MicroBank doubles the granting of microcredits for students in three years and closes a record first half in 2025

• The entity has granted 695 credits for a total of 7 million euros between January and June, representing a 50% growth in the number of operations and a 61% increase in the volume of financing compared to the same period last year

• The average financing of the Skills & Education loans, aimed at all those who want to expand their training and employability, reaches 10,074 euros in 2025, and the most demanded areas of study are Health and Well-being, Business, and Administration and Law
• Two out of three beneficiaries are under 30 years old, with 59% women and 41% men, a customer profile that has mostly contracted the loan 100% online through imagin. Catalonia and the Community of Madrid are the regions with the highest number of operations for students

MicroBank, the social bank of CaixaBank, has financed a total of 695 education, training, and skills projects for students through the Skills & Education program during the first half of 2025. This figure represents a record growth of 50.1% compared to the first half of 2024 and doubles the figures for the first half of 2023, which were 351 projects. In terms of financing volume, the initiative, arising from an agreement between MicroBank and the European Investment Fund (EIF), offered loans worth 7 million euros during the first half, representing a year-on-year increase of 61%. The average financing of the loans granted was 10,074 euros.

The Skills & Education loan, aimed at all those who want to expand their training and employability, aims to finance higher education cycles, university degrees and master's degrees, as well as digital skills and professional training courses. Since its launch in 2022 until June 2025, MicroBank has granted a total of 4,049 operations, amounting to approximately 34 million euros.

Regarding the profile of the beneficiaries, 59% are women, compared to 41% men; and two out of three students were under 30 years old at the time of receiving the credit. The main recipient regions have been Catalonia with 1,023 operations, Madrid with 992, and Andalusia with 451. The youngest, mostly, contracted the loan through a digital channel, as the Skills & Education product can also be requested 100% online through imagin. By field of study, the main chosen themes are health and well-being; business, administration and law, and education.

Tomás Camillo Gómez studied Marketing and Advertising with the support of a Skills & Education loan from MicroBank

Cristina González, Managing Director of MicroBank, points out: "The Skills & Education loan is an excellent tool for those who want to invest in their future. Our will is to break down barriers in terms of access to training to promote employability."

Among the main advantages of the Skills & Education loan for students residing in Spain is also the absence of a guarantee for applicants, and the possibility of financing both tuition fees and other expenses related to training or stay. In addition, it allows the loan to be repaid up to a year after finishing studies. This initiative makes it possible to finance studies both in Spain and in any of the 27 EU member states, as well as in third countries associated with the program (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia). On the other hand, it is a product that can be contracted 100% through the mobile for imagin customers.

Sustainable banking

MicroBank responds to different segments of the population whose financial needs are not sufficiently covered. It plays a decisive role in the Sustainable Banking Plan, integrated within CaixaBank's Strategic Plan, in which it is entrusted with the mission of promoting financial inclusion, facilitating access to credit for the most vulnerable groups, as well as strengthening its commitment to the socio-economic development of the territory.

As the sole shareholder of MicroBank, CaixaBank has supported its social bank since its creation, providing the necessary financing for the growth of its credit activity and marketing its products through CaixaBank's extensive commercial network to offer the customer the full range of options with the highest quality of service and proximity possible.

In the granting of microcredits, more than 270 entities throughout Spain actively collaborate, providing knowledge of the loan recipients, as well as advising and monitoring the projects.

MicroBank also has the support of the main European institutions dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and microfinance. These include the European Investment Fund (EIF), the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).