About Us

MSIF is a local fund that was set up in 1996 to manage money from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Objective One Programme. We were tasked with kick-starting the Merseyside economy by providing finance to businesses and entrepreneurs that could not get funding elsewhere. MSIF was heralded a success and its model was replicated throughout Europe.

Between 1996 and 2008 (when the previous funds closed for investment) we invested over £134m in 1,356 businesses, creating and preserving 13,511 jobs and bringing in excess of £245m private sector investment to the region.

In addition to hitting investment targets and creating a stronger local economy, MSIF’s ultimate goal was to generate enough money from returns on investments to continue providing finance to Merseyside SMEs long after the ERDF money had stopped. This goal has been achieved with the creation of The Merseyside Loan and Equity Fund which will invest up to £25m during the next 5 years.

MSIF’s investments are managed by its in-house fund management company, Alliance Fund Managers (AFM).