Credit Agricole Joins Fourth Annual EBRD Roundtable on Banking Sector Resilience in Wartime Ukraine

The Fourth Annual Roundtable, organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), took place in London and brought together the representatives of Ukraine’s financial sector, European Commission, and international expert organizations. Anastasiia Lazarenko, director of Commercial Activity Assistance, and Vladyslav Berezhnyi, head of the Trade and Structured Finance Department, represented Credit Agricole Ukraine at the event.

The event participants discussed flagship support programs for Ukrainian businesses and the further strengthening of coordination between representatives of the financial market. The focus of the discussion were key challenges in the sector, particularly logistics, agricultural sector, and retail, as well as the needs of separate customer segments, such as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The participants looked at where existing tools could be strengthened, where new solutions are needed, and how to better target support toward the market’s most critical needs. We paid special attention to issues of human capital and inclusion.

“Such measures are an integral part of the EBRD’s broader approach: not simply to offer ready-made products to the market, but to maintain a constant dialogue with its participants, monitor trends and changing demands, and continually adapt solutions to address the most critical needs at every stage. It is particularly valuable to see how the Ukrainian financial sector, international financial institutions, and European partners continue to work as a unified ecosystem, combining their expertise and resources to support businesses and strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian economy. I would like to thank the EBRD team and all participants for bringing together such a strong group of stakeholders and creating a space for open and constructive dialogue,” shares Anastasiia Lazarenko. 

The EBRD is largest institutional lender of Ukraine. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the bank has provided Ukraine with more than 10.5 billion euros in financing, strengthening its support for Ukraine’s economy and businesses. An important component of this support is the EBRD’s cooperation with Ukraine’s banking sector, particularly in the area of risk-sharing instruments, which help expand businesses’ access to financing.

“We have a long-standing partnership with the EBRD and share a common vision: to invest in resilience and sustainable development. With the support of EBRD guarantees, Credit Agricole Ukraine is able to provide loans to companies operating in critical sectors, as well as to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and mid-cap companies investing in energy generation, energy storage, and energy efficiency projects. In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, four risk-sharing agreements have already been signed between the EBRD and Credit Agricole Ukraine,” comments Vladyslav Berezhnyi.

Credit Agricole Ukraine systematically cooperates with the EBRD to support Ukrainian businesses. The total value of cooperation under existing agreements amounts to 300 million euros, in particular, a significant portion of the funding is directed toward lending to the agricultural sector.