The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) are joining forces to mobilise up to EUR 1.12 billion in financing for Spanish mid-caps. An agreement signed on 25 January will enable ICO to expand its lending capacity for mid-caps and is expected to benefit companies employing almost 26,000 people. The EUR 200 million guaranteed by the EIB under a risk sharing facility is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, or "Juncker Plan". In Portugal, the EIB is providing EUR 55 million to Portuguese company SONAE MC for its food retail stores, which comprise a chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets. EIB financing will make the company’s stores more energy efficient while promoting the use of renewables. A EUR 20 million EIB loan announced on 18 January will help Finnish company Nightingale to accelerate research and development of blood analysis technology.