Financial charge: cross-border SMEs received 4 billion rubles under the loan program
Since the beginning of 2025, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions have attracted about 4 billion rubles through a loan support program jointly implemented by the Bank of Russia and the SME Corporation, Alexander Isaevich, the organization's CEO, told Izvestia. Izvestia investigated what changes in the business activity of the regions are noticeable after the launch of the program in 2025, as well as how a possible expansion of lending may affect economic stability and employment in the border regions.
Raising funds
Since the beginning of 2025, the amount of financing provided to small and medium-sized enterprises in the border regions under the joint credit incentive program of the Central Bank and the SME Corporation has reached 4 billion rubles, Alexander Isaevich told Izvestia. These indicators confirm the high business interest in the support mechanism: companies are able to strengthen their current sustainability and create conditions for further development, including the launch and expansion of investment projects. According to him, more than half (52.3%) of all borrowed funds under the program this year accounted for small businesses.
It is important to note that the "investment impulse" was received by enterprises of the real sector of the economy operating in the field of manufacturing, agriculture, transport, logistics, Isaevich noted.
In his opinion, it is these business segments that today perform a significant social function: from maintaining key urban infrastructure to expanding employment.
According to data for 2024, organizations that took advantage of the UCS program were able to increase revenue by 20% and the number of jobs by 11%.
Final conclusions about the impact of the program in 2025 on the profitability of companies and changes in employment can be made only in early 2026, after the formation of tax and accounting reports from the recipients of support, Alexander Isaevich emphasized.
Thanks to the work of the program, the employment rate has increased: enterprises have been able not only to maintain current operations, but also to open new areas, retain staff and introduce more modern technological solutions, Tatiana Tirskikh, Managing Director for Sovereign and Regional Ratings at Expert RA, told Izvestia.
The provision of preferential loans, in her opinion, pushed the launch of young companies, accelerated the renewal of the production base, expanded the procurement of materials and raw materials, and also made it possible to flexibly set prices for the stable functioning of the business. As a result, the lending support mechanism has strengthened the resilience of SMEs in the border regions, partially smoothing out the impact of external factors and helping businesses to adapt more quickly to macroeconomic conditions.
— Access to preferential loans gives companies more opportunities to maintain and expand production, procurement, equipment transformation and launch new businesses, which is especially important in the face of growing external and logistical risks. Such support ensures the preservation of existing enterprises, preventing mass closures and job cuts," she said.
In addition to direct assistance to businesses, expanding access to borrowed funds creates a pronounced multiplier effect, the expert recalled. The increase in SME turnover generates additional demand for logistics services, construction and agricultural goods, thereby supporting related areas and employment in them.
The emergence of new companies and the expansion of business lines reduce the sensitivity of the regional economy to external shocks, making it more flexible and resilient. As a result, increased financial support reduces the risks associated with job retention and creation, strengthens the tax base, and helps regional economic systems adjust faster to changing conditions.
Point effect
In 2025, the joint program to stimulate lending implemented by the SME Corporation and the Bank of Russia is showing a noticeable targeted effect in strategically important regions, while activity in the SME segment remains uneven across the country, Oleg Malakhov, Chairman of the Kursk branch of Delovaya Rossiya, emphasized in an interview with Izvestia. Against the background of moderate growth in lending to small and medium-sized businesses, it was the border territories that demonstrated the most tangible results, turning the program into one of the main financial support mechanisms.
—The amount of 4 billion rubles indicates the seriousness of the government's intentions to support businesses in the affected regions, especially in key sectors such as agriculture, construction and transportation," the expert believes. — Preferential lending rates help to reduce the financial burden on enterprises, allowing them to modernize equipment, expand production and enter new markets.
It is especially important, according to him, that a significant part of the financing provided goes to the launch and development of investment projects in the field of real production. In other words, resources go to the place where their use brings the greatest return: to support Russian enterprises and save jobs for local residents.
— At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the business activity of the regions, in addition to preferential loans, is influenced by other support measures, — Malakhov believes. — If we are talking about the Kursk region, then it is worth noting a potentially important and effective tool — the expansion of the special economic zone (SEZ) regime to the entire territory of the region. In my opinion, this measure will not only compensate for the consequences of the difficult economic situation, but also lay the foundation for long-term growth and form a new economic framework for the region.
If we talk about Russian small and medium-sized enterprises, it is obvious that the government pays serious attention to this sector, Maxim Chirkov, associate professor of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements at the Institute of Economics and Finance at the State University of Management, told Izvestia. However, in the border regions, the importance of such support increases many times. Businesses there face additional challenges, from fluctuations in demand to instability in the labor market. Therefore, measures in the form of subsidies, concessional loans and other forms of assistance are becoming especially important.
A wide range of tools to support SMEs in these territories allows entrepreneurs not to hold positions and find opportunities for growth, the expert believes. Without such government involvement, many industries could show a decline, but practice shows the opposite: even in difficult conditions, border regions retain the potential to develop their own economies. Government support serves as a kind of insurance for them and a reliable foundation for further progress.
Izvestia sent a request to the Central Bank's press service, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
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