Under its “Kosovo SME Competitiveness Support Programme,” the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently agreed to provide a loan of EUR 5 million (USD 5.7 million) to Banka per Biznes (BPB) of Kosovo for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The loans to end-clients will be intended to “upgrade production facilities and improve their environmental protection, worker safety and product quality in line with EU standards.”
BPB, which started operating in 2001, serves businesses of all sizes through 26 branches. The bank reports total assets of EUR 206 million (USD 234 million), customer deposits of EUR 178 million (USD 202 million) and a gross loan portfolio of EUR 137 million (USD 155 million) as of 2017. The bank is owned domestically except for a 10-percent stake held by EBRD.
EBRD, which began operations in 1991, is headquartered in London. It is owned by 65 countries as well as the European Investment Bank and the EU. The organization provides loans, debt securities, equity investments and technical assistance to micro-, small and medium-sized businesses via commercial banks and microfinance institutions. During 2017, EBRD invested EUR 9.7 billion (USD 11 billion) in projects spanning 67 countries. As of December of that year, it reported total assets of EUR 56 billion (USD 66 billion).
By Michelle Fleming, Research Associate
Sources and Additional Resources
EBRD press release
https://www.ebrd.com/news/2018/loan-to-kosovos-bpb-boosts-sme-competitiveness-.html
EBRD homepage
https://ebrd.com
BPB homepage
http://www.bpbbank.com
BPB financial report
http://c1940652.r52.cf0.rackcdn.com/5b07d400b8d39a7499002087/RAPORTI-2018_anglisht_final_new.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $2.3m to Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KrK) for Onlending to MSMEs in Kosovo
https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-ebrd-loans-2-3m-to-kreditimi-rural-i-kosoves-krk-for-onlending-to-msmes-in-kosovo/
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