- In 2024, Bpifrance supported 6,432 businesses in the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region, mobilizing a total of €2 billion.
- Strategic industrial projects received €198 million in funding, benefiting 414 companies.
- Environmental transition tools gained traction with 179 climate diagnostics and €17 million in dedicated loans.
- Support for business creation accelerated, with nearly 16,000 entrepreneurs supported and the launch of the “Entrepreneuriat Quartiers 2030” programme.
FINANCING: With €2.5 billion in total funding granted to 628 companies (+309 companies vs 2023) in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, financing activity was once again highly effective in 2024.
The activity of Guaranteed Loans reached €513 million in 2024, benefiting 127 companies, with a strong focus on equipment financing, particularly for industrial needs.
Unguaranteed Loan activity saw a significant increase (+25% vs 2023), reaching €260 million in loans granted, benefiting 508 companies (+321 companies vs 2023).
Lastly, short-term financing activity continued to grow significantly, with €725 million in advances injected into businesses in 2024 (+26% vs 2023), benefiting 509 companies.
GUARANTEES: Continued support for guarantees in 2024 in the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region, with €343 million deployed by Bpifrance in favor of 5,162 companies, which benefited, through their commercial banks, from €628 million in guaranteed loans.
Thanks to its Guarantee mechanism, Bpifrance facilitates access to credit for microenterprises and SMEs by covering part of the banking risk (from 40% to 60%), encouraging financing during the most high-risk phases of a company’s lifecycle: creation, transfer, acquisition, innovation, international expansion, growth, and cash flow reinforcement. With the support of the regional guarantee fund of the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region, this coverage can reach up to 70% of the risk.
The year 2024 was also marked by the launch, in March, of a Green Guarantee offer, structured into green compartments within each of the standard guarantee categories (Creation, Development, and Transfer), along with the creation of a dedicated digital platform.
INNOVATION: Following the peak in deployment in 2023, innovation support activity in the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region continued, with 360 companies benefiting from innovation funding in the form of grants and loans, totaling €224 million.
Bpifrance mobilizes a range of financial tools to support innovation, including grants, loans, and equity investments: Innovation Aid (in the form of grants, repayable advances, or zero-interest loans), Seed Loans to prepare for fundraising, Innovation Loans to launch new products and services, and equity investments, either directly or through partner funds.
With the resources of France 2030, Bpifrance, as operator of the Deeptech Plan, was able to mobilize €65 million through dedicated Deeptech schemes (French Tech Emergence Grant, Deeptech Development Aid, French Tech Lab Grant) in the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region.
Structural innovation grants and Unguaranteed Innovation Loans deployed by Bpifrance in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur saw a slight decline, with €55 million and €16 million respectively allocated to 225 and 75 companies, due to the slowdown in the venture capital market.
Calls for projects under the France 2030 acceleration strategies continued in 2024, with €200 million deployed through strategic national calls, New Industry Loans, regionalized R&D grants and loans, as well as competitions and programs.
INVESTMENT: Sustained high levels of investment in mid-sized and large companies, and a record year for subscriptions and distributions for the fund of funds across the entire territory.
Equity activity covers innovation capital, growth capital for SMEs, mid-sized and large companies, as well as indirect investment through funds of funds, alongside public and private stakeholders, thereby contributing to the development of regional private equity.
In 2024, Bpifrance directly invested or reinvested in 17 companies in the region, including €11 million in 7 companies through Innovation Capital. In addition, Bpifrance holds equity stakes in 55 companies in the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region, representing a total amount of €566 million.
Bpifrance is present through partner funds in 205 companies in the region and has subscribed €108 million in 5 regional or interregional funds active in the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region, helping to mobilize a total of €460 million in public and private commitments.
Finally, the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region is involved in 4 regional or interregional funds supported by the “France Relance État-Régions” (FFRER) fund launched in 2021: ALBACAP 1, ALBACAP 2, CAP CROISSANCE 2, and ORIGINE PME I.
EXPORT: Remarkable increase in export activity with over €2.2 billion deployed in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur in 2024 (5x vs 2023), benefiting 142 companies.
In 2024, Export Development underwent a transformation of its offering and launched, on a pilot basis, a new format designed to help entrepreneurs expand their international commercial contracts: the “Parcours Business International”. Fourteen regional companies benefited from it in 2024.
