International agricultural research company Corteva Agriscience and state-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) are expanding their partnership lending program to Ukrainian agricultural producers to enable them to purchase the company’s crop protection products on favorable terms, the company’s press service said.
According to the press release, under the terms of this lending program, farmers can purchase sunflower, corn and winter rape seeds of premium genetics of the Pioneer® brand at reduced rates.
Farmers wishing to purchase Corteva plant protection products in the amount of UAH 200 thousand or more can take out a loan with an interest rate of 0.01% per annum in UAH, depending on the repayment schedule, loan term and availability of collateral. There is no loan disbursement fee. The maximum loan term is 12 months. To apply, farmers should contact Corteva representatives in their region.
Borrowers under this program will provide Oschadbank with a simplified list of documents and can expect priority consideration of their application, as well as a shorter time for making a loan decision.
“Launched in February, Corteva’s program of lending at reduced rates for the purchase of Pioneer seeds in partnership with Oschadbank was well received by farmers, so we are pleased to welcome the willingness of our partners to expand the program to give farmers better access to Corteva’s advanced crop protection products,” explained Elena Dunina, Financial Head of Corteva Agriculture in Ukraine, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
“The agricultural sector suffered significant losses during the war. The State Bank considers it its mission to support agrarians and provide them with the most extensive package of opportunities. (…) Thanks to the simple and flexible terms of the Corteva partnership program, agricultural producers can get a loan at reduced rates, replenish working capital and optimize costs,” said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of micro, small and medium-sized businesses.
Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.
The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi village (Poltava region).
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine waged by Russia.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of February 1 this year, Oschadbank ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 369.56 billion) among 63 banks operating in the country.
agricultural producer, CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE, LENDING, OSCHADBANK
The number of banks expecting an increase in the volume of their loan portfolio over the next 12 months amounted to 88% for the corporate segment and 79% for lending to the population, according to the results of a survey conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) on the conditions of bank lending.
“In the next 12 months, 79% of respondents predict an increase in the loan portfolio of households, 88% – corporate portfolios. The share of banks that expect an increase in the loan portfolio of enterprises is the largest in the entire history of observation. 67% of financial institutions predict an increase in funding due to an increase in funds of both population and corporations,” the central bank said in a review on its website on Friday.
In addition, in the second quarter, half of the respondents noted an increase in demand for both consumer lending and mortgages.
In the second quarter, survey participants noted a moderate increase in liquidity risk, credit and interest rate risks, while in the next three months banks expect further growth in credit risk, simultaneously with a decrease in interest rate risk and liquidity risk.
More than 80% of banks consider the total debt burden to be medium, in addition, for large enterprises it is higher when compared with SMEs.
In the next quarter, financial institutions forecast the largest easing of hryvnia business lending standards since 2013. In particular, in mortgage loans, due to positive expectations of the prospects for the real estate market, and in consumer loans due to positive expectations of consumer solvency and general economic activity, as well as competition with other banks and nonbank financial institutions.
The volume of mortgage lending in January-March 2021 amounted to UAH 1.4 billion, which is two times more than in the same period in 2020, according to the results of a survey of banks conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the report, in the first quarter of this year, 1,811 mortgage agreements were concluded, which is 51% more than in the same period last year.
According to the regulator, in March 2021 banks issued 750 loans for a total of UAH 577.4 million, which is 26% more compared to February 2021 and almost 2.5 times more than in March 2020. The number of new deals for the month increased by 22%, for the year – by 83%, the report says.
Almost 90% of mortgage agreements in the amount of UAH 506 million in March were drawn up with five banks, which indicates the concentration of the mortgage lending market.
The NBU noted that the growth of mortgage lending is mainly due to loans for the purchase of housing in the secondary real estate market. In particular, in March, the volume of loans issued for the purchase of housing in the secondary market compared to February 2021 increased by 28%, or by UAH 109.2 million, in the primary market – by 15%, or by UAH 10.3 million.
According to the survey results, the share of mortgage agreements for the purchase of housing in the secondary market in March amounted to 87% of all loans issued.
According to the banks’ information, the average size of a loan for the purchase of housing continues to grow, in particular, in February it amounted to about UAH 742,000, and in March – UAH 770,000. The average size of a new mortgage loan for the purchase of primary real estate in the reporting month amounted to UAH 837,000, and the secondary one – UAH 760,000.
It is indicated that in March the average effective rate of a mortgage loan remained almost unchanged: in the secondary market it was 14.0% (in February – 13.9%), in the primary market – 17.4% (in February – 17.1%).
