The Natural Disaster Recovery Microloans Fund is a risk-sharing financial instrument implemented in the context of the Holding Fund’s Entrepreneurship Fund III. The Fund was established to support and develop micro and small enterprises and micro entities and natural persons engaged in individual business activity in geographically defined areas affected by natural disasters, irrespective of whether they have suffered material damage from intense natural phenomena, provided their normal business activity is affected by the general consequences of natural disasters in the area, in order for businesses to recover from the impacts caused by these situations.

This Call for Expressions of Interest is addressed to Financial Institutions, operating in Greece, for their participation in the Natural Disaster Recovery Microloans Fund.

The Fund will initially support businesses in the Thessaly Region.

Budget

The Fund’s resources initially amount to €10 million and come from the European Social Fund+ (ESF+).

Eligible financial institutions

Every legal person which operates as a Financial Institution as defined herein and operates lawfully in the territory of Greece is entitled to submit an Expression of Interest in the context of the Call.

The Fund’s Financial Instrument has the following key features:

•  Loans to cover working capital coupled with investment costs.
•  No real collateral
•  Loan Amount: from €3,000 to €25,000.
•  Financing: interest-free for 75% of the loan.
•  Aid scheme: De Minimis.

In addition, subsidies for mentoring will be provided to borrowers up to €900 per Tax ID No.

The loans will provide financing for enterprises whose registered offices or branch (where the primary or secondary activity is carried on) are in the Thessaly Region.

The Fund shall exclusively finance:

(a) micro and small enterprises via credit institutions as defined in Regulation (EC) No 575/2013 and

(b) micro entities, natural persons engaged in individual business activity and other beneficiaries receiving microloans as defined in Article 15(2) of Law 4701/2020 (Government Gazette 128/A/30.6.2020) as in force, via Microfinance Institutions as defined in the same Law and via credit institutions.

Submitting an application for financing

Interested financial institutions should fill out and submit the Expression of Interest form in Greek. Up to ten (10) calendar days before the last date for submitting expressions of interest, candidates may request further clarifications or technical information from HDB by email at the following email address: loans@hdb.gr

This information will be posted no later than three (3) calendar days from submission and no later than seven (7) calendar days before the deadline for submitting expressions of interest on HDB’s website (www.hdb.gr) so that it is available to all interested parties.

The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is Monday 22.9.2025 at 16:00 at HDB’s registered offices: Athens, 80 Michalakopoulou St., GR- 11528.

The last date for submitting Expression of Interests for all financial institutions (Microfinance Institutions) granted authorisation by the Bank of Greece at a date after this document is 27.12.2026.

If the Fund is extended to other regions, the Call will be published again in order for the financial institutions to declare their interest.

Note that this Call does not relate to the following enterprises.