Export and Credit Bank Equity Investment

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Up to DM 6 million equity investment in ECB through a combination of newly issued ordinary voting and preference convertible non-voting shares for a 31 per cent stake in ECB, 10 per cent of which has voting rights. The project will support ECB’s future growth, both organic or through acquisitions, and will help ECB develop into a strong medium-sized bank, with a focus on SMEs and retail. The project will assist the bank to become a platform for consolidation and to attract a strategic investor at a later stage. The project has a high potential for transition impact, as it will help to bring about consolidation in the fragmented banking sector. It will also have demonstration effect of skills transfers through the placement of senior bankers in ECB and through improved corporate governance. ECB is a small privately held bank in FYR Macedonia, with its headquarters in Skopje. Established in 1993, it has been mostly active in corporate banking with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In future, it will continue to focus on SMEs and will seek to expand its retail banking operations. DM 6 million equity investment in ECB through a combination of newly issued ordinary voting and preference convertible non-voting shares. DM 6 million (€3.07 million). ECB will carry out its operations in accordance with the EBRD's Environmental Procedures for Local Banks. In implementing these procedures, ECB will require its borrowers to comply, at a minimum, with national/local health, safety, environmental and public consultation requirements. TC funding of up to EUR 585,000 is being sought to procure experts for institutional strengthening of ECB.