On Tuesday 5 April 2016, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced in Cairo (Egypt) that it has provided its first direct financing to a small Egyptian-Italian enterprise – Europack. This financing is part of the EBRD’s Small Business Initiative, through which it has the capacity to provide direct finance to selected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is part of the bank’s efforts to support the small business sector in Egypt.