This loan will boost Patria Bank's capitalisation and increase its lending capacity to Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) across Romania.

The new funds will primarily focus on supporting farmers and agricultural businesses, enabling them to adopt sustainable practices, invest in their operations, and enhance overall resilience. In addition to the loan, EFSE will provide expert advisory services to Patria Bank and its clients.

In addition, the EFSE has extended the maturity of an existing €7 million subordinated loan granted to Patria Bank in 2022, pushing its new due date to 2032.

Valentin Vancea, CEO of Patria Bank, underscored the strategic importance of this collaboration: "One of the strategic priorities of Patria Bank Group is to support the entrepreneurial environment in Romania, and the new financing from EFSE represents a significant step forward in strengthening our ability to provide even greater support to local entrepreneurs, particularly in rural and agricultural areas."

Patria Bank shares were up 1.86% to 0.08 lei on Tuesday afternoon trading on the BVB.