The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union (EU) and Banca Intesa in Serbia have launched a €120 million financial package aimed at expanding access to finance for women entrepreneurs and underserved small businesses. The initiative is designed to support enterprises that often face difficulties obtaining bank loans, including women-led businesses, young entrepreneurs, and firms operating in tourism, agriculture and rural areas.
Of the total package, €20 million will be specifically dedicated to women-led businesses under the EBRD’s Women in Business programme. The remaining €100 million will be made available to small and medium-sized enterprises through new loans enabled by an EBRD unfunded portfolio guarantee to Banca Intesa. Under this risk-sharing arrangement, the EBRD will cover up to 50 percent of the credit risk on eligible SME loans, allowing the bank to extend financing to a broader range of businesses.
The EU is supporting both facilities through technical assistance and a first-loss counter-guarantee provided under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) programme. By sharing lending risks, the EBRD and EU are enabling Banca Intesa to allocate more of its own resources toward small businesses, strengthening the bank’s resilience while expanding financial inclusion.
According to EBRD representatives, the partnership combines innovative financial instruments with targeted technical support to help SMEs and households invest in growth and energy-efficient upgrades. EU officials emphasized that improved access to finance for women-led enterprises, young entrepreneurs and rural companies will promote sustainability, job creation and economic resilience, while supporting Serbia’s broader socio-economic alignment with the European Union.
