The ICF facilitated entry for a flat to 738 young people last year
The entity allowed the purchase of 476 homes in the year in which the public bank exceeded 1,000 million in financing for the first time
BarcelonaThe Catalan Finance Institute (ICF), the public bank of the Generalitat, has granted to date 846 loans to young people aged 18 to 35 to obtain the down payment for an apartment. The average granted is 36,332 euros and an average housing price of 189,908 euros with an average age of beneficiaries of 29.4 years, according to data presented by the Secretary General of Economy and President of the ICF's governing board, Juli Fernández, and the entity's CEO, Vanessa Servera.
The trend of these loans, which led the ICF to finance individuals directly for the first time, is growing, with 1,962 approved since the program came into effect on June 30th. During the six months it was in effect in 2025, the down payment for the mortgage of 476 homes was financed for 738 young people. This was one of the innovations of the public financial entity, which in 2025 broke a record by financing 1,679 companies, entities, and individuals, exceeding the threshold of 1 billion euros (1,000.4 million, 18% more) in credit investment for the first time.
The loans to finance the down payment for the first home for young people have led to a reorganization at the ICF, which had to increase its staff. Servera explained that this program has meant going from processing 15 or 20 daily calls to 150, which involves changes in personnel and technology. The program's allocation is 100 million euros annually for five fiscal years. So far, of the 2,907 valid applications processed, 1,972 have been approved, 101 are under study, 284 have been rejected, and 550 have been withdrawn by the applicants themselves.
Returning to 2025, the ICF also financed the construction or purchase of 1,163 social housing units during the fiscal year. Since 2018, it has made possible 5,581 social and affordable rental housing units in Catalonia, financing promotion and acquisition projects of HPO (official protection housing) with a total of 517 million euros, according to the entity.
The ICF, which has turned forty, increased its activity in loans, guarantees, and venture capital investment by 18% in 2025 compared to 2024. It continued to focus on offering credit to SMEs, the self-employed, and companies in Catalonia to both boost their growth and for their transformation and competitiveness. Throughout the year, it supported industrial projects and investments and those of the third sector. The loans and guarantees portion, with 929.5 million, increased by 15%.
Social and sustainable projects
Half of these resources went to social and sustainable projects, in line with the objective of facilitating credit for investments that drive the energy transition, affordable housing, and the social economy. Financing for environmental, social, and governance projects reached 467 million.
On average, loans granted by ICF have a repayment term of 10 years, highlighted Servera. Industry, the most financed sector with 327.4 million, accounted for 35% of loans and guarantees, followed by trade and tourism (21%) and social housing (16%).
In terms of number of clients, the most financed sectors were housing (31%), coinciding with the launch of emancipation loans, and the primary sector (26%), after the expansion of ICF Agroliquidity loans aimed at self-employed individuals and entrepreneurs in the agricultural, agri-food, forestry, and fishing sectors.
In the venture capital field, ICF invested a total of 71 million in 45 companies, representing an increase of 107% compared to the previous year. Last year saw the initiation of the new Catalunya Lidera venture capital strategy and the creation of the Lidera Transferència en Salut fund, which will promote innovative projects in health and life sciences emerging from Catalan universities and research centers.
The first investments of the Lidera Tecnologies Avançades fund, born as the FITA fund, have also been announced. Venture capital activity has been concentrated, especially, in the industrial sector, which receives six out of every ten euros invested (62%), followed by digital (18%), health sciences (13%), and services (7%). By type of fund, internal funds and the Catalunya Lidera umbrella fund concentrate 77% of the investment, while external funds account for 23% of venture capital activity in 2025.
Last year, ICF accumulated a credit portfolio of 2,700 million, with a default rate of 6.6% and a special vigilance portfolio of 9.2%.