest to fund. EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt called it the EIF’s first biodiversity-focused guaranteed fund and a milestone in its green toolkit, adding that the green transition “is as much about survival as it is an economic imperative.” Sienna IM private debt Deputy CEO Fabrice Rossary said the EIF backing brings clear advantages in risk management and investor mobilization, with several promising deals already identified.
The EIB Group’s agriculture and bioeconomy financing reached €7.7 billion last year, up 22% from 2024, signaling growing institutional momentum behind nature-based solutions in Europe.
