The funds are provided under a joint programme of the Council of Europe Development Bank and UniCredit

Upon preferential interest rates, which will be with 1.5% lower than these announced in the effective Interest Bulletin, UniCredit Bulbank will fund investment projects of small and medium enterprises until the end of the year. In the form of preferential lower interest loans for SME, the bank starts offering the funds agreed by UniCredit Group at the beginning of this year as a credit line from the Council of Europe Development Bank for supporting the business (Council of Europe Development Bank – CEB). The total amount of the credit line is EUR 30 million.

„The main advantage for the clients in using a resource under the credit line of CEB is the opportunity in the current situation of expensive financial resources not to postpone their planned activities and to accomplish their investment plans at a price, which is significantly lower than the market one”, explained Lyubomir Punchev, Head of Retail Banking and member of the Management Board of UniCredit Bulbank.

Projects will be funded with loans with lower interest rates in the following areas:

• infrastructure, comprising industrial properties;

• water supply;

• treatment of waste waters and other types of refuse;

• gas and electricity supply;

• development/ setting up internal communication networks.

Projects, which have already started may also be funded but they should not be launched earlier than 12 November 2007.

UniCredit Bulbank is a traditional partner of international financial institutions supporting the region. This year the bank officially signed also a credit line agreement for the amount of EUR 50 million with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Recently, UniCredit Bulbank concluded also an agreement with the European Investment Bank, according to which with its 4 000 branches in CEE the group will allocate a credit line totaling EUR 1.2 billion, by means of which the business in the region will be supported in coping with the consequences from the global financial crisis.

For contacts:

UniCredit Bulbank, PR and Corporate Identity

Victoria Blazheva, Tel: 02/9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Ekaterina Ancheva, Tel: 02/9264 963, flbufsjob/bodifwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch