5,426 companies supported in 2022 by Bpifrance Paca – Le Journal des Entreprises
In 2022, Bpifrance Paca globally supported 5,426 companies to the tune of €1.7 billion, which made it possible to mobilize nearly €4.6 billion in public and private financing. More specifically, the bank recorded, in 2022, a stabilization of medium and long-term financing with 695 million euros injected for the benefit of 363 companies in the region to finance development projects.
In this context, unsecured loans, the bank’s flagship product, represented 255 million euros disbursed for 199 development projects, including 41 million euros in Climate Loans, the purpose of which is to finance projects improving the environmental and energy impact of companies. In total, by combining the sums advanced by the banking partners, the action of Bpifrance made it possible to release 82 million euros for this theme. In the South region, the bank has also created the largest Coq Vert community in France with 156 companies grouped together under this label in Paca. There are also 17 young people who have benefited from the Volontariat territorial en entreprise (VTE) Vert and have joined SMEs where they have been able to play the role of resource men.
Guaranteed credits on the rise
At the same time, in 2022, the guarantee activity, which facilitates access to credit for VSEs and SMEs, is on the rise again. Not only are guaranteed loans increasing by 20%, but the number of beneficiary companies as well as the level of risk assumed by Bpifrance are increasing, respectively by 51% and 34%. In these files Bpifrance covers 40 to 60% of the banking risk. With the Paca region, this guarantee can be increased to 80% of the risk. “The massive deployment of state-guaranteed loans (PGE) in the context of the Covid-19 health crisis had naturally reduced Bpifrance’s guarantee activity”, confides Nicolas Magenties, regional director of Bpifrance.
Stronger support for deeptech
On the innovation side, the deployment of France 2030 has boosted this activity. Thus, 477 regional companies have benefited from the support of Bpifrance to develop their innovation projects, modernize their technological equipment or even increase their production capacity in France. This support of 182 million euros was granted via regional aid (subsidies, R&D aid, loans without innovation guarantees, territorial section of France 2030, etc.), via calls for national projects (i-Lab, i -Demo, i-Nov, and 1ere Usine) or strategies for accelerating the directed component of France 2030 and the national component of France 2030. Support for deeptech and the industrialization of start-ups and innovative SMEs, deployed by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, was exceptionally strengthened in 2022, to +96% for the French Tech Emergence scholarships and Deeptech development aid in the South Region. “The idea is to focus on breakthrough innovation, that which comes out of laboratories, and to support industrial start-ups in order to find the companies that will build the factories of tomorrow”, concludes Nicolas Magenties.
