Unicaja and the guarantee company Iberaval have strengthened their collaboration agreement with the aim of updating and improving financing conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises, the self-employed and entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on the regions where the SGR operates. The goal of both entities is to commit to accessible and tailored financing that helps to strengthen the business sector.
The renewal of the agreement sets the maximum volume of outstanding guaranteed risk at €110 million, thereby strengthening both entities’ capacity to continue supporting the productive sector and promoting economic development across various autonomous communities.
The agreement, signed in Valladolid by Unicaja’s North-West regional manager, Manuel Rubio, and Iberaval’s deputy general manager and head of Business, Sandra Martínez, provides for a wide range of financial solutions, such as investment loans, working capital financing, overdraft facilities and equipment leasing, which can cover up to 100% of business projects.
These tools are designed to adapt to the specific needs of each region, facilitating both the launch of new initiatives and the consolidation of existing businesses.
Furthermore, the partnership incorporates and continues specific lines of funding linked to public bodies in different autonomous communities, thereby broadening the scope of financing and reinforcing the agreement’s impact at a local level.
Strategic partnership
Unicaja’s North-West regional manager, Manuel Rubio, noted that “this renewal consolidates a strategic partnership that allows us to remain close to businesses in the regions where we operate, supporting their growth and contributing to local economic dynamism”.
For her part, Iberaval’s deputy general manager and head of Business, Sandra Martínez, stated that “one of the key commitments in our organisation’s day-to-day work is as simple as it is demanding: to be of service to businesses that need our financing to manage routine or extraordinary processes within their operations, such as liquidity to ensure cash flow or resources when they are looking to undertake a significant investment”.
Unicaja and Iberaval currently have an active portfolio of almost 914 transactions worth €96 million across Spain. New business in 2025 and so far this year exceeds 449 transactions worth over €76 million.
With businesses, SMEs and entrepreneurs at the heart of its strategy and as part of its policy of local engagement, Unicaja maintains agreements with various public and private entities across the country, thereby reinforcing its support for productive activity, facilitating access to finance and supporting businesses in their development processes. All of this is done in the knowledge that these professionals are a key driver of economic growth and job creation.
Iberaval, for its part, is a guarantee company specialising in providing financial solutions for the self-employed, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises across all sectors and business activities. The organisation has the largest number of members in the entire guarantee system in Spain, with nearly 40,500 at the end of the last financial year; it accounts for around 22% of the sector’s activity and ended 2025 with a total outstanding risk of €1,795 million.
