OREANDA-NEWS. Metalloinvest spoke about its experience in developing institutions providing financial support for social entrepreneurship at the 3rd International Forum for Social Entrepreneurs and Investors.

The Forum, which was focused on investments in the quality of life, brought together over 600 participants from 18 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as Ukraine, Greece and Italy, becoming the largest social entrepreneurship event in Russia.

The Forum's participants described their successful schemes and practices for integrated development of regional social activities and instruments for social investments, and discussed their prospects.

Metalloinvest presented its programme for entrepreneurship support, piloted in Novotroitsk since 2012.

As the next step in the programme's development, Metalloinvest has now started to create an infrastructure for social investments in Novotroitsk. The Company contributed approximately RUB 1.5 million to the town's Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Development Fund. The money will go towards supporting zero-interest loans for projects which have significant social impact. The Fund's experience shows that the loans are generally repaid on time and can be re-invested in new entrepreneurial schemes for the town.

The Company's management believes that future social programmes will be able to utilise the successful experience of the pilot social investment project.