In a significant move to strengthen Moldova’s small business sector, maib has signed a portfolio risk-sharing guarantee agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), backed by the European Union. This partnership will unlock €40 million in new financing, providing much-needed support to Moldova’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as they navigate a challenging economic landscape.
The new facility will see maib sharing up to 50 percent of the credit risk with the EBRD on newly originated MSME loans, enabling the bank to boost financing to this crucial sector using its own funds. By leveraging the EBRD’s risk-sharing mechanism, maib will now be able to extend more lending to Moldova’s small businesses, offering them the financial flexibility they need to grow, create jobs, and contribute to sustainable economic progress.
Macar Stoianov, maib’s Chief Financial Officer:
"As Moldova’s leading financial institution, maib is deeply committed to creating opportunities to thrive for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—vital drivers of strong economic growth, high resilience, and sustainable job creation across all sectors. In partnership with the EBRD, we are pleased to announce the launch of an innovative €40 million risk-sharing program. This initiative enables maib to further expand financing for MSMEs, empowering local entrepreneurs to further grow, drive innovation, and strengthen their contribution to Moldova’s strong and sustainable development.”
Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director, Financial Institutions:
“We are delighted to be able to offer this product, which enhances the ability of Moldovan banks to support the small businesses which form the background of the national economy. This innovative programme is especially important given the challenges Moldovan business has faced in recent years.”
The EBRD’s portfolio risk-sharing facility is part of a broader initiative across Eastern Europe, with similar agreements already launched in Ukraine, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The launch in Moldova marks an important step in broadening the spectrum of EBRD-supported financial solutions designed to reduce risk for local partner banks and bridge financing gaps for small businesses. This facility is made possible with first-loss risk coverage provided by the European Union’s European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), which promotes sustainable investments in EU partner countries.
With MSMEs accounting for 98 percent of all businesses and employing 60 percent of Moldova’s workforce, this agreement with the EBRD reflects maib’s commitment to the sustainable growth of Moldova’s economy. By increasing access to tailored financial products, maib is empowering small businesses to achieve their full potential, thus creating a positive impact across the country’s economic landscape.
About maib
Maib, Moldova’s largest bank with a more than 30 per cent market share in the country, is a longstanding EBRD client, partnering since 1995. Since 2018, maib’s largest minority shareholder has been a consortium of investors composed of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Invalda INVL, an asset management group in the Baltics, and Horizon Capital, an Emerging Europe-focused private equity fund manager.
About EBRD
The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes the development of the private sector and entrepreneurial initiative in 36 economies across three continents. The Bank is owned by 73 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. The EBRD is Moldova’s largest institutional investor. To date it has invested nearly €2.5 billion in 177 projects in the country.
