OREANDA-NEWS. December 28, 2010. St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with Sberbank will launch joint programs, aimed at increasing the quality of bank services for small and middle business. Today the President of CCI Vladimir Katenev and the Chairman of the North-West Department of Sberbank Alexander Govorunov have signed the agreement.

A number of events aimed to increase businessmen financial competency are scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. According to the Director of Sberbank small business department Anton Sermyagin, the new supporting programs will also be developed later on.

Sberbank has deliberately chosen small business as a strategic partner as over 25% of all bank services for small business in the region are provided by this financial institute. 90% of clients in the Regional Database are taken by small business enterprises. In 2011 the Bank will launch 8 new projects for small enterprises of St. Petersburg, which will cover all popular financial services. The new bank office, specializing on services for small and middle business enterprises, has been opened recently. All these programs will contribute to the development of small business and make comfort conditions for this segment of the City’s economy. 

Vladimir Katenev believes it is time to change businessmen psychology and make people understand that bank loans can be profitable and safe. And joint CCI and Sberbank programs will make for it.

The agreement was signed in the framework of the VIII Small Business Forum at “Lenexpo”.  Sberbank conducted the contest for the best small business development project. The winner is “ABS –St. Petersburg Furniture Factory” Ltd.