Ardian Set to Mobilize Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) With European Investment Bank (EIB), Proparco and British International Investment (BII) for a €100m Commitment for Its Nature-Based Solutions Strategy

Ardian’s Nature-Based Solutions strategy is dedicated to investing in projects in reforestation, wetlands and mangrove restoration intended to protect biodiversity. The strategy aims at providing carbon credit to corporates in their decarbonisation strategy. It will enable the sequestration of 85 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere over a 40 year’ period. European Investment Bank commits €50m and Proparco €20m and British International Investment intend to commit €10m, reflecting increasing DFIs appetite in the sector.

Ardian, a world-leading private investment firm, today announces that it has secured commitment from several Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Proparco. British International Investment (BII) have signaled their intention to provide commitment to the Nature Based Solutions fund. Total fund commitments will stand for a total of c. €100m by year end to Ardian’s Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) strategy. As anchor investors, EIB’s development arm EIB Global commits €50m, while Proparco will commit €20m and British International Investment has received approval for a €10m commitment, subject to final negotiations.

Averrhoa NBS is a SFDR¹ Article 9 impact fund overseen by Ardian’s Infrastructure team in partnership with aDryada, a specialist developer and manager of large-scale ecosystem restoration projects. The strategy is dedicated to investing in projects to reforest and restore wetlands and mangroves, intended to protect biodiversity while enabling the sequestration of large volumes of carbon from the atmosphere via natural carbon sinks. The strategy aims to sequester 85 million tons of carbon over a period of 40 years². These anchors investors, including FDJ UNITED for €5m and Mutuelle d’Ivry (La Fraternelle), will allow the fund to secure a €100m first round of commitment, and to attract institutional investors and corporate seeking to have positive environmental and social impact through their investment activities.

As well as sequestering carbon, Averrhoa NBS projects will seek to contribute to climate mitigation by preserving water resources and improving soil and air quality. The aim is to rebuild ecosystems and to protect natural habitats and biodiversity through richer and stronger ecosystems, as well as bringing sustainable income and investments in social infrastructures to local economies.

Over 50% of global GDP depends on healthy ecosystems, yet biodiversity loss is threatening economic stability, warns the World Bank. Forests are vanishing at 5 million hectares a year, while rising temperatures make the 1.5°C target harder to reach and are driving unprecedented species loss, endangering food security, climate resilience, water access, and public health.³ Ardian is contributing to address these challenges by developing high‑integrity, nature‑based carbon capture projects that also intend to restore biodiversity, benefit local communities, and support growing demand for credible net‑zero solutions.

Ardian strives to address a shortage of projects in this area. Large buyers are prioritizing nature-based solutions projects to achieve net zero due to their potential to restore biodiversity and create benefits for local communities.

Ardian’s NBS team has built a robust pipeline across Latin America, Africa and Asia through the careful selection of developers. Key criteria for project selection include a strong track record, a local team equipped for stringent monitoring, and advanced offtake discussions.

The NBS strategy forms a central part of Ardian’s broader decarbonization agenda. This track record includes financing 8.2GW of heat and renewable energy and its €2bn Hy24 hydrogen infrastructure fund. Ardian also provides capital solutions to companies committed to reducing their carbon footprint, with 11,000 portfolio companies committed to Science-based Target Initiative (SBTI) to support global net-zero target.

“This first €100m round of commitments marks a milestone in Ardian’s journey to becoming a -leading player in nature restoration projects. On top of targeting the sequestration of 85 million tons of carbon, the fund aims to play a significant role in restoring ecosystems, protecting biodiversity, while benefiting local communities. We are very grateful to our anchor investors for their confidence in Ardian’s world-class Infrastructure and NBS investment expertise.”

• LAURENT FAYOLLAS - MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND DEPUTY HEAD OF INFRASTRUCTURE, ARDIAN

“This fund represents an important step forward in scaling nature-based solutions across emerging markets. We are helping to address climate change, protect biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of local communities. This investment reflects our commitment to mobilizing public and private capital for environmental protection and sustainable development.”

• AMBROISE FAYOLLE - VICE PRESIDENT, EIB

“As part of Proparco’s Natural Capital strategy, we are proud to partner with Ardian, aDryada, and the EU CarbonSinks Programme to support long-term investments in high-quality afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation projects. These initiatives will remove carbon from the atmosphere while also delivering strong climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic benefits for local communities.”

• JEAN-BAPTISTE SABATIÉ - DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PROPARCO

“Supporting nature-based solutions is central to climate mitigation and adaptation, a cornerstone of BII’s climate strategy. At COP30, we reaffirm our commitment to mobilising capital for high impact projects that restore ecosystems and build climate resilience in emerging markets because tackling the climate emergency requires both innovation and scale.”

• LESLIE MAASDORP - CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BRITISH INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT

With Ardian clients and institutional investors increasingly prioritizing their contributions to biodiversity protection, Ardian’s Nature-Based Solutions strategy offers opportunities to invest in projects intended to enhance biodiversity, restore large-scale depleted ecosystems and support local economies.

Important notice: This press release is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or interests in any fund. Investments in private equity involve risks, including the risk of partial or total loss of capital. Any investment decision should be made solely on the basis of the fund’s official offering documentation. The fund referenced herein is intended exclusively for professional investors within the meaning of Directive 2014/65/EU or equivalent investor categories under the laws of the relevant jurisdictions.

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