OREANDA-NEWS. July 25, 2012. CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank of Russia, Herman Gref, and the Governor of the Tula Region, Vladimir Gruzdev, signed a Cooperation Agreement between Sberbank of Russia and the Government of the Tula Region. The Agreement confirms the intentions of the parties to create the conditions required to successfully implement the plans for social and economic development of the Tula Region, and for ensuring social stability and higher quality of people’s life, reported the press-centre of Sberbank.

Sberbank intends to contribute to the development and enhancement of the small business financial activity in the Tula Region by creating a specialized Small Business Development Center, to train and support first-time entrepreneurs under the special Business Start credit product, and to develop consumer and housing lending of the Tula Region's population.

Together with Sberbank of Russia, the Government of the Tula Region is also implementing the projects for creating a Single Cash Management Center of the Housing and Utilities Infrastructure, optimizing the processes of social payments, and establishing self-service offices – bus-stop pavilions.

The Agreement specifies the list of projects and possible areas of cooperation between the Tula Region and Sberbank of Russia. They concern possible financing of construction of several residential complexes in Tula (for the total amount of RUB 8.4 billion), a poultry production complex for breading and processing of turkey meat in the Tula Region – CJSC Krasnobor (RUB 1.3 billion), a methanol production unit and a new hydrogen unit at OJSC Schekinoazot (RUB 8 billion).

“In accordance with the Agreement, Sberbank intends to help strengthen the banking sector of the Tula Region’s economy, enhance the availability and quality of bank services for the region's companies and population, and form the region’s investment attractiveness,” said Herman Gref, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank of Russia.