EBRD and EU boost access to finance for Moldovan businesses

This article is brought to you in association with EBRD.

• With EU support, EBRD lends €22.5 million to three Moldovan banks 
• €10 million to maib; €7.5 million to Victoriabank; €5 million to Eximbank 
• Project is backed by EU incentive grants under the EU4Business Initiative 

Moldovan businesses are set to benefit from greater access to finance as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in partnership with the European Union (EU), extends new financial packages worth a total of €22.5 million to three Moldovan banks under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line. The proceeds will be on-lent to Moldovan companies. 

The EBRD has signed agreements in Chisinau to lend €10 million to maib, €7.5 million to Victoriabank and €5 million to Eximbank.

Through loans and grants, the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line supports a wide range of projects that increase the competitiveness and capacity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from countries such as Moldova, both in the EU and their home markets. EU4Business is an umbrella initiative of the European Union that includes all EU support to small and medium enterprises in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. 

The projects support investment financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in euros to upgrade their equipment, products and services in line with EU standards, increase competitiveness and grasp international trade opportunities. At least 70 per cent of the loans are expected to finance investments in green technologies.  

The loans are complemented by EU grant funding, supporting grant incentives on successful investment projects for the three banks’ borrowers, as well as project consultant implementation assistance to the banks and their clients.   

Moldova was granted candidate status to join the EU in 2023. This fresh financing will contribute to achieving the EU Economic and Investment Plan target to support MSMEs in Moldova.  

MSMEs are critical for sustainable growth of the Moldovan economy, accounting for more than 98 per cent of all business in Moldova and employing 60 per cent of the country’s workers. 

Maib, Moldova’s largest bank with a more than 35 per cent market share in the country, is a longstanding EBRD client, partnering since 1995. Since 2018, maib’s largest minority shareholder has been a consortium of investors composed of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Invalda INVL, an asset management group in the Baltics, and Horizon Capital, an Emerging Europe-focused private equity fund manager.    

Victoriabank is the third largest commercial bank in Moldova, majority owned by VB Investment Holding BV, which in turn is owned by Banca Transilvania (BT) Romania and EBRD.

Eximbank, a medium-sized commercial bank in Moldova owned by Intesa Sanpaolo since 2018, is an existing and reliable EBRD partner

The EBRD is Moldova’s largest institutional investor. To date it has invested nearly €2.8 billion in 188 projects in the country.