F2i sgr announced the first closing of the fundraising for its first infrastructure debt fund, the Infrastructure Debt Fund 1 (IDF1), the first of its kind managed by an Italian asset manager, whose launch was announced a year ago (see here a previous article by BeBeez). Italian and foreign investors, including insurance companies, banks, pension funds and banking foundations, signed up for this first phase of funding, for a total of 310 million euros (see the press release here). With this fundraising, F2i sgr thus reached 7 billion euros in total assets under management.
With a final target of 500 million euros, the new fund, which is led by Gianluca Gustani, will provide senior and junior loans through loans (direct lending) and bonds, to support the development and renewal of infrastructures in Italy and in EU countries in key sustainability sectors such as Energy & Utilities (renewables, energy efficiency, networks), Telecommunications (broadband, data centers and towers), Social Infrastructure (hospitals, PPP), Environment (water services, circular economy), Transport and Mobility Sustainable. In fact, IDF1 qualifies as a product pursuant to art. 8 of the EU SFDR Regulation. According to the provisions of European legislation, the fund is therefore a product that, in addition to integrating the risk of sustainability in the decision-making process relating to investments and taking into account the main negative impacts on sustainability, promotes environmental and social characteristics in compliance with the principles of good governance adopted by the financing companies.
Renato Ravanelli, ceo of F2i sgr, commented: “F2i is the largest Italian investor in infrastructure, capable of channeling resources from private and public entities, Italian and foreign to projects essential for the sustainable growth of society and the economy. The launch of the first debt fund adds an important tool to our strategy, offering more flexibility, diversification and opportunities for our investors. The initiative takes on particular relevance to meet the need for private capital to support and complement public resources in the context of the Next Generation EU / PNRR. Through the launch of the fund and more generally of the investment strategy in infrastructure debt, F2i sgr offers a complementary and additional instrument to traditional sources of financing to support the development of infrastructures, placing itself in strong synergy with the banking market, and to risk capital interventions”.
We recall that last January the fifth F2i sgr infrastructure private equity fund, called Fondo Infrastrutture Sostenibili (FIS), which aims to raise 1.5 billion euros, had signed a second closing of its fundraising, led in particular by CDP Equity, however, the amount of the commitment was not communicated. The first closing of the fund was instead announced at 900 million euros in May 2021 (see here a previous article by BeBeez). With that raising, the asset management company had exceeded 6 billion euros in assets under management and had declared that it wanted to reach 7 billion euros in the following months, a goal that has been achieved today.
F2i sgr, on the other hand, closed last May the raising of its fourth infrastructural private equity fund, called Fondo Ania F2i, financed by the insurance companies associated with Ania (National Association of Insurance Companies) whose initial target was 500 millions (see here a previous article by BeBeez).
