The ICF opens ICF Leisure with 5.09 million for the leisure sector

The Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) has opened the ICF Leisure loan line, endowed with 5,094,813 euros and co-financed by the Department of Enterprise and Work (DEMT), for companies in the leisure and natural spaces sector affected by the drop in demand and by access restrictions derived from the African swine fever outbreaks detected in Catalonia. The specific regulations were published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9770, of October 9, 2026, in the Announcements section, with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26279118-2026. The text was signed by the CEO of the ICF, Vanessa Servera i Planas, in Barcelona on September 22, 2026.

The ICF steering committee, in exercise of the powers corresponding to it by agreement of the entity’s Governing Board, has resolved to approve these regulations with preferential conditions. The measure responds to two exceptional circumstances that the Government identifies as the origin of the adverse situation: on one hand, the drop in demand for leisure activities and, on the other, the access restrictions to natural spaces imposed by the competent authorities due to the African swine fever outbreaks. The DEMT has signed an agreement with the ICF to co-finance the line and improve its economic conditions, with the stated objective of providing support to freelancers, micro-enterprises, and small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector.

Recipients and access requirements

Loans may be requested by natural and/or legal persons who carry out business activities in the leisure sector or in natural spaces, with a registered or operational office in Catalonia, for working capital needs. The main requirements are:

• Minimum seniority of four years of the activity for which the financing is requested.
• Registered or operational office in Catalonia, or a commitment to open one at the time of disbursement.
• Category of freelancer, micro-enterprise, small enterprise, or medium-sized enterprise.
• Turnover negatively affected by the drop in demand or by access restrictions; the period of decline is calculated from October 1, 2025, and is compared with the same period of the previous year.
• To be up to date with obligations to the State Tax Administration Agency, the General Treasury of the Social Security, and the Tax Agency of Catalonia, without RAI or ASNEF incidents, negative equity, or continued losses over the last three financial years.

Financial conditions of the loans

The loans are intended for working capital (treasury, payroll, and payment to suppliers) and the general conditions are as follows:

• Minimum amount of 25,000 euros and maximum amount of 500,000 euros per beneficiary, calculated per single enterprise.
• Variable interest rate, 12-month EURIBOR + 2.50%, with a bonus of up to 2 percentage points charged to the fund established by the DEMT, such that the effective rate borne by the beneficiary is the 12-month EURIBOR + 0.50%.
• Amortization period of 5 years, with 1 year of grace on principal included within this term.
• Monthly French amortization system, opening fee of 0% and early repayment fee of 0.25% plus breakage costs.
• Late payment interest of 6 additional percentage points over the applied rate.

The line is framed within the Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 of December 13, 2023, regarding de minimis aid, with a general limit of 300,000 euros per single enterprise over three fiscal years. The procedure is non-competitive and the line is listed in the Strategic Grant Plan with code PES25-28_ECF0047, in the Registry of Grants and Aid of Catalonia with code 6330-26-004, and in the National Grants Database with code BDNS 933756.

Deadlines and submission of applications

Applications are submitted electronically via the ICF digital banking and can be formalized from the day after the publication of the provision in the DOGC until the amount of the line is exhausted. The required documentation includes the census status certificate, the bank map, the CIRBE file, the annual VAT summaries (model 390) for the last three fiscal years, and the quarterly VAT returns (model 303) since the fourth quarter of 2024, with additional specific documentation for freelancers, legal entities, and civil societies or communities of property. If the application is incomplete, the ICF requires correction within ten business days, and the formalization of the contract must be done within a maximum of 90 days from the communication of the granting resolution.

The line arrives at a time when leisure and activities in natural spaces have accumulated months of low billing due to factors beyond their management, such as the health restrictions linked to African swine fever. With a ceiling of 500,000 euros per company and a subsidized effective rate, ICF Lleure offers freelancers and SMEs in the sector a liquidity instrument to maintain activity while demand normalizes.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9770, October 9, 2026, Announcements, Department of Economy and Finance – Catalan Institute of Finance (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26279118-2026).