ICF has financed, during the last three and a half years, 59 companies and entities in Osona for a total amount of 37.3 million euros. In the same period, 151 companies with a value of 106.4 million euros have been financed in Central Catalonia. The public financial entity has shared this data as part of the Meeting for Sustainable Economic Growth that took place at the Medieval Art Museum of Vic (MEV) this Thursday and brought together more than fifty companies, entities and economic agents.

The inauguration of the day was carried out by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Natàlia Mas Guix. The highest responsible for the finances of the Catalan Government has stressed the need for companies to place sustainability "at the center" of their organizations, understood as a broad concept of the company, workers, and the community and the environment in which they are integrated : "Economic profitability is essential, but it is also important to bear in mind the impact that its operations have on the companies it works with and on the social environment." As the minister explained, this means moving from a "linear economy" to a "circular" one to reduce the CO2 footprint, betting on energy efficiency and renewable generation.

During his speech, he assured that "climate change is the greatest opportunity to innovate that humanity has ever faced". With this aim, he has encouraged the companies of central Catalonia to adapt their "powerful" industrial capacity to the new demands in order to remain a reference in Catalonia and in Europe. In this sense, Mas Guix has offered the ICF as "a very important tool for the country and the Government", to deploy the business strategy towards sustainable economic growth.

Finally, the Minister highlighted the solvency of the Catalan public financial institution and highlighted its role in the field of public banking, a very widespread sector in Europe where it has 15% of the financial market: "We want the ICF to also play a prominent role in Catalonia", he concluded.

For her part, the CEO of the ICF, Vanessa Servera Planas, has presented the activity data of the entity in Central Catalonia between 2020 and until August 2023. "In the last three years and average, we have financed 151 companies and entities for 106.4 million euros, allocating most of the resources to the agri-food industry and primary sector (30%), trade, tourism and transport (26%) and of the manufacturing industries (23%)" highlighted the CEO.

Servera has also stated that "we want to convey to the companies of Osona and Central Catalonia that if you have important projects from the ICF we are committed to doing our best to accompany you in their very long-term financing or investment . We want to be useful and agile to you."

In the same way, Servera has assured that "at the ICF we do not compete with private sector financing, but we have a public vocation to complement the offer and offer personalized advice that responds to the specific needs of each project" .

The business cases of Consultori Bayés, Vera and Grup Gepork

The round table with companies that have received funding from the ICF served to share their experiences of growth and innovation. Clàudia Bayés, from Consultori Bayés, Jordi Compte de Vera and Gemma Vivet, from Gepork have held a conversation with Antoni Vallès, commercial director of the ICF, who moderated the conversation.

About ICF

The ICF is the public financial institution of Catalonia. Its main mission is to promote the financing of the business fabric in Catalonia in order to contribute to the growth, innovation and sustainability of the Catalan economy. The ICF acts as a complement to the private sector, offering a wide range of financing solutions focused on loans, guarantees and venture capital investment. Since 2014, it has been a member of the European Association of Public Banks (EAPB), which brings together most of the banks and public financial institutions operating in Europe.