The era of redistribution

The first half of the year, before the onset of the crisis has passed without major changes SME lending market. "product lines of banks does not change significantly, except that the expanded boundaries of the segmentation medium-sized businesses, as well as increased the maximum loan amount to 60-75 million rubles." - said Artyom Mordvinkin, Deputy Head of SME lending BTA. But Anton Lupanov, deputy director of the Department of Small and Medium Business PSB believes that, by contrast, are actively developing other banking and non-bank financial institutions - to introduce new credit products, improved old ones, to introduce additional services. "With regard to tariffs, up to September 2008 rates on lending and other rates were stable with a tendency to decrease. With the onset of the global financial crisis, virtually all banks have to raise rates, and some banks have stopped altogether and SME lending, resulting in significantly reduced volumes of bank financing business as a whole, "- explains Anton Lupanov." Significant changes have occurred in the proposals of banks - in connection with the adoption of anti-crisis measures product lines reduced to a minimum, interest rates rose to an average of 24-25% per annum "- continues to Artem Mordvinkin. Thus, starting with the IV quarter of this year the market situation has changed dramatically in the background of the first wave of the financial crisis in Russia . 'Many banks have stopped lending altogether, part of banks' close' to new customers, carrying only the lending of existing borrowers, "- says Artem Mordvinkin." One of the most obvious trend this year was to reduce the number of banks providing loans to small and medium business - said Csaba Zentai, head of block "Small and medium business at Alfa Bank. The trend of the sector lending to SMEs in 2008, according to Anton Lupanov been an increase in proposals from the banks, increasing competition between them, the development of partnership programs so-called software "loyalty", the introduction of specialized loans for the purchase of vehicles and machinery, industrial and commercial equipment, commercial real estate. It should be noted that each year the small and medium businesses is becoming more open towards the banks. Companies realize that they do not just take out a loan and attract investment in their business, more entrepreneurs are beginning to show its activities out of the shadows, thereby increasing the attractiveness to invest in their businesses. It helps banks to constantly improve the technology lending and to reduce its demands to the companies. And such actions lead primarily to improve the quality of customer service and accelerate the procedure for considering applications for credit. The volume of credit decreased slightly in recent years. "This is mainly due to the fact that the bank has changed the requirements to potential borrowers increased financial reporting requirements of companies the proposed provision and other loans for long terms are less preferred foreign currency loans increased focus ", - Andrey Puchkov, Deputy Chief of lending to small and medium business of UniCredit Bank. Promsyazbank in the same situation is somewhat different: the volume of SME lending is not showed a downward trend. "We are as ever put the emphasis on cooperation with reliable borrowers with good credit history and occupies a stable position in the market. Now the focus is shifted to the borrowers, implementing large-scale investment projects for clients in need of funding working capital, "- says Anton Lupanov. Yet there are grounds for optimism - our Government has recently announced that it would assist small businesses in the amount of 30 billion rubles that will increase the amount of support to small entrepreneurs at times. The money will go through Vneshekonombank and through subsidies to regional budgets.