The preferential business financing program from Kavkaz.RF and Sberbank has proven its effectiveness.
Under the program to fund small and medium-sized businesses in the North Caucasus Federal District, 200 loan agreements have been signed for a total amount of 7.5 billion rubles. Of this amount, 1.5 billion rubles has been funded by Kavkaz.RF. The total cost of projects implemented with the support of the program has exceeded 18.4 billion rubles.
"Despite the previously high key rate, the financing limit for this program, which started in December 2022, has been almost completely exhausted. Under the agreement, Sber received funding from Kavkaz.RF in the amount of 1.5 billion rubles to issue investment and working capital loans to SMEs in the North Caucasus Federal District. The total amount of lending provided for in the agreement is 8 billion rubles," said Andrey Tsemakhovich, first deputy general director of Kavkaz.RF.
" Our unique program, developed jointly with Kavkaz.RF, has proven its effectiveness. It has already helped launch or dynamically develop 200 small and medium-sized business projects. We at Sberbank South-West have provided preferential loans totaling 7.5 billion rubles. Initially, the program included only companies operating in the republics of the Caucasus. In 2024, we expanded access to it to businesses in Stavropol: many entrepreneurs in the region have long been working or are ready to enter neighboring regions of the Caucasus with breakthrough investment projects. Seventeen business projects in Stavropol took advantage of this opportunity. Our preferential lending program has become a significant driver of growth for the entire investment potential of the Caucasus, as business support has a multiplier effect on the growth of dozens of industries and sectors, increases the attractiveness of the territories for investors, and helps improve the quality of life for millions of people," commented Anatoly Pesenikov, Chairman of Sberbank's South-West Bank.
Entrepreneurs from all seven constituent entities of the North Caucasus Federal District took advantage of the preferential financing opportunity. The most active were North Ossetia (66 preferential loans), Kabardino-Balkaria (44 preferential loans), and Dagestan (43 preferential loans). At the same time, the largest projects (with a total value of over 7 billion rubles) involving the funding program are being implemented in Ingushetia. The lending sectors under this program are key areas for unlocking the economic potential of the macroregion: agriculture, tourism, construction, manufacturing, and services.
“The reduction in the key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in July 2025 directly influenced the reduction in interest rates on loans issued under the funding program. This makes this instrument even more accessible and profitable for entrepreneurs in the North Caucasus Federal District, opening up new opportunities for business development in the region,” notes Andrey Tsemakhovich.