IBC representatives took part in the first EBRD Small Business Initiative Stakeholder meeting held by EBRD Director for Central Asia Neil McKain.

Representatives of EBRD, international banks KICB and DKIB, Union of Banks of Kyrgyzstan, embassies, and business associations took part in the meeting. Neil McKain, Chairman, EBRD Director for Central Asia, Veronique Hulmann Marti, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic, and Eldar Abakirov, Deputy Economy Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, made welcome and introductory remarks.

Neil Taylor, EBRD Regional Head, Advice for Small Businesses, presented the EBRD report on Small Business Initiative. This report provides an update on implementation of the Small Business Initiative (SBI) in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan from January to August 2017.

In January 2017, the EBRD launched a four-year programme of support for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan following approval by the EBRD’s Small Business Impact Fund (SBIF). The Swiss Government contributed EUR 4.5 million to the Fund alongside a further contribution of EUR 1.5 million from the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (SSF) to support SME activities in the two countries.