The entity of the Government of Catalonia has provided more than 16,000 million euros to the business and social fabric through its activity in loans, guarantees and venture capital. Industry (30%) is the sector that has received the most resources in loans and guarantees from public development bank, followed by commerce and tourism (13.4%) and housing and infrastructure (11.6%). The CEO, Vanessa Servera, claims that the ICF is "a financial institution in which thousands of companies and entities have trusted and trust to make their projects and investments a reality".
The ICF today kicks off the year of celebration of its 40th anniversary. On 23 January 1985, the law that launched the public bank for the promotion of Catalonia was published in the Official Journal of the Generalitat (DOGC), whose main mission is to respond to the financing and investment needs of the business and social fabric in order to promote the growth and transformation of the Catalan economy.
In total, over these four decades, the financial institution of the Government of Catalonia has financed more than 37,000 companies, self-employed individuals and entities for an amount of more than 16,000 million euros through its activity in loans, guarantees and venture capital.
"The ICF celebrates 40 years in which it has consolidated its role as a public promotion bank: the data show that we are a useful tool at the service of the Catalan business and social fabric, a financial institution in which thousands of companies and entities have trusted and trust to make their projects and investments a reality," said the CEO, Vanessa Servera.
"Sometimes, when we see such large figures we are not aware of their real significance, but we must remember that behind each of these numbers there is a project that has contributed to the progress of Catalonia, to the generation of knowledge and innovation and to the creation of new opportunities and jobs," he added. The CEO also wanted to vindicate "the work of the 386 professionals who are or have been part of the ICF staff since its foundation, because without their effort and dedication these four decades at the service of Catalonia would not have been possible".
In addition, Servera acknowledged that one of the challenges of the ICF is that "there are still people who do not know very well what we are or what we do". In this sense, he explained that "the ICF's public banking model serves to complement the offer of the private financial sector through two differentiating elements: long-term financing to facilitate the return of debt and the promotion that the entity makes to strategic projects for Catalonia, such as reindustrialization, the green transition, social housing, the primary sector or the improvement of competitiveness and innovation". "The fact that Catalonia has had a public promotion bank for 40 years allows us to promote key public policies for the country," he said.
Industry receives three out of every ten euros in loans and guarantees
The granting of loans and guarantees represents the majority of the activity carried out by the ICF in the last 40 years. By sectors, three out of every ten euros granted by the entity in loans and guarantees have been allocated to industry, followed by commerce and tourism (13.4%) and housing and infrastructure (11.6%).
On the other hand, in terms of the number of customers, the sector that has benefited the most is the primary sector: around one in four companies and self-employed people who have benefited from a loan or guarantee from the ICF have dedicated themselves to agriculture and livestock.
This percentage is explained by the great effort that the entity has made in the last two years to deal with the primary sector in the face of drought and inflation through ICF Agroliquidity loans, but also because in 2011 the ICF integrated the Catalan Institute of Agricultural Credit, whose activity has been incorporated into the count.
In any case, the historical figures reflect that the activity of the public promotion bank has benefited all sectors of the country's business and social fabric, adapting at each stage to their needs depending on the context.
Financing by veguerias, in balance with their economic weight
In general terms, the ICF's historical activity in loans and guarantees is distributed territorially in line with the economic weight of each veguería. The vegueria of Barcelona, which represents 73% of the Catalan GDP, has received 68% of the financing granted by the public development bank, followed by the counties of Girona (7%), Ponent (6%) and Central Catalonia (5%).
Throughout its history, the ICF has evolved towards a territorial model with a greater presence throughout Catalonia. The commitment to territorial deployment has been reinforced, especially, with the creation of a network of commercial delegates distributed throughout the Catalan territory that has been progressively expanded with the aim of responding to the specific needs of companies and entities in each region.
Venture capital activity: more than 1,200 companies and more than 500 million
As for venture capital, an activity that the ICF incorporated in 2002 with the aim of strengthening the Catalan entrepreneurial ecosystem, the entity of the Government of Catalonia has invested directly or through funds in more than 1,200 companies with more than 500 million euros. In these two decades, the bank has invested in innovative and technological projects with a great capacity for growth and consolidation with a focus on the digital sector, industry, health, services and sustainability in order to accompany companies to generate value and have a positive impact on society and the planet.
A year of celebration and renewal of commitment
The commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the ICF will continue throughout 2025 with the organisation of a series of events and actions that will vindicate these four decades of experience alongside the business and social fabric.
On the one hand, there will be a central celebration event to highlight the role of public promotion banking, business meetings throughout the Catalan territory and the publication of a book that will review the history of the entity in parallel to the country's growth. Likewise, during the first quarter of the year, the ICF will present a new, more intuitive, modern and accessible website with the aim of making it easier for customers to find the financial products that best suit their needs, as well as structuring the information in a clearer and more transparent way.
The kick-off of the ICF's 40th anniversary coincides with the same week that commemorates the creation of the Barcelona Exchange Board, which opened its doors on January 20, 1401 in the Lotja de Mar and is considered one of the first public banks in Europe.