Export Insurance continued to support many exporters in 2024, with 106 clients covered for a total of €2 billion (6x vs 2023). This was marked by a sharp increase in Credit Insurance (12x vs 2023), reaching €1.9 billion for 7 clients, as well as a rise in export volumes backed by Bonds and Pre-financing (2x vs 2023) and Foreign Exchange Insurance (+22% vs 2023), reaching €161 million (28 clients) and €80 million (4 clients) respectively in the Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region.
International Growth Loans and the International Project Guarantee declined in 2024, reaching €33 million and €4 million respectively. Finally, nearly 200 Export Diagnostics and advisory sessions were carried out during the year.
SUPPORT: Bpifrance positions itself as the leading consultancy for SMEs, with 53 new regional companies accelerated and a sharp increase in advisory activity, supporting business leaders in their climate transition, reindustrialization, and innovation projects.
In 2024, 298 companies were accelerated in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur (+22% vs 2023, including 53 newly accelerated companies).
In addition, advisory activity grew significantly (+73% compared to 2023), reaching 553 consulting missions carried out by Bpifrance experts in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur. Among them, 92 one-off “Expertise Conseil” missions were deployed to support startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies in their strategic repositioning efforts.
In 2024, 99 industrial companies were supported through 124 advisory missions, illustrating the momentum of France’s reindustrialization—a strategic pillar for Bpifrance.
Support for the Energy and Environmental Transition was marked by strong growth in climate-focused Diag’Action initiatives (Décarbon’Action, Eco-flux, Eco-design, Perf’Immo), structured and funded in partnership with ADEME. In 2024, 179 Diag’Action Climat assessments were carried out in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, a sharp increase compared to the previous year (2x vs 2023). Additionally, to strengthen companies’ skills, 22 green VTEs (Volontaires Territoriaux en Entreprise) joined regional SMEs in 2024 to lead projects related to ecological transition.
Finally, the sharp increase in the number of learners on the Bpifrance Université digital platform highlights the success of online training among micro and SME business leaders, with 1,143 participants in 2024 (+72% compared to 2023).
CREATION: Strong momentum in business creation support in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, driven in particular by the rollout of the “Entrepreneuriat Quartiers 2030” program, launched in early 2024 and funded by the State and the Caisse des Dépôts.
In a context of continued growth in business creation in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, Bpifrance, notably through the Cap Créa collective, strengthened its strong engagement in 2024 by supporting 15,979 project initiators (+14% vs 2023). and 8,454 business founders (+19% vs 2023). To facilitate access to all these support mechanisms, Bpifrance expanded the deployment of “Mon Pass Créa,” with 20,500 passes issued by the end of 2024 (+62% vs 2023). 2023).
In 2024, the financing of business creation projects was supported by Bpifrance through the allocation of over €12 million in honorary loans in Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur, distributed in partnership with support networks to 2,583 business founders.
In 2024, Bpifrance launched the deployment of the “Entrepreneuriat Quartiers 2030” program, funded by the State and the Caisse des Dépôts, to strengthen and scale up initiatives targeting entrepreneurs from Priority Urban Neighborhoods (QPV). As part of this effort, 4 mobile units, 4 Entrepreneurship Hubs (in Arles, Marseille, Nice, and Toulon), and 15 CitésLab project managers reached out to local talent in the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur region’s priority neighborhoods. These actions aimed to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with support and funding networks, particularly during two key stops of the “Entrepreneuriat Quartiers 2030” tour held in Avignon and Toulon. As a result, 3,848 neighborhood entrepreneurs received tailored support.
In addition, a dedicated unit called Fast Track To Cash, aimed at accelerating the funding process for entrepreneurs from Priority Urban Neighborhoods (QPV), was launched this year.
Finally, 219 entrepreneurs from the region were accelerated in 2024 through 17 Accelerator programs: 1 Creation & Development, 4 Individual Creation, 5 Small Business Growth, and 7 Emergence.
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SUD PROVENCE–ALPES–CÔTE D’AZUR REGION
In 2024, the Sud Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur Region and Bpifrance continued their financial support for businesses. Pending the implementation in 2025 of new financial instruments funded by European FEDER funds, for which the Regions are managing authorities, the joint support schemes enabled 98 companies to mobilize a total of €12 million in financing.
These interventions relied primarily on financing support through the SUD Prêt Climat scheme, representing over €6 million for 61 companies, and on innovation support through the regionalized France 2030 program, totaling €5.5 million for 37 companies.
Furthermore, 2024 marks the beginning of the new programming period for European structural funds (FEDER) 2021–2027.
Source: Bpifrance
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