Uniastrum Gains Top-10 Ranking for SME Loan Portfolio

Moscow, Russia, October 14, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Uniastrum Bank’s SME loan portfolio expanded over 25% year-on-year to top Rb 37 bn as of July 1, 2011. In H111 the lender issued small and midsized concerns a total Rb 15 bn in credit, up 28% on the previous year. Meantime, Uniastrum continues its active partnership with the Russian Bank for Small and Medium Enterprise Support (SME Bank) under a government-sponsored SME financial assistance program. In the first half of 2011 27% of total loans extended to the SME community were funded by SME Bank.

Uniastrum offers small and medium-sized businesses a variety of credit options carefully crafted to suit their individual goals and projects. Conspicuous benefits of the Bank’s SME finance programs include generous repayment periods and competitive interest rates. For smaller enterprises Uniastrum has an exclusive package of loan schemes called Sensible Credit designed to cover a wide range of business objectives, featuring tailored programs for certain business sectors, as well as special offers for borrowers with a positive credit history.

“By steadily increasing its lending volumes, since year-start 2010 Uniastrum has succeeded in solidifying its positions on Russia’s SME finance market,” notes Kirill Tikhonov, the Bank’s Managing Director for Corporate Business Development. “We continue to work for quicker credit application processing times and for enhanced customer convenience. By applying online via the Uniastrum website, for instance, business owners can start their working relationship with the Bank immediately and receive a preliminary loan decision without the need to visit a Uniastrum outlet.”

CB UNIASTRUM BANK LLC was established in 1994. Uniastrum is a universal lending institution offering a comprehensive range of financial products and services, with particular focus given to the retail sector and small and medium-sized business. Uniastrum is one of Russia’s Top-30 systemically important banks, as ranked by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and places among the country’s Top-20 banks based on the size of its branch network. It is Russia’s 48th largest bank by asset size, 37th by loan portfolio value, 31st by total retail loans, and 11th by overall SME credits, according to figures released by RosBusinessConsulting news agency. Uniastrum’s financial statement for January 1, 2011 showed the Bank’s equity capital standing at Rb 9 bn. Moody’s Investors Service affirmed Uniastrum’s long-term credit rating at Ba3 with a stable outlook, while Moody’s Interfax Rating Agency affirmed its national scale rating at Aa3.ru. Uniastrum is a deposit insurance scheme participant. The Bank’s regional network currently numbers more than 200 offices (including 43 branches) in 48 Russian regions. Since October 31, 2008 Uniastrum Bank has been a member of the Bank of Cyprus Group.

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