Ameriabank attracts financial assistance from the Austrian Development Bank
On 31 March, Ameriabank attracted long-term financial resources from the Austrian Development Bank in the amount of $30 million, reported arka.am.
The funds will be used to finance projects in the field of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), as well as renewable energy and energy saving projects. The bank said this long-term financing will create new development opportunities for SMEs and help the difficulties arising from the current crisis.
Ameriabank is the first investment and universal bank in the country. It was established in 1910 as a branch of Caucasian Trade Bank, which during the Soviet years was transformed to the Armenian branch of the USSR Vneshtorgbank. In July 1992, Armenian Import-Export Bank CJSC was founded, which received a banking license from the Central Bank of Armenia on September 8 of the same year. In April 1995, a foreign investor, Computeron Industrials Establishments, purchased the majority of shares of the Bank.
The Austrian Development Bank (OeEB) was founded in March 2008 as the development bank of the Republic of Austria with a public mandate to work for better living conditions in developing countries. The bank finances projects that comply with the criteria for developmental policies, such as: 1) creation of jobs and national income, 2) improved access to modern infrastructure and to financing, and 3) support the supply of energy (in particular through renewable energy projects and energy efficiency projects).
Besides the cooperation with Ameriabnk, projects in the Caucasus region of the bank include: 1) cooperation with the AccessBank and DemirBank in Azerbaijan in SME development; 2) cooperation with the Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank Group and ProCredit Bank in Georgia in SME development; 3) the Black Sea Transmission Network, 4) the Caucasus Clean Energy Fund, and 5) the SEAF Caucasus Growth Fund.