The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a €72mn financing package with Banca Intesa Beograd (BIB) to enhance the competitiveness of local businesses and promote the green transition in Serbia, the EBRD announced on July 8.

Banca Intesa will be the first Serbian bank to benefit from a new risk-sharing framework worth up to €50mn. This framework allows the EBRD to share partner banks’ exposure to local large enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through unfunded risk participation. The EBRD will guarantee up to 65% of each individual sub-loan that Banca Intesa provides to its eligible clients.

The agreement was signed during a visit by EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso to Belgrade. The €72mn package includes three components: a risk-sharing framework of up to €50mn to help Banca Intesa manage exposure to large and small enterprises; a €15mn loan, co-funded by the EU, to support sustainability and green investments for SMEs; and a €7mn loan to finance women-led SMEs.

“We are excited to collaborate with Banca Intesa to broaden financing opportunities for growing companies,” said Renaud-Basso. “The EBRD’s risk-participation mechanism will help Banca Intesa manage capital and risk concentration, thereby promoting credit growth for the benefit of the real economy. The SME Go Green Programme and Western Balkans Women in Business Programme Phase II credit lines will ensure women's economic inclusion and scaling up of green economy investments.”

Darko Popovic, CEO of Banca Intesa, remarked: “As the first bank to join the EBRD risk-sharing framework in Serbia, we will provide support for the financial needs of not only SMEs but also large companies on an even greater scale, helping them implement significant investment plans in a flexible way. The credit lines signed today will enable us to ensure stronger support for green transformation and economic empowerment of women, key prerequisites for creating a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economy.” 

Banca Intesa, a member of Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo Group, is the leading bank in Serbia by total assets, capital, and customer deposits. The EBRD is a major institutional investor in Serbia, having invested over €9bn through 355 projects, primarily supporting the private sector.