EBRD and Banca Intesa expand support to young entrepreneurs in Serbia

March 28, 2025 by The Sting's Team Leave a Comment

This article is brought to you in association with EBRD.

EBRD loans €15 million to Banca Intesa Belgrade in Serbia under its Youth in Business programme
Additional €1.5 million from the European Union (EU) in the form of first loss risk cover
EU, Sweden, Italy and Luxembourg supporting with technical cooperation funds

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €15 million to Banca Intesa Belgrade, a member of the international banking group Intesa Sanpaolo, under its flagship Youth in Business programme. The loan will boost on-lending to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that are owned or managed by entrepreneurs under the age of 35.

This is the second EBRD loan under its Youth in Business programme to Banca Intesa Belgrade, after an inaugural €15 million loan in 2022, indicating a growing need for this type of financing in Serbia.

Aleksandra Vukosavljevic, EBRD Director, Financial Institutions, Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, said: “We are delighted to build on our successful cooperation with Banca Intesa Belgrade to continue to support young entrepreneurs in Serbia. By focusing our investment in young entrepreneurs, we reaffirm the Bank’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and resilient private sector.”

Banca Intesa Executive Board President, Darko Popović, added: “As the only bank in Serbia to implement the Youth in Business programme in the local market in cooperation with the EBRD, we are signing the new agreement reaffirming our commitment to supporting young entrepreneurs and creating a dynamic and competitive business environment in our country. The new credit line will allow us to facilitate access to the financial resources and knowledge that young entrepreneurs need in order to implement business ideas, thus not only contributing to the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country, but also encouraging employment, innovation and sustainable economic growth.”

Despite their potential, young entrepreneurs continue to face obstacles in accessing credit and expertise to grow their businesses. The programme aims to address these market gaps by providing a package of financial and technical assistance for youth-led MSMEs.

The EBRD’s Youth in Business programme aims to empower entrepreneurs under the age of 35, supporting them with financial and non-financial products tailored to their needs, demonstrating that young businesspeople are a bankable segment. As well as gaining better access to finance, young entrepreneurs will benefit from consultancy projects, e-learning and training.

The programme is supported by the EU through its European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) financial inclusion programme which introduces a variety of risk-sharing instruments to support businesses in more challenging markets. The EU is providing up to €1.5 million for first loss risk cover, which facilitates access to financing for young entrepreneurs.

In addition, financing for the programme in the form of technical cooperation funds has been provided by the EU, Sweden via the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; Italy via the Central European Initiative; and Luxembourg via the EBRD Small Business Impact Fund. These funds will support Banca Intesa Belgrade’s capacity building, advisory services and training for young people running MSMEs.

In the wider region, the EBRD’s Western Balkans Youth in Business programme expects to provide €100 million to local banks and microfinance institutions over the coming years.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Serbia and has invested more than €9.8 billion through 374 projects to date. The Bank’s focus in Serbia is on private-sector competitiveness, the green economy transition and sustainable infrastructure.

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