AIK Bank and EBRD sign a loan agreement worth 50 million euros to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia
Continuing its commitment to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia, AIK Bank has signed a loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for a credit line worth 50 million euros, aimed at strengthening the sector’s business and implementing numerous investment projects.
The specificity of this credit line is also the plan to allocate at least 30% of the total amount through loans to the economy with the aim of initiating and implementing „green“ investments, i.e. the implementation of development projects that will enable companies to operate more responsibly and sustainably in various ways.
– We are extremely pleased that AIK Bank, in cooperation with EBRD, will continue to be even more proactive in investing in the development and strengthening of the domestic economy in the future. This credit line aims to enable many small and medium-sized enterprises to have easier and easier access to sources of financing, which will greatly affect their business, job creation, as well as their strengthening in domestic and foreign markets – said Petar Jovanović, President of the Executive Board of AIK Bank.
According to him, thanks to this credit line, AIK Bank will enable companies to modernize and innovate their business, to make it more environmentally sustainable, as well as to significantly improve their productivity and competitiveness.
– The credit line for which the agreement was signed today will further strengthen the financial capacity of AIK Bank and enable our new partner to continue to support the real economy in Serbia. Thanks to that, small and medium-sized enterprises will have better access to project financing, which will enable them to further grow, invest in „greening“ their business, and to further develop – explained Aleksandra Vukosavljević, EBRD Director for Financial Institutions in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the Serbian economy, providing more than two-thirds of jobs in the country and accounting for almost 56% of the national gross domestic product. Bearing in mind the importance of this sector, AIK Bank traditionally provides strong support for its development, as well as creating better conditions for its further growth and strengthening. The same goal is devoted to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development through various projects and programs. EBRD, as a leading institutional investor in Serbia, has so far invested more than 8.8 billion euros through 347 projects, most of which have been dedicated to supporting the private sector.
The partnership between AIK Bank and EBRD will further contribute to the affirmation of entrepreneurship in Serbia, as well as to creating conditions for more successful and easier operation of small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthening their competitiveness, and more successful placement in domestic and numerous global markets.
