SKOPJE (Macedonia), December 12 (SeeNews) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Tuesday it is extending two loans totalling 5 million euro ($5.9 million) to Sparkasse Bank Makedonija.
“This is the first time the EBRD is extending funds to support retail lending by a Macedonian bank,” Anca Ioana Ionescu, head of the EBRD office in Skopje, said in a statement.
The first loan, of 2 million euro, comes under the EBRD’s Green Energy Financing Facility for the Western Balkans, and will be used to support investments in energy-saving improvements in the residential sector.
In addition, the EBRD said it is providing a 3 million euro loan to supply Sparkasse Bank Makedonija with long-term funding for mortgage lending operations.
“Although the funds from these credit lines are intended for lending to households through the approval of purpose loans for energy-saving and housing, Sparkasse Bank will support companies that produce energy efficient products and the construction of apartments,” Gligor Bishev, chairman of the management board of Sparkasse Bank Makedonija, said.
Sparkasse Bank Makedonija is owned by Steiermarkische Bank und Sparkassen AG, an Austrian savings bank backed by Erste Group.
To date, the EBRD has invested 1.6 billion euro in more than 100 projects in Macedonia.
($ = 0.8498 euro)