Description

Between March 2010 and August 2012, Belgian Bankers Academy provided strategic technical assistance to the Ministry of Economic Development and SMEDA in the following areas:

1. Strengthening Public-Private Dialogue and the Regulatory Framework

   • Training of central and regional teams in public-private dialogue

   • Joint design and implementation of a code of good practice aligned with the EU acquis

   • Development of training strategies and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for trade barriers

2. Access to Finance for Rural Enterprises and SMEs

   • Structuring of a credit guarantee fund in line with European standards

   • Development of management procedures, eligibility criteria and performance indicators, including the number and volume of guarantees, guarantee amounts and number of loans

   • Monitoring of credit market disruptions and preparation of risk mitigation recommendations

3. 3. Development of Business Incubators

   • Support to the existing incubator in Podgorica and extension of the model to northern Montenegro

   • Methodological support for incubation, mentoring and the professionalisation of rural entrepreneurs

   
   

At the end of the assignment, the guarantee fund was fully operational, national and regional staff had been trained, and the number of rural SMEs accessing credit had increased by more than 25% in the targeted areas.

BBA’s Role

• Regulatory assessment: facilitation of workshops with the Ministry and preparation of the good practice framework

• Guarantee fund design: definition of operational arrangements, eligibility criteria and performance monitoring indicators

• Training and support: dedicated sessions for SMEDA and regional offices on credit risk management and banking mediation

• Incubator management: incubation methodology, workshop design and extension of the regional model

• Reporting and evaluation: establishment of a six-month monitoring system for guarantees, loans and rural impact indicators

• Policy recommendations: preparation of an action plan and roadmaps to sustain rural SME access to finance