Credit Agricole partners with “SME-Rise: Strengthening Capabilities of SME for Responsible Markets” project

Credit Agricole partnered with SME-Rise, a practical support program for small and medium-sized enterprises in agricultural sector that helps businesses prepare to attract funding, better understand bank’s requirements, and integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) approaches into their work.

The program is realized in a few stages and combines online education on a specialized platform, interactive Q&A sessions with experts, mentor support, and offline study visits with practical cases of incorporating ESG. The final stage involves the direct interaction with banks: the participants receive assistance in preparing loan applications, recommendations on passing financial assessments, and increasing their own investment readiness.

As part of the partnership, Credit Agricole joins the education module on the topic of Agriculture Climate Adaptation Program (ACA), a program of adapting agriculture to climate change, which the bank is realizing together with eAgronom agritech company and Agrosem that offers complex solutions from seeds and fertilizers to machinery and innovations for precise farming. Within this program, Credit Agricole offers Ukrainian agrarians complex and sustainable solutions, financial support, and opportunities to participate in the carbon credit market. The program provides expert consultations on sustainable production, analysis of land plots to improve efficiency, and the development of individual plan for transitioning to sustainable practices. Credit Agricole’s financial tools are integrated into this plan, ensuring a practical and feasible transition for businesses.

“We are delighted to partner with SME-Rise, as this project helps solve the systematic problem: small and medium-sized businesses, in particular in the agricultural sector, play a crucial role in restoring Ukraine’s economy and integrating into EU markets, yet often times, they face challenges in implementing international ESG standards and accessing sustainable financing,” comments Natalia Porvina. “Together with partners, we strive to reduce this gap. For Credit Agricole, the strategic trajectory is agribusiness: today, the bank services over 2,700 agriculture customers, develops support ecosystem, and offers over 70 partnership programs, combining financing with profound area expertise in sustainable development.”

SME-Rise project is realized with the support of European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), is financed by the European Union as part of EU4Business initiative in partnership with the Business Development Fund (BDF), and is directed at strengthening the capabilities of SME, integrating ESG approaches in business practices, and increasing readiness to attract financing.