The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the EBRD) is the largest institutional investor in Central Asia, with close to €11.6 billion (US$ 12.3 billion equivalent) committed to projects in a variety of sectors, from infrastructure to agriculture, with a focus on private sector development.
The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes the development of the private sector and entrepreneurial initiative in 38 economies across three continents. The Bank is owned by 66 countries as well as the EU and the EIB. EBRD investments are aimed at making the economies in its regions competitive, inclusive, well-governed, green, resilient and integrated. Follow us on the web, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
The EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) was launched in 1999 and aims to promote foreign trade to, from and among the countries in which the EBRD invests. Through the programme, the EBRD provides guarantees to international confirming banks and short-term loans to selected banks and factoring companies for on-lending to local exporters, importers and distributors. The TFP currently includes over 100 partner banks in 26 countries, with limits exceeding EUR 1.5 billion in total and more than 800 confirming banks worldwide. Since the establishment, the bank has supported over 20,000 import – export transactions across 26 countries.
In 2010, the EBRD teamed up with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and launched Trade Finance e-Learning Programme, which offers further education in trade finance. Since the launch of the online school, more than 3,200 specialist from over 267 organisations in 35 countries across eastern Europe, Central Asia and the southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) have taken part in the e-learning programme. In 2018, the EBRD and the International Compliance Association (ICA) jointly funded international qualification in compliance. The aim is to help issuing banks involved in the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme to achieve best international practice in trade finance.
