As of September 21, 2026, the Special Section for Third Sector Entities of the SME Guarantee Fund has become operational. The Fund is managed by Mediocredito Centrale on behalf of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The measure extends access to the Fund to certain Third Sector entities and civilly recognised religious entities, […]
As of September 21, 2026, the Special Section for Third Sector Entities of the SME Guarantee Fund has become operational. The Fund is managed by Mediocredito Centrale on behalf of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The measure extends access to the Fund to certain Third Sector entities and civilly recognised religious entities, moving beyond the temporary access introduced during the pandemic.
What Changes
The measure is particularly relevant for entities that carry out economic activities and therefore have financing needs, but were not included among the categories ordinarily eligible for the Fund.
The new Special Section has an allocation of €10 million and can guarantee financial transactions of up to €60,000 per transaction. According to estimates by the Fund, the measure could help mobilise financing worth approximately €160 million overall.
For eligible transactions, the Special Section provides guarantee coverage of 80%:
- in the case of a direct guarantee, the guarantee covers 80% of the individual financial transaction;
- in the case of reinsurance, the guarantee covers 80% of the amount guaranteed by the guarantor, provided that the guarantee issued to the financing institution does not exceed 80% of the value of the transaction;
- the counter-guarantee operates according to the procedures already established by the Fund’s operating provisions.
The guarantee is provided free of charge to beneficiary entities. The same entity may also access the guarantee for multiple financial transactions, provided that the conditions established by the applicable regulations are met.
Who Can Apply
The Special Section is intended for two main categories of entities:
- entities registered with the Single National Register of the Third Sector (RUNTS), pursuant to Article 45 of Legislative Decree No. 117 of July 3, 2017, and not registered with the Economic and Administrative Register (REA) of the Companies Register;
- civilly recognised religious entities that are not registered with either RUNTS or REA.
Entities already registered with REA, on the other hand, were already included among those eligible for the Fund under the ordinary rules.
For further information:
Mediocredito Centrale Managing Authority Circular No. 6/2026
Special Section for Third Sector Entities
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