UniCredit Bulbank has won a tender to apply preferential terms of lending to agricultural producers and the food industry.

The benefits of the new programme are available to enterprises with approved projects under the Rural Development Programme.

UniCredit Bulbank has improved the terms of investment financing for SMEs in the agricultural sector and the food industry. The bank has lifted the loan examination fee and clients will receive an answer in up to 14 days from submission of the full set of the required documents. This has become possible because of the tender won by UniCredit Bulbank for the application of a new joint initiative with the National Guarantee Fund to support the Bulgarian business with financial aid from the EU funds. The new financial instrument will be available to companies which have approved projects under 3 of the most popular procedures for grants under the Rural Development Programme: Measures 121, 122 and 123.

Further to the preferential interest rates, the loans under the new programme will be provided under lower collateral requirements. The amount of the collateral will not exceed 70% of the loan amount. As a relief for the business, the loan management fees have also been removed. The improved terms of financing are due to the loan guarantee, for which no fee is paid by the client.

Applying the financial instrument, UniCredit Bulbank will contribute to an improvement in the rates of absorption of EU funds, supporting the business in a crucial moment - the end of the programme period when the effort is focused on minimizing the loss of EU funds.

The initiative involves the granting of investment loans for implementation of projects under the Rural Development Programme, without limitation on the loan size. The loans will be granted in BGN or EUR and the grace period will be agreed with each client individually. The borrowers need to have obtained an approval under the Rural Development Programme, as well as to satisfy the requirement for staff of up to 249 people and annual turnover of up to BGN 97.5 million. After the success of the two schemes under JEREMIE, the new financial instrument is the next step which UniCredit Bulbank takes in order to facilitate the access to loans of the SMEs in Bulgaria.

More information for clients:

UniCredit Bulbank, Call Centre

Phone: 0700 1 84 84

More information for media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity & Communications Department

Viktoria Blajeva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Ekaterina Ancheva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 963, flbufsjob/bodifwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Magdalena Ivanova, Phone: + 359 2 9232 528, nbhebmfob/jwbopwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch