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  The EBRD provides a € 8 million loan to Banca Intesa Belgrade in Serbia
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  New financing to support investments by women-led companies
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  Sweden to provide grants and technical support

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a loan of EUR 8 million to Banca Intesa Belgrade in Serbia. The financing, which Sweden supports with grants and technical assistance, will support investments by women entrepreneurs.

Funding for companies run or owned by women is increased under the EBRD’s Women in business programs, which promote women’s entrepreneurship and their participation in business more generally by giving them access to funding and know-how.

The loan agreement was signed by Alain Pilloux, the EBRD’s Vice President, during his visit to the country. He said: “Improving access to finance and know-how for women-led companies is one of our key priorities in the economies in which we invest. In particular, the Women in Business program helps to encourage and empower many women and I hope that this new The funding will support many of them to go one step further and invest in scaling up their businesses. ”

In the Western Balkans, including Serbia, women entrepreneurs continue to face gender-specific challenges, both in terms of access to finance and access to know-how, which limits economic opportunities to establish and grow their businesses. To improve access to finance, the EBRD offers specialized credit lines in collaboration with commercial banks. Since its inception in the Western Balkans in 2014, the Women in Business program has provided more than € 57 million in credit lines to more than 4,800 women-led micro, SMEs across the region, providing them with funding, advice, training, mentorship and networking activities.

To date, Banca Intesa has signed 20 credit agreements with the EBRD, five of which are under the Women in Business program.

Darko Popovic, CEO of Banca Intesa, said: “Economic empowerment of women and their stronger integration into economic flows are important prerequisites for employment growth and sustainable economic development, which is why Banca Intesa has provided strategic support to this segment as the first bank. in Serbia to join the Women in Business program, we have so far supported more than 2,500 women entrepreneurs with over € 25.8 million in loans, helping them to develop their businesses and achieve professional ambitions. that, following the exceptional success of the implementation of the previous four agreements, we continue our cooperation and thus encourage the creation of an environment that promotes the development of women’s entrepreneurship and contributes to inclusive economic development ”.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Serbia. The bank has so far invested more than 7.3 billion euros in the country. Its focus in Serbia is on the development of the private sector, the improvement of public services and the facilitation of the country’s transition to a green economy.