OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2010. Svetlana Chubakova, the Bank’s Vice-President for Small Business Development is to conduct a seminar on “Bank Credit as an Instrument of Small Business Growth” as part of a presentation session held under the auspices of the annual federal project “Days of Small and Medium-Sized Business in Russia”, reported the press-centre of Uniastrum.

“Days of Small and Medium-Sized Business in Russia 2010” were held in Pavilion 75 of the All-Russia Exhibition Center. This year this major federally sponsored event will play host to more than 300 small and midsized companies from 25 Russian regions, representatives of federal, regional, and municipal authorities, as well as entrepreneurial associations and regional business assistance organizations. High on the agenda for discussion are issues concerning business development, the creation of an auspicious climate for small and midsized businesses, removal of administrative barriers, and financial and material support for SME. These and many other entrepreneur-related questions are to be addressed at this yearly dialogue between government and business.

Uniastrum, for which SME lending is a priority business line, is playing an active part in “Days of Small and Medium-Sized Business in Russia 2010”. This year the Bank is looking to more than double small business credits, building on FY09 results in this segment, which nudged Uniastrum into sixth place among the nation’s biggest SME lenders, according to figures released by RosBusinessConsulting news agency. As of year-start 2010, Uniastrum issued Rb 26.5 bn in loans to small and midsized businesses, taking its SME portfolio to Rb 31.8 bn. Meantime, the Bank’s small business portfolio tipped the scales at over Rb 4.6 bn, more than double the year-earlier result of Rb 2.1 bn (RBC).