AgroBank, the arm of CaixaBank specialized in the agricultural sector, has provided the entire agri-food chain with a total of 33,548 million euros in financing during 202418% more compared to the 28,441 million lent in 2023. These figures strengthen the entity’s position in a sector in which it is a leader, as it has 500,000 clients, one in every two farmers and ranchers in Spain.
As explained by the bank in a statement, its business line in the agri-food sector has 1,140 specialized offices distributed throughout Spain, with a presence in all provinces, especially in rural municipalities. Its business model, in turn, is deployed through specialized managers, professionals with specific training in the particularities of a very heterogeneous sector in crops and livestock, therefore, in financial needs.
Among AgroBank’s main milestones in 2024 is the launch of AgroBank Hub, a digital platform for clients and non-clients that aims to contribute to the transformation of the Spanish countryside, promoting innovation, sustainability and strengthening communication between different agents in the sector.
«AgroBank Hub is conceived as an ecosystem that wants to transform the way in which clients and non-clients of the entity relate to the agri-food sector.and be a meeting point and reference for all agents,” the bank explained in its note. In this way, four verticals are integrated into a single platform: current affairs, with daily information and sectoral reports; an environment of solutions for optimal decision making through tools and simulators; a marketplace with specialized products and services; and, finally, a community that aims to contribute to the transformation of the sector.
To support the ecological transition of the sector, in turn, AgroBank has both specialized financial products, such as Agroinvestment Woody Crops or Agroinvestment Ecological Transitionas with other precision agriculture and renewable energy solutions adapted to the agricultural world.
Alliance with the Ministry
A notable milestone this year has been CaixaBank’s association with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to promote solutions and programs that allow the Spanish agri-food sector to face future challenges. Specifically, the agreement between CaixaBank and the Ministry promotes joint collaboration in actions that promote competitiveness, sustainability, innovation, the role of women and the replacement of generations in the agricultural, livestock, fishing and food sectors.
Specifically, among the projects resulting from this collaboration is the ‘We grow together’ program an initiative that includes several programs, such as mentoring of Rural women, a training program available to women entrepreneurs in rural areas, as well as visibility events. On the other hand, and within the framework of the commitment to the sustainability and digitalization of the sector to promote its transformation, the department led by Luis Planas collaborates with CaixaBank in ‘AgroBank Tech Digital INNovation’, a startup acceleration initiative for the agri-food sector , which held its second edition in 2024 and is already preparing the launch of the third.
In 2024, the innovation program received a total of 217 applications, 41% more than last year, when it reached 154 applications. In addition, the entity explained, initiatives are being carried out to improve training in rural areas through Dual Vocational Training through CaixaBank Dualiza.
In the field of social initiatives, among AgroBank’s initiatives in 2024, the launch of a loan stands out, together with MicroBank and ASAJA, to facilitate the incorporation of young people into the sector without endorsements or guarantees. In the academic and research field, in turn, the entity has the ‘AgroBank Chair of Quality and Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector‘ from the University of Lleida or the ‘Women, Business and Rural World Chair’ with the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
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