MicroBank, CaixaBank’s social bank, has dedicated 634 million euros to funding projects that generate a positive social impact in the first half of 2023, up 11% on the same period of the previous year. The number of loans amounted to 62,463, an increase of 12%.
The MicroBank business line that experienced the greatest growth was microloans to entrepreneurs and microenterprises, with a total of 9,634 loans in the first six months of the year, representing a 31.3% increase. By volume of financing, MicroBank contributed 126.79 million euros to the recovery of the corporate sector, representing an increase of 31.6% compared to the same half of 2022. The average amount of microloans granted to businesses stood at 13,161 euros up to June.
Another cornerstone of MicroBank’s activity, microloans to low-income families intended to cover basic needs, resulted in the formalisation of 49,845 loans, 9.2% up on the same period of the previous year.
The volume of financing in this area amounted to 376.48 million euros, an increase of 7%. This upward trend had already started in 2021, partly as a result of the recovery in household consumption. The average amount of microloans to households between January and June 2023 stood at 7,553 euros, a similar figure to the first half of 2022.
Meanwhile, funding targeting sectors with social impact, which is geared towards projects in the social economy, education, and innovation, among others, helped to implement 2,984 initiatives in Spain —up 6.5%— as a result of a total of 131.12 million euros in funding being granted. This represents an increase of 7.1% compared to the first six months of the previous year.
“The balance of the first half of the year demonstrates that MicroBank continues to make steady progress towards achieving the goals of its Strategic Plan 2022-2024, having already reached almost half of its target, which includes granting a total of 3.5 billion euros in financing with a social impact, 36% more than in the previous year,” explains Juan Carlos Gallego, Chairman of MicroBank.
In turn, Cristina González, CEO of MicroBank, highlights that, once again, “the bank demonstrates that it is capable of adapting to the current economic and social context and, true to its purpose as CaixaBank’s social bank, it focuses on the groups that need it most.”
Sustainable banking
MicroBank offers solutions to different groups whose financial needs are not sufficiently met. It has a crucial role in the Sustainable Banking Plan, which is part of CaixaBank’s Strategic Plan, with MicroBank promoting financial inclusion by providing vulnerable groups access to loans, as well as with enhancing its commitment to the country's socio-economic development.
As the sole shareholder of MicroBank, CaixaBank has supported its social bank since its creation by giving it the funding required to grow its lending activity while marketing MicroBank products through CaixaBank’s extensive commercial network. This is undertaken with the aim of offering customers its entire range of products with the highest possible quality of service and the best possible relationship.
More than 290 entities throughout Spain also actively collaborate in granting the microloans, contributing knowledge to the borrowers, in addition to advising on and monitoring the projects.
MicroBank also relies on the support of Europe’s leading institutions when it comes to promoting enterprise and microfinance, namely the European Investment Fund (EIF), the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
