Loans for investment purposes will become available to small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing, agricultural processing, logistics and hospitality industries. The rates for medium—sized businesses will be 3%, for small and microbusiness - 4.5%. The grace period of the loan is 5 years.
"As a result, enterprises will be able to receive an investment loan, for example, for the purchase of equipment or repairs, the launch of new production facilities, for up to 10 years. The grace period is up to 5 years. During the grace period, the rate for medium-sized businesses will be 3%, for small and microbusiness — 4.5% at the current key rate of 8%," said Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of Russia.
The launch of the new program will be possible due to the combination of two preferential programs: subsidizing the interest rate of the Ministry of Economic Development "1764" and financing (PSK) implemented by the Bank of Russia and the SME Corporation. As part of the pilot implementation, the volume of the new program will amount to 50 billion rubles by the end of 2022. The SME Corporation will become its operator.
"Our specialists will help entrepreneurs and regions with the preparation of documents for obtaining investment loans, and advise them. Our new program will allow enterprises to expand their production facilities and launch new ones at "fair rates of 3-4.5%. This is twice as low as the key one," emphasized Alexander Isaevich, CEO of SME Corporation. — We certainly understand that everything related to investments and project financing is impossible without really preferential loans. The priority sectors for lending were determined by the regions themselves."
Speaking about the implementation of other programs to support small and medium-sized businesses, Maxim Reshetnikov noted the continuing high interest among businesses in loans under the program under the national SME project, which is overseen by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov. The program's completion has expanded access to concessional financing for small and microenterprises. As a result, about 18,000 loan agreements worth more than 170 billion rubles were concluded this year. This is 3 thousand more than in the whole of 2021.
Under the credit incentive program of the Bank of Russia and the SME Corporation, 4,300 loans worth 88 billion rubles were issued. Another tool, umbrella guarantees, was in the greatest demand from microenterprises, which find it most difficult to obtain collateral. Thanks to guarantees under this program, businesses have received 15,000 loans worth 135 billion rubles this year.