In this project, IPC supported the OECD in its efforts to enhance access to finance for SMEs in Ukraine’s agribusiness sector by supporting the Government of Ukraine in developing a credit guarantee scheme. By assuming a share of the risk associated with lending to this target group, the scheme primary aimed to encourage banks to increase lending to agricultural SMEs.

IPC consultants concentrated on designing all the necessary technical and financial elements of the guarantee scheme in line with best practices, i.e. ensuring a high level of additionality and financial sustainability. Specifically, their work involved seven tasks: preparing a feasibility study, structuring all governance, operational, pricing, risk management and funding aspects of the scheme, and providing recommendations for regulatory reforms. The final task consisted of a series of capacity-building seminars for government representatives and employees of local and international banks operating in Ukraine.

IPC’s findings and recommendations were presented and critically discussed in regular task force meetings with representatives from the National Bank of Ukraine, various ministries and Ukrainian government agencies as well as the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme.

At the end of the project, the analytical reports, procedures, presentations and all other material that was developed by IPC in the framework of this project were handed over by OECD to the Ukrainian government, combined with the recommendation to set up the credit guarantee scheme