The creation of CoopEst is based on the evidence that the access to long-term financing (private and public) in Central and Eastern Europe is still very limited and difficult for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) – mainly due to the weakness of their financial structure. Therefore, CoopEst aims to provide long-term financial support both in terms of equity (subordinated loan), long-term loans and guarantees to sustainable and socially responsible projects in the target countries enabling them to leverage further funding for the development of their activities.