About 450 billion rubles attracted by business through RGOs and GMFIs in 2024

About RUB 450 billion was received by small and medium-sized businesses through the infrastructure of financial support for entrepreneurs - state microfinance organizations (SMFIs) and regional guarantee organizations (RGOs). The relevant data of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia were read by "Izvestia" on February 5.

"During the implementation of the national project "Small and Medium Entrepreneurship" system financial instruments of business support have been built, which have shown their effectiveness and demand. <...> One of such tools was the support of state microfinance and regional guarantee organizations: they not only provide equal access to credit funds for SMEs across the country, but also open opportunities for start-up entrepreneurs and self-employed", - the words of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak in the Ministry of Economic Development.

Loans of up to 5 million rubles are provided for up to three years. If there is a lack of collateral, RGOs provide guarantee support in the amount of up to 70% of the loan amount. Loans can be obtained in 140 state-owned MFIs in 88 regions of the country. Guarantees 91 regional guarantee organizations issue in all regions.

"Through microfinance organizations last year business received 26 thousand microloans for more than 56 billion rubles," - said the press service of the Ministry of economic development of Russia Maxim Reshetnikov.

He also emphasized that during the same time more than 17 thousand sureties of regional guarantee organizations were given to business. This allowed entrepreneurs to get 392 billion rubles of borrowed funds.

"The average rate on microloans in 2024 amounted to 7.4%, it is more than twice lower than the average annual key rate. At the same time, equal access to financial instruments is ensured not only due to the preferential rate and reduced barriers for different categories of entrepreneurs, but also due to geographical accessibility. We see that financial support is evenly distributed across the regions depending on the number of SMEs in a constituent entity of Russia," said Tatyana Ilyushnikova, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

The largest amount of financing attracted by businesses under the guarantees of the RGO is noted in the Sverdlovsk region (59.6 billion rubles), Moscow (45.9 billion rubles), St. Petersburg (30.7 billion rubles), Rostov region (17.4 billion rubles), Moscow Region (RUB 16.3 billion), Altai Territory (RUB 11.5 billion), Novosibirsk Region (RUB 10.3 billion), Republic of Tatarstan (RUB 9.8 billion), Penza Region (RUB 7.8 billion) and Krasnodar Territory (RUB 7.7 billion).

The leaders among the regions by the volume of microloans issued through state microfinance organizations are Krasnodar Krai (Br2.5 billion), Republic of Tatarstan (Br2.3 billion), Rostov region (Br2.2 billion), St. Petersburg (Br1.8 billion), Chuvash Republic (Br1.6 billion), Udmurt Republic (Br1.4 billion), Irkutsk, Vologda and Kirov regions (Br1.3 billion each), as well as the Republic of Crimea (Br1.2 billion).

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On January 30, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development told Izvestia that the agency is restarting the program of preferential investment lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in priority sectors of the economy. The program will be implemented jointly with the Bank of Russia and will combine subsidies from the federal budget, as well as preferential funding from the Bank of Russia. In addition, as part of the implementation of the program, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia will continue to subsidize loans issued in 2019-2024 to SMEs, as well as self-employed citizens, under the program "1764".

On January 23, the supervisory board of the DIF said that the fund has financed 283 new projects of industrial enterprises. The total amount of preferential funds allocated in 2024 amounted to Br104 billion. It was reported that the clients of the DIF have already launched more than 930 new production facilities, as well as significantly increased output. Over the entire period of the fund's operation, 1,330 enterprises have joined its preferential programs.

Before that, on December 19 last year, during the "Results of the Year", Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the growth of gross domestic product in 2024 will be 3.9-4%. The head of state called the economy the basis of stability and defense capability of the Russian Federation. He added that Russia was developing despite external threats.