REM: EBRD, EU and GCF support green investments in Morocco

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) – supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the European Union – is providing a financial package of up to €25mn to Credit Immobilier et Hotelier (CIH Bank) to support Morocco’s green transition, the EBRD said in a press release on September 27.

The financing, of which a total of €18.75mn will be provided by the EBRD and €6.25mn by the GCF, will be extended as sub-loans by CIH Bank to local citizens, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporates for investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies.  

The new EBRD financing comes under the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) in Morocco, which is supported by the GCF. A comprehensive technical capacity package complemented by investment incentives, both funded by the EU, will support CIH Bank in the deployment of the programme. The European Union considers this package to be a concrete way to help companies find and finance the solutions best suited to their transition to the green economy in Morocco.  

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Antoine Sallé de Chou, head of Morocco for the EBRD, and Lotfi Sekkat, chairman and CEO of CIH.  

Operating in Morocco since 1920, CIH Bank is a major player in the development of the Moroccan economy. It is recognised as a universal bank and positioned as the leading digital bank in Morocco, combining digitalisation with a large network of bank branches.  

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD and became a country of operations in 2012. To date, the EBRD has invested €3bn in the country through 74 projects.