The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Matteo Colangeli as Managing Director for SME Finance and Development, effective 1 April 2026. He will succeed Zsuzsanna Hargitai, who is retiring from the Bank after a long and influential career.
In his new role, Colangeli will oversee the EBRD’s global efforts to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a core pillar of the Bank’s strategy to drive economic growth, innovation and job creation across its regions of operation.
An Italian national, Colangeli has spent more than two decades in international finance and development banking. He joined the EBRD in 2005 as a banker in London and has since held a series of senior roles across the institution, including positions covering energy and infrastructure projects in Ukraine and Bulgaria.
In recent years he has been closely associated with the Western Balkans, serving as the EBRD’s Regional Director for the Western Balkans and Head of Serbia, based in Belgrade. In that capacity, he oversaw the Bank’s investments across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, with a focus on private-sector development, green transition and regional connectivity.
During his tenure in the region, the EBRD strengthened its support for SMEs, start-ups and green investments, while also expanding programmes aimed at improving access to finance and boosting innovation ecosystems.
Colangeli holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and previously worked in investment banking and consulting in London and Milan before joining the EBRD.
His appointment signals the Bank’s continued commitment to strengthening SME financing globally, as smaller companies remain a key driver of economic resilience and growth across emerging markets.
