The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €20 million to Microinvest LLC, Moldova’s largest non-bank financial institution, to help more small businesses get the financing they need, the EBRD said. The loan will allow Microinvest to offer more credit to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and strengthen the country’s private sector as it works to grow and adapt in a challenging regional climate.
The funding comes through the EBRD’s Financial Intermediaries Framework, which helps financial institutions expand lending to smaller firms. In Microinvest’s case, the money will diversify its funding sources, extend loan terms, and help it reach even more small entrepreneurs, especially outside urban centers. The goal is to unlock more private investment and make the Moldovan economy more resilient.
Microinvest plays a big role in Moldova’s economy. It controls about 40 percent of the non-bank lending market and ranks fifth among all lenders in the country. The company, recently bought by Victoriabank, has assets of around €392 million and provides financing to farmers, small-scale businesses, and families. Its focus on local development has made it a key supporter of inclusive growth across the country.
By backing Microinvest, the EBRD aims to give thousands of Moldovan businesses better access to finance while strengthening the local financial system. The investment also fits into the Bank’s wider work to boost sustainable growth and the green transition in Eastern Europe.
The EBRD is Moldova’s biggest institutional investor, with €2.9 billion put into 188 projects so far, nearly half of which focus on sustainable infrastructure. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Bank has also delivered €1.7 billion in support to help Moldova offset the economic fallout from the war.
