OREANDA-NEWS. October 14, 2011. Figures released by RosBusinessConsulting news agency show Uniastrum placing 6th by portfolio value among the country’s financers of small and medium enterprises as of July 1, 2011. Uniastrum Bank’s SME loan portfolio expanded over 25% year-on-year to top Rb 37 bn as of July 1, 2011, reported the press-centre of Uniastrum.

In H111 the lender issued small and midsized concerns a total Rb 15 bn in credit, up 28% on the previous year. Meantime, Uniastrum continues its active partnership with the Russian Bank for Small and Medium Enterprise Support (SME Bank) under a government-sponsored SME financial assistance program. In the first half of 2011 27% of total loans extended to the SME community were funded by SME Bank.

Uniastrum offers small and medium-sized businesses a variety of credit options carefully crafted to suit their individual goals and projects. Conspicuous benefits of the Bank’s SME finance programs include generous repayment periods and competitive interest rates. For smaller enterprises Uniastrum has an exclusive package of loan schemes called Sensible Credit designed to cover a wide range of business objectives, featuring tailored programs for certain business sectors, as well as special offers for borrowers with a positive credit history.

“By steadily increasing its lending volumes, since year-start 2010 Uniastrum has succeeded in solidifying its positions on Russia’s SME finance market,” notes Kirill Tikhonov, the Bank’s Managing Director for Corporate Business Development. “We continue to work for quicker credit application processing times and for enhanced customer convenience. By applying online via the Uniastrum website, for instance, business owners can start their working relationship with the Bank immediately and receive a preliminary loan decision without the need to visit a Uniastrum outlet.”