Financial sector news

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is expanding access to finance for Ukrainian businesses by providing a €10 million loan to Winner Leasing, one of Ukraine's leading leasing companies and a new EBRD partner in the financial sector.

Winner Leasing will use the EBRD loan to provide critical medium-term financing to Ukrainian micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that continue to operate amid the challenges of war. The funds will be used, in particular, to invest in a fleet of cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, and to purchase machinery and equipment.

As a result of the full-scale war, MSMEs in Ukraine have suffered significant shocks and need constant access to stable sources of financing. Against the backdrop of limited access to traditional lending and a liquidity shortage, demand for leasing services among this segment is growing rapidly, as leasing allows for the renewal of transport and equipment without significant initial costs.

Through this investment, the EBRD is helping Ukrainian businesses maintain their operations and contribute to the country's economic recovery, while also supporting a strong market player by helping to diversify Winner Leasing's funding sources and preserving the company's ability to expand its leasing activities.

At least 40% of the loan will be used to finance the leasing of green equipment in line with the EBRD's Green Economy Transition approach. This includes electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and hybrid technologies that will contribute to improving the energy efficiency of Ukrainian MSMEs, strengthening energy security, and Ukraine's green transition.

Founded in 2016, Winner Leasing is one of Ukraine's leading providers of financial and operational leasing services, with a broad customer base in key sectors of the economy. It is part of Winner Group Ukraine, an importer of leading international automotive brands and a long-term investor in the development of the Ukrainian economy. Winner Group Ukraine has been a client of the EBRD since 2021.

The EBRD remains Ukraine's largest institutional lender: since February 2022, the bank has directed more than €8.5 billion to the real economy and provided €4 billion in capital increases to further support the Ukrainian economy during the war and in the future reconstruction.