The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €20 million to NLB Banka Prishtina to expand access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and promote digital transformation in Kosovo, the EBRD announced. The package consists of two components aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and sustainability.
A senior loan of up to €15 million will go to SMEs, marking the second simple SME credit line the EBRD has provided to NLB Banka Prishtina. It will increase the availability of financing to privately owned SMEs in Kosovo. The bank will aim to put at least half the proceeds toward projects that align with the EBRD’s Green Economy Transition approach, backing investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainable initiatives.
A second senior loan of up to €5 million comes under the EBRD’s Go Digital in Western Balkans program, supported by the European Union. It will help SMEs invest in automation, digitalization, and green technologies, with at least 60% of total investments to be green economy eligible. The program also aims to promote equitable access to finance for women-led SMEs. SMEs will benefit from EU-funded grant incentives of up to 10% of the loan amount plus a technical assistance package, both channeled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework.
Sergiy Maslichenko, EBRD Head of Kosovo, says small businesses are the backbone of Kosovo’s economy. “This financing package with NLB Banka Prishtina will help local businesses invest in innovation, sustainability and green technologies, while also ensuring women-led enterprises have greater access to finance,” he said.
NLB Banka Prishtina is a longstanding EBRD client and part of the NLB Group, headquartered in Slovenia, with subsidiaries across the Western Balkans. It is the second-largest commercial bank in Kosovo. Gem Maloku, President of the bank’s Management Board, calls the partnership “another important milestone” in the bank’s commitment to advancing Kosovo’s economic growth and resilience.
