OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2011. Uniastrum SB lending portfolio tipped the scales at around Rb 11 bn. During H111 the Bank disbursed over Rb 3.8 bn to small concerns and unincorporated businesses. As of July 1, regional branches accounted for 88% of the portfolio, led by Rostov, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Volgograd, Perm, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Nizhny Novgorod, reported the press-centre of Uniastrum.

This year has seen the Bank continue its partnership with the Russian Bank for Development geared toward implementing a special SME financial assistance program, disbursing in the process Rb 3.6 bn. Under the scheme small and midsized businesses that meet RBD eligibility criteria can choose from Uniastrum’s many competitive financing options, whether it be in the form of credit to expand their operations, a special-purpose loan to acquire commercial real estate or vehicles, or an exclusive loan facility for rental activities. Interest rates are a maximum 12.5% APR.

Uniastrum remains committed to forging successful banking relationships with SME operating in Russia’s regions. Mindful of this objective, in H111 the Bank inked agreements with six regional small business assistance funds. At present, enterprises in more than 25 regions looking to access a Uniastrum loan can do so by taking advantage of guarantees provided by such funds.

“Small business financing in the regions is growing by fits and starts,” notes Svetlana Chubakova, Uniastrum’s Vice President for Small Business Development. “One of our core interests lies in ensuring that small business owners have access to funding, no matter where they are in Russia – as is evidenced by the Bank’s lending portfolio, which shows an increasingly large share of loans issued by branch offices.”