Development Credit Assistance

Duration: September 2005 - September 2012

Partners: Raiffeisen Bank

Geographical Focus: National

Description:
USAID/Albania and Raiffeisen Bank in Albania signed a $12.0 million Loan Portfolio Guarantee Agreement in an effort to encourage the bank to