IFC Provides Credit Line to Unionbank, Sofia
In Washington, DC:
Georg Schmidt
Phone: +1 (202) 473 82934
Email: Gschmidt@ifc.org
Sofia, June 27, 2005 – The International
Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will
provide a credit line of 5 million Euro to Bulgaria’s Unionbank
AD, Sofia. The loan is for on-lending to the country’s small and
medium enterprises. This is IFC’s second loan to Unionbank. In 2002, the
Corporation provided a credit line of $5 million, also for on-lending to
Bulgaria’s locally-owned small businesses to spearhead Unionbank’s SME
lending activities.
Founded in 1994, Unionbank (www.unionbank.bg)
has developed a strong franchise by providing banking services to small
and medium enterprises. Headquartered in the capital, Sofia, it has
has nineteen branches in key Bulgarian cities. As of May 31, 2005 , Unionbank’s
assets and capital amounted to 425.9 million and 56.8 million Bulgarian
leva, respectively.
IFC’s financing will help extend the maturity of Unionbank’s funding
base and will be used as a source of term funding for smaller businesses.
Lending in Bulgaria is heavily concentrated toward large corporates and
the public sector. Small and medium businesses remain underserved,
and the availability of term finance for such enterprises is scarce. IFC’s
credit line is aimed at addressing this gap.
Khosrow Zamani, IFC’s director for Southern Europe and Central Asia, said,
“Stimulating financial intermediation is of particular importance for
IFC, especially to the small and medium enterprise sector, which is expected
to drive Bulgaria’s future economic growth and generate significant employment.
The investment is also a signal of IFC’s continued commitment to
develop the private sector and work with locally-owned financial institutions.”
Ivan Radev, chairman of the Management Board and chief executive officer
of Unionbank, said: “IFC’s investment will allow Unionbank to strengthen
its position as a leader in banking services to small and medium enterprises.
This credit line will also supplement our current activity with smaller
businesses, helping us expand our range of credit products and improve
our services for the benefit of our clients.”
Jyrki Koskelo, IFC’s director for Global Financial Markets, noted, “This
investment underscores IFC’s strategy for Bulgaria. We support financial
intermediation to accelerate private sector development and improve access
to finance for smaller local enterprises.”
The mission of IFC (www.ifc.org)
is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries,
helping to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives. IFC finances private
sector investments in the developing world, mobilizes capital in the international
financial markets, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability,
and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses.
From its founding in 1956 through FY04, IFC has committed more than $44
billion of its own funds and arranged $23 billion in syndications for 3,143
companies in 140 developing countries. IFC’s worldwide committed portfolio
as of FY04 was $17.9 billion for its own account and $5.5 billion held
for participants in loan syndications.
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