Small Loans for Industrial Transition: applications reopen on 20 November 2026 at 8:00
Status on 30 October 2026, based on the HAMAG-BICRO announcement published that day and the programme text.
HAMAG-BICRO, the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments, is reopening its Small Loans for Industrial Transition (Mali zajmovi za industrijsku tranziciju). Applications are accepted from Friday, 20 November 2026, at 8:00 Croatian time, exclusively through the HAMAG-BICRO online application system and until the funds are used up. The Small Loans for Industrial Transition are loans of EUR 25,001 to 100,000 at a fixed interest rate of 0.5 to 1.5%, with repayment of up to 10 years and a possible write-off of up to 50% of the principal. They are intended for micro, small and medium-sized companies and sole traders that have been in the register for at least three years, have a registered office or branch in Pannonian, Northern or Adriatic Croatia, that is, outside the City of Zagreb, and are on the list of mapped stakeholders of regional value chains.
Summary
- HAMAG-BICRO announced the reopening on 30 October 2026. Applications open on 20 November 2026 at 8:00 and are accepted until the funds are used up.
- The loan amount is EUR 25,001 to 100,000. The interest rate is 0.5% in assisted areas (development groups I to IV), mountain areas and islands, 1% in groups V and VI, and 1.5% in groups VII and VIII.
- Repayment takes up to 10 years with a grace period of up to one year. The write-off of up to 50% of the principal depends on growth in value added per employee and on whether the investment is in an S3 thematic area.
- Applicants must be on the list of mapped stakeholders of regional value chains, kept by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, and invest in a priority niche within the S3 thematic areas.
- In the first round, applications were accepted from 25 March 2026. HAMAG-BICRO suspended intake on 6 May 2026 because of the large number of applications, although the funds had not been fully used.
- You can check the basic conditions for your company straight away in the eligibility check.
Key figures
Small Loans for Industrial Transition
Sources: HAMAG-BICRO, announcement of 30 October 2026 and the programme text of the Small Loans for Industrial Transition.
Check your eligibility in one minute
Answer a few short questions and type in the municipality or town of the investment. The check shows straight away whether your company meets the basic conditions, which development group the investment location is in, which interest rate applies to it and what principal write-off you can expect with the planned growth in value added.
Eligibility check · one minute
Check whether your company meets the basic conditions for the Small Loan for Industrial Transition
What HAMAG-BICRO announced
On 30 October 2026, HAMAG-BICRO announced that it is reopening the Small Loans for Industrial Transition financial instrument and that applications will be accepted from 20 November 2026 at 8:00. For the financing terms, eligible investments, documentation and application procedure, the agency refers to its website. The announcement does not mention any change in the conditions. On the day of the announcement, the programme page still showed the temporary closure notice, so the conditions below are taken from the published programme text.
The first round opened on 25 March 2026. HAMAG-BICRO suspended it on 6 May 2026 at 16:00 because of the large number of applications received, noting that the allocation had not been fully used and that intake would reopen once the existing applications had been processed. In the same notice, the agency declared incomplete applications submitted to secure an earlier place in the queue ineligible.
The instrument is financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Integrated Territorial Programme for 2021 to 2027 and is part of the industrial transition initiative for Pannonian, Northern and Adriatic Croatia. According to the programme text, 53.3% of the funds are earmarked for Pannonian Croatia, 26.7% for Adriatic Croatia and 20% for Northern Croatia. The programme runs until the funds are used up, and no later than 31 December 2029.
What are the loan conditions
| Condition | Small Loans for Industrial Transition |
|---|---|
| Amount | EUR 25,001 to 100,000 |
| Interest rate (fixed, annual) | 0.5% in assisted areas (development groups I to IV), mountain areas and islands; 1% in groups V and VI; 1.5% in groups VII and VIII |
| Purpose | fixed assets (tangible and intangible) and working capital of up to 30% of the loan amount |
| Drawdown period | 6 months from disbursement |
| Grace period | up to 1 year |
| Repayment period | 1 to 10 years including the grace period, quarterly instalments |
| Principal write-off | up to 50% of the principal drawn |
| Collateral | promissory notes of the borrower and the owners, and other instruments depending on the risk assessment |
| Approval fee | none |
| Type of aid | de minimis aid, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 |
| Applications | from 20 November 2026 at 8:00, online, until the funds are used up |
Who can apply
- micro, small and medium-sized companies and sole traders with SME status under European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC
- entered in the court, trade or other relevant register at least three years before applying
- with a registered office or branch in a county of Pannonian, Northern or Adriatic Croatia, and registered for the activity for which they seek the loan
- entered on the list of mapped stakeholders of the regional value chains of Pannonian, Northern or Adriatic Croatia
- the owner or at least one co-owner is employed full time in the company or trade
- the business account has not been blocked for more than 30 consecutive days in the last six months and is not blocked when applying, and obligations to the state are settled or rescheduled
- each business may use only one loan from this instrument
What the loan can be used for
The loan finances fixed assets, both tangible and intangible, and working capital of up to 30% of the loan amount. The investment must be in a priority niche of a regional value chain within one of the seven thematic areas of the Smart Specialisation Strategy until 2029.
- personalised healthcare
- smart and clean energy
- smart and green mobility
- security and dual use
- sustainable and circular food
- customised and integrated wood products
- digital products and platforms
Ineligible items include refinancing of loans and leases, reimbursement of costs already paid, investments that are already physically completed, investments in the development of products and services, residential property, land purchases above 10% of the loan amount, and activities in trade, agriculture and fisheries, fossil fuels, finance and insurance, and real estate. The full list is in the programme text and the List of Excluded Activities.
How the write-off of up to 50% of the principal works
The write-off is calculated on the principal drawn and has two parts.
- 10% of the principal for every 2% growth in value added per employee in the financial year after the investment is completed, compared with the year before the loan application
- 5% of the principal if the result of the investment is in an S3 thematic area
- conditions are regular repayment and a number of employees in the year after completion at least equal to the number in the year before the application
- the write-off request is submitted in writing, once, during the repayment period, and principal already repaid cannot be written off
In an example with a loan of EUR 100,000 and growth in value added per employee of 8%, the write-off is 40%, plus another 5% for an investment in an S3 thematic area, a total of EUR 45,000. Because principal already repaid cannot be written off, it pays to submit the write-off request as soon as the criteria are met.
What to prepare before 20 November
- Check whether your company is on the list of mapped stakeholders for its region. The Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds publishes the lists by region, and the latest versions are dated 7 and 23 October 2026. If your company is not on the list, submit an expression of interest under the Ministry’s continuously open public call as soon as possible. We describe the process step by step in our guide Mapped stakeholders list: how to get listed.
- Check the development group of the municipality or town of the investment, because it determines the interest rate of 0.5, 1 or 1.5%.
- Calculate value added per employee for the year before the application. It is the baseline for the principal write-off.
- Prepare the documentation according to the list on the HAMAG-BICRO website and register a user account in the online application system, as described in the application procedure.
- Submit a complete application. In the first round, incomplete applications submitted to secure an earlier place in the queue were declared ineligible, and intake was suspended after six weeks.
Application checklist
Send me the list of steps and forms
We e-mail you the list of steps and HAMAG-BICRO forms for the Small Loan for Industrial Transition, with links. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
How the loan compares with other sources
We compared the total cost of a HAMAG-BICRO loan with an HBOR loan and a bank loan in the article HAMAG loan in practice, and you can calculate the instalment and total cost of a larger loan in the HBOR loan calculator. For larger investments in production there is the HBOR loan for production modernisation with a write-off of up to 50% of the principal. We track all HAMAG-BICRO programmes and their current status in the guide HAMAG-BICRO loans 2026, and the earlier announcement of this instrument from February 2026 remains in the article Small Loans for Industrial Transition.
Frequently asked questions
When do the Small Loans for Industrial Transition reopen?
HAMAG-BICRO accepts applications from 20 November 2026 at 8:00 Croatian time, exclusively through its online application system, until the funds are used up. The reopening was announced on 30 October 2026.
How much is the loan and what is the interest rate?
The loan is EUR 25,001 to 100,000. The interest rate is fixed at 0.5% per year in assisted areas (development groups I to IV), mountain areas and islands, 1% in groups V and VI, and 1.5% in groups VII and VIII. Repayment takes up to 10 years with a grace period of up to one year.
Can companies from Zagreb apply?
Eligible applicants are companies and sole traders with a registered office or branch in Pannonian, Northern or Adriatic Croatia, and investments outside these regions are not eligible. The City of Zagreb is therefore not an eligible investment area, and a company headquartered in Zagreb can only be eligible through a branch in one of these regions, provided it meets the other conditions.
What is the list of mapped stakeholders and how do I get on it?
It is the list of companies and other stakeholders in the regional value chains of Pannonian, Northern and Adriatic Croatia, published by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds. Entry is through a continuously open public call for expressions of interest. Being on the list is a condition for this loan. The process is described in our guide to getting listed as a mapped stakeholder.
How does the principal write-off work?
The write-off is 10% of the principal for every 2% growth in value added per employee in the financial year after the investment is completed, plus 5% if the result of the investment is in an S3 thematic area, up to a total of 50% of the principal drawn. The conditions are regular repayment and a retained number of employees, and the request is submitted once during the repayment period.
Can the loan finance working capital?
Yes, up to 30% of the loan amount. The rest is used for fixed assets, tangible or intangible.
Sources
- HAMAG-BICRO, Reopening of the Small Loans for Industrial Transition programme, applications from 20 November 2026 (30 October 2026, in Croatian)
- HAMAG-BICRO, Small Loans for Industrial Transition (programme page, in Croatian)
- HAMAG-BICRO, programme text of the Small Loans for Industrial Transition (PDF, in Croatian)
- HAMAG-BICRO, Temporary suspension of applications (6 May 2026, in Croatian)
- HAMAG-BICRO, Application procedure and Documentation (in Croatian)
- Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Mapped stakeholders of regional value chains (in Croatian)
- Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Public call for expressions of interest in regional value chains (in Croatian)
Investment outside the City of Zagreb up to EUR 100,000
Let us prepare a complete application for the Small Loan for Industrial Transition before 20 November
We will check eligibility, entry on the list of mapped stakeholders, the interest rate for the investment location and the value added calculation for the principal write-off, and prepare the documentation. The introductory call is free of charge.
