Given the tasks entrusted to it from the outset, the European Investment Bank is highly particular with respect to other credit institutions. This study aims to augment our knowledge of the origins, the historical development, and the economic perspectives of this newly established institution, repeatedly invoked but still not used to the full. The article exploits archival sources, and in particular a written note by Pasquale Saraceno, to recall and analyse the birth of the EIB, so as to appreciate how it has changed and adapted over the years in order to contribute concretely to resolving the problems of SMEs and reducing disparities within the European Union.