OREANDA-NEWS. November 22, 2012. Moscow City Hall was the setting for a multi-day forum conference held by the All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Medium and Small Business, OPORA RUSSIA

The forum brought together over 800 delegates from 61 Russian regions, including government representatives, entrepreneurs, and specialists. The agenda for the first day featured a plenary session on the growth prospects for the country’s small business community, as well as discussion meetings dealing with various aspects of SME activities such as demand for SME products and services, human resources, interaction with government agencies, and smaller business’s social mission. Uniastrum was represented at the Forum by Evgeny Totikov, Head of Corporative and SME Development, Egor Shkerin, Head of Network and Business Development, and Igor Apostolov, Director of the Bank’s Department for Cooperation with Government Agencies. Mr. Apostolov spoke at a round table on small business and municipal government.

Uniastrum Bank and OPORA Russia established a relationship in 2010, since when they have worked together to address the everyday needs of growth-minded small and midsize businesses in Russia, specifically by offering the country’s entrepreneurs easier access to banking products and services.

Uniastrum is one of Russia’s Top-10 SME financers. Since year-start 2012 the Bank has issued more than Rb 12 bn to the small and medium segment, some Rb 1 bn of which was disbursed to OPORA Russia members. As well as developing its own lending programs, in 2009 Uniastrum teamed up with SME Bank under a government-sponsored scheme geared to supporting small and midsize business outfits. During this time SME Bank has given Uniastrum Rb 3.4 bn in targeted loans to help businesses in 45 regions under Uniastrum’s coverage. In line with the program, the Bank has extended around Rb 1 bn to small concerns on easy terms since early 2012. Uniastrum also partners regional small business assistance funds, whose guarantees have enabled the Bank to issue over Rb 4.2 to undercollateralized enterprises.

“We congratulate all OPORA Russia members on the organization’s anniversary and wish them continued success in protecting, upholding and furthering the interests of the country’s small business community,” says Uniastrum President Zakaryan. “There can be no doubt that the future lies with Russia’s small business. Our common cause is to create an environment to ensure that small business accounts for an increasingly bigger share of the country’s economic activity.”