OREANDA-NEWS. February 19, 2010. Uniastrum opened a new Small Business Loans Center at its satellite office in the Bibirevo district of Moscow, the first so far this year. Besides offering credit to SB entrepreneurs, the Center also advises clients on the services and products best suited to their individual needs, reported the press-centre of Uniastrum.

Uniastrum Bank is pressing ahead with plans to open Small Business Loans Centers in all of Moscow’s administrative districts, as well as in a number of towns in the Moscow region. Last year the Bank launched 3 SB Loans Centers and is looking to open another 9 before year-end 2010. The first center, at the Bank’s satellite office at 6, Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow, opened its doors to the small business community on September 21, 2009.

Uniastrum’s decision to open Small Business Loans Centers was prompted by a sizeable increase in applications from entrepreneurs. The Centers will enable a large number of potential clients to obtain expert advice and apply for a loan at a convenient, nearby location, as well as to access the loan funds more quickly.

Uniastrum’s latest Small Business Loans Center is located at 12, Pleshcheev Street, Moscow, and is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 am till 7:00 pm, closed weekends. Telephone: 744-04-04.

Special care has been taken to ensure that the satellite office’s design and equipment provide a friendly, customer-focused environment for servicing the banking needs of both business and retail clients alike. The office also offers a broad array of services, including, among others, business and retail cash management services, currency exchange, promissory note operations, money transfers via the Unistream system, acquiring, international settlements, issuing and processing of plastic cards, including corporate and payroll cards, as well as the provision of loans to individuals and legal entities.

As of year-start 2010, Uniastrum’s small business lending portfolio tipped the scales at over Rb 4.6 bn, more than double the prior year figure of Rb 2.1. bn. Meantime, the Bank’s most popular SB credit product remains its U-Prime option, which enables borrowers to take out between Rb 5 mn and Rb 20 mn for up to 10 years depending on the loan purpose at rates upward of 17.7% APR for ruble-denominated loans or starting at 14% for those issued in dollars or euros.

“We are committed to supporting small enterprise not only through our lending schemes, but also by creating a comfortable, customer-friendly environment for discussing, applying for, and receiving the type of loan best suited to a client’s individual needs,” says Svetlana Chubakova, Uniastrum Vice-President for Small Business Development. “This is very much in keeping with today’s latest trends, which show small business lending poised to attain a new standard of excellence”.