(Zawaya, Dubai, 25 February 2025) Italy’s export credit agency, SACE, has committed $350 million in financial and insurance support to UAE companies AMEA Power and Metito Utilities. The funds will support renewable energy, water infrastructure, and sustainability projects in Africa. This initiative aligns with Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa and aims to boost Italian exports in the region.
Italy
Feralpi Secures €170 Million for Sustainable Steel Production
(SteelOrbis, Istanbul, 25 February 2025) Italian steelmaker Feralpi has secured €170 million to enhance its sustainable production capabilities. The funding will support the modernization of its facilities and improve its environmental footprint. The investment aligns with the company’s strategy to reduce CO2 emissions and increase its production of low-carbon steel.
AfDB & SACE sign $6b investment deal
(The Nation Online, Lagos, 5 December 2024) In continuation of existing partnerships between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Italian government under the “Mattei Plan”, a $6b investment deal has been signed to sustain the development of initiatives with Africa’s public and private sectors. Specifically, this investment package which gives additional opportunities for Italian businesses in education, agribusiness, healthcare, energy, water and digital economy infrastructure, will provide credit protection to foster investment in Africa. SACE noted the first €3 billion of the plan were under their management and derived from the Italian Climate Fund, “a €4.2B fund created a couple of years ago to help our partners transition their economy into a greener one.”
Saudi Neom Gets $3 Billion Loan Guarantee From Sace
(BNN Bloomberg, Toronto, 13 November 2024) Italy’s state insurance and financial group will grant Saudi Arabia $3 billion in loan guarantees to help the kingdom develop a sprawling futuristic megacity. Insurer and export credit agency Sace agreed on 80% guarantees for loans from international banks backing Neom, the ambitious project to build a new urban area that will be bigger than Belgium, according to people familiar with the matter.
Does Italian ECA stifle Mozambique LNG atrocities?
(Barrons/AFP, Paris, 15 November 2024) French energy giant TotalEnergies, recipient of Italian (& French?) ECA funding, was aware of accusations of abuses committed by soldiers charged with protecting its gas site in Mozambique as early as 2021. “Complaints of extortion, disappearances and even violence leading to the deaths of two fishermen are recorded in quarterly social reports written by teams of Mozambique LNG,” TotalEnergie’s subsidiary in the country, according to Le Monde. The reports were sent to the Italian export credit agency SACE, from which an Italian NGO, ReCommon, and Le Monde obtained them under a right of access to information legislation. TotalEnergies used hired guards of the local affiliate of UK security firm G4S linked to a former liberation figure and ex-minister of security in the 1980s. ECA-Watch noted in 2016 that Korean, French, Italian and Chinese ECAs were set to play a key role in the financing of two LNG projects planned in the north of Mozambique despite widespread concerns about gross human rights violations by local authorities.
Critical Minerals Security Partnership may not be enough for Australia
(Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra, 25 September 2024) Fourteen countries this week took what they intended to be a big step in countering China’s dominance of critical minerals supply. But it’s unclear whether the initiative will restore competitiveness of Australian production and investment in the face of massive subsidies offered by China and, in response, the United States. The Minerals Security Partnership, a coalition of 14 countries, including the G7, Australia, India, South Korea, and European Union members, announced plans for a finance network to boost investment in critical metals. The initiative will tap into domestic export credit agencies and development finance institutions to attract private sector capital to produce, extract, process and recycle critical minerals, especially in riskier markets. The partnership seeks to lower investment risks and drive global supply chain resilience by providing guarantees and concessional financing. Australia’s economic prosperity and national security are intrinsically linked to the exploitation of its abundant resources, notably critical minerals. These minerals are the new oil. They’re the building blocks for everything from emerging technology to energy transition. Although Australia has vast reserves, its critical mineral mining and processing are still threatened by the intense subsidy war between the US and China.
SACE EUR 100mln Push Facility provided to Eastern & Southern African Trade & Development Bank
(Zawya, Nairobi, 23 June 2024) The Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group), SMBC Group (SMBC), Citi, and SACE are pleased to announce a EUR 100 million SACE Push Facility. This syndicated facility aims to support TDB’s mission of fostering regional growth and integration, while increasing Italian procurement through the involvement of TDB and its clients. The facility aims to support various sectors across TDB’s member countries, promoting economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development. By encouraging the involvement of Italian companies in projects within member states, the agreement will foster cross-border cooperation and economic integration in alignment with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SACE LAUNCHES US$1.3 BILLION INVESTMENT PACKAGE FOR VIETNAM
(ICE, Vietnam, 9 May 2024) Italian ECA SACE has unveiled a US$1.3 billion aid package aimed at supporting Italian businesses in Vietnam. Vietnam, one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, has become a focal point for Italian companies seeking investment opportunities, said a SACE representative.“With a capital support plan of up to US$1.3 billion, Italian businesses as well as Vietnam will have easier access to technology and supplies from Italy to promote investment and development,” said Michal Ron, head of International Business at SACE, at a press conference on May 7.The funding will prioritize sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, and agriculture.
REC Ltd Secures Japanese Green Loan from Italy’s SACE
(GK Today, India, 27 April 2024) REC Ltd, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) and leading Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has successfully availed a green loan of Japanese Yen (JPY) 60.536 billion (approximately Rs 3,200 crore) to finance eligible green projects in India. The green loan facility benefits from an 80% guarantee by SACE under their innovative Push Strategy programme. It makes SACE’s first JPY-denominated loan transaction and first green loan in India. The loan saw participation from banks across Asia, US and Europe, including Crédit Agricole CIB, Bank of America, Citibank, KfW IPEX-Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as Mandated Lead Arrangers. Credit Agricole CIB is acting as the ECA Coordinator, Green Loan Coordinator, Documentation Bank and Facility Agent.
Oil Trader Gunvor to Pay More Than $660 Million to Resolve Bribe Cases
(Yahoo Finance, New York, 1 March 2024) Gunvor Group Ltd., one of the world’s top oil traders, will pay more than $660 million to resolve US and Swiss charges that the company paid bribes to Ecuadorian government officials for contracts. The information released by the US is a reminder of the seedy deals made in the not-too-distant-past by some of the biggest firms in commodity trading, which have made billions of dollars in profits on energy market volatility stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic and then the invasion of Ukraine. A shortage of key resources has also seen these companies strengthen ties with governments around the world — just a few months ago, Italy’s export credit agency guaranteed a €400 million ($433 million) loan to Gunvor in return for supplying gas to the country.