As reported, the volume of mortgage lending in 2020 amounted to UAH 3.8 billion, which is 36% more than in 2019.
The number of banks expecting an increase in the volume of their loan portfolio over the next 12 months amounted to 78% for the corporate segment and 82% for lending to the population, according to the results of a survey conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) on the conditions of bank lending.
“The survey participants positively assess the prospects for lending in the next 12 months: 78% of respondents predict the growth of the loan portfolio of corporations, 82% of households. These are the highest estimates of the growth of the loan portfolio of the population since 2015, however, some large banks expect a certain deterioration in its quality,” the review says.
According to the report, the optimism of the respondents regarding the further increase in funding has grown, in particular, 77% of respondents expect an increase in household deposits, 78% – funds of enterprises.
The banks note that despite expectations of the introduction of new quarantine restrictions, the demand for loans increased from business and the population, in particular, the demand for mortgages was the highest in the entire history of observations.
It is indicated that in January-March 2021, the demand for business loans increased, primarily for loans to SMEs, in hryvnias and long-term loans.
The main factors behind the revival of demand are still cited by banks as a decrease in interest rates, the need of enterprises for capital investments and working capital, as well as debt restructuring.
The banks explain the softening of the creditworthiness for business by the high level of liquidity, increased competition with other banks, as well as improved expectations regarding the overall economic activity and the development of certain industries, primarily for SMEs.
According to the survey, almost a quarter of the surveyed respondents noted an increase in the level of approval of applications for business loans and easing requirements for the size of the loan.
It is indicated that 92% of financial institutions rated the debt burden of household borrowers as average, and more than 80% of financial institutions also rated the debt burden of corporate borrowers.
The survey was conducted from March 19 to April 9, 2021 among credit managers of 23 banks, whose share in the total assets of the banking system of Ukraine is 88%.
The volume of mortgage lending in February 2021 amounted to UAH 457.9 million, which is 40% more than in January and 81% more than in February 2020, according to the results of a survey of banks conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the report, 617 mortgage loans were issued in February, which is 39% more than a month earlier and 35% more than in the same period last year.
According to the survey, almost 89% of mortgage agreements in the amount of UAH 380 million in February were drawn up with five banks, which indicates the concentration of the mortgage lending market.
The NBU noted that in February, the volume of issuance for the purchase of primary real estate increased by 13% or UAH 7.7 million, to UAH 66.9 million, and on the secondary market – by 47% or UAH 124.2 million, to UAH 388.45 million.
According to the survey results, the secondary market continues to dominate significantly in terms of the number and volume of lending, in particular, the share of mortgage agreements for the purchase of housing in the secondary market in February amounted to about 85% in terms of all new loans.
In the reporting period, the average effective rate of mortgage loans in the secondary market was 13.9% (in January – 13.8%), and in the primary market – 17.1% (in January -15.9%). A noticeable increase in the cost of loans in the primary market in February was due to an increase in the share of new loans in the market of one of the banks active in mortgage lending, which offers borrowers a relatively high effective interest rate, the regulator explained.
According to the NBU, in a regional context, most mortgage loans in February were issued in Kyiv – 171 agreements totaling UAH 177 million (39% of the total), in Kyiv region – 84 agreements totaling UAH 78.5 million (17%), in Kharkiv region – 76 contracts for a total amount of almost 43 million UAH (9%), in Lviv region – 36 contracts for a total amount of UAH 28.3 million and in Dnipropetrovsk region – 45 contracts for a total amount of UAH 24.2 million.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a four-year loan of EUR7.5 million to Bank Lviv for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) under the EU4Business program, Anton Usov, the EBRD senior adviser on external affairs, has said.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises in western Ukraine will benefit from a new loan of up to EUR7.5 million to Bank Lviv provided under the EBRD EU4Business credit line. The loan will be available for disbursement in the Ukrainian hryvnia, which will protect Bank Lviv’s borrowers from foreign currency-related risks, and offer long maturities,” the EBRD noted.
“The funds are provided in the context of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine. EU grants will be offered as investment incentives to eligible enterprises to reduce the cost of their capital expenditure on upgrades of technology and production processes to comply with EU standards and regulations,” it said on its website.
Bank Lviv is a regional bank providing banking services to SMEs and private clients across western Ukraine. It is well established in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, Rivne, Ternopil and Uzhgorod regions, as well as Kyiv.
The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Ukraine and to date has committed more than EUR14.54 billion in over 460 projects to the country.
