Ukrainian state-owned bank Oschadbank is currently preparing to play a key role in international initiatives to rebuild Ukraine. This was the message from Chairman of the Oschadbank Management Board Sergii Naumov at the Lugano Business Forum, which took place in May.
Speaking in Switzerland, Mr. Naumov called on the international business community and donor organizations to take advantage of Oschadbank’s extensive experience. He emphasized that the bank welcomes cooperation with all organizations interested in contributing to the recovery of the Ukrainian economy, and underlined that Oschadbank can offer unique expertise drawn from years of successful cooperation with reputable international partners.
Oschadbank’s economic footprint in today’s Ukraine is extensive. The bank currently finances around 15% of the Ukrainian economy and has expanded its business support over the past year, with the Oschadbank corporate loan portfolio increasing by 24% year-on-year to reach UAH 56.6 billion by the beginning of 2023. In the strategically critical micro, small, and medium-sized business segment, the bank’s loan portfolio grew by 90% over the same period to reach UAH 17.5 billion.
One of the key factors driving the recent increase in Oschadbank’s lending volumes has been the bank’s participation in a large number of programs at the regional, national, and international levels. Oschadbank has partnered with the Ukrainian government on a variety of initiatives, and until recently served as the only partner bank in the state-run YeRobota grant program. This program has provided financing for approximately 4000 business projects and raised UAH 2.4 billion for the revival and development of Ukrainian business activities.
Oschadbank actively cooperates with a wide range of industries and has been instrumental over the past year in facilitating the operations of relocated Ukrainian companies in de-occupied parts of Ukraine. Meanwhile, officials stress that the considerable experience gained by Oschadbank from longstanding cooperation with international institutional partners makes the bank a natural partner in rebuilding efforts. This experience includes a guarantee program together with the European Investment Bank, and a grant program with German state development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which was implemented by Oschadbank in cooperation with the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation and the Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
“Oschadbank is a hub where international partners and Ukrainian entrepreneurs can meet each other to cooperate for the sake of rebuilding Ukraine and creating additional jobs. At Oschadbank, we are well aware of the needs of both international partners and Ukrainian entrepreneurs, having implemented many international support programs for Ukrainian businesses,” notes Mr. Naumov. “We are therefore confident that our expertise, which is currently in great demand, will soon be in even greater demand during the post-war rebuilding period. In order to achieve this, we are rapidly digitizing the lending process and implementing ESG standards in our activities.”