Not all companies need a grant. Many need something else: access to an investment loan that the bank approves and an interest rate that the business can sustain. This is exactly the gap targeted by one of the schemes in OUG nr. 8/2026 (Government Emergency Ordinance no. 8/2026) — the one for investments that drive increased competitiveness and regional convergence.
Who it is for
The thresholds are intermediate: a minimum investment value of 7 million EUR, and a maximum of 50 million EUR. This is the segment of solid medium-sized companies making a leap in capacity — too large for micro-grants, too small for schemes worth tens or hundreds of millions.
The regional convergence component means the scheme aims to reduce territorial disparities. The aid intensity is determined according to Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 311/2022 (Government Decision no. 311/2022) regarding the maximum intensity of regional state aid, respectively according to the applicable European regulations. In practice, this means the same project can receive a different support percentage depending on the county where the investment is made — less developed regions have higher intensities.
What form the support takes
Two instruments, granted together:
- Guarantee in the name and on behalf of the state for the investment loan. It reduces the risk for the financing bank and, implicitly, the collateral requirements for the company.
- Interest subsidy related to the same loan. It reduces the effective cost of financing during the repayment period.
Both are granted by the Banca de Investiții și Dezvoltare (Investment and Development Bank), in the name and on behalf of the state. The Ministry of Finance remains the provider and administrator of the scheme.
A detail that matters for planning: the specific guarantee percentage and the interest subsidy cap are not established in the ordinance. They will be found in the Government decision approving the scheme and in the specific mandate granted to the BID. Until then, any figure circulated in the market is an estimate.
Calendar and budget
The scheme's budget is 500 million euros. Financing agreements are issued during the 2027–2032 period — this is the only scheme in the entire package that does not start in 2026. For this instrument, 2026 is a year of institutional building.
Agreement applications are analyzed in chronological order, not based on a scoring grid. In a scheme with a fixed budget and no qualitative ranking, the time of submission becomes a criterion in itself.
The role of the Banca de Investiții și Dezvoltare
The ordinance significantly extends the BID mandate. The bank is authorized to implement financing and guarantee schemes in the name and on behalf of the state, both under market conditions and with a state aid component, based on an administration framework approved by Government decision.
- The conditions, target sectors, and eligible beneficiaries are established through specific mandates, also approved by Government decision.
- Funding sources: the state budget, non-reimbursable European funds, and privatization revenues.
- For the year 2026, the Ministry of Finance was authorized to transfer the sum of 1 billion EUR to the BID's disposal.
- The holdings of the state or the BID in the social capital of beneficiary firms cannot exceed 20% of the subscribed and paid-up capital.
The way BID operations are recorded in the consolidated general budget is regulated by methodological norms approved by order of the Minister of Finance.
What to do in 2026 if you are targeting this scheme
You have a year of preparation. Use it for bankability, not for the file — the file is done quickly, bankability is not.
- Clean up the financial statements. A state guarantee does not replace the bank's credit analysis; it reduces it as a collateral requirement, not as a performance requirement.
- Establish the investment location early. As it is a regional convergence scheme, the county can significantly change the aid intensity.
- Check what other state aid or de minimis aid you have received. The cumulation is calculated at the level of a single undertaking and can reduce the available ceiling.
- Prepare the business plan for the implementation period plus 5 years, demonstrating viability — a standard requirement throughout the entire package.
- Talk to partner banks early. BID instruments are usually carried out through partner financial institutions, and their selection precedes the opening of the call.
The information reflects the text of OUG nr. 8/2026 in its published form. The guarantee percentage, the interest subsidy cap, and detailed eligibility criteria are to be established by Government decision and through the specific mandate granted to the BID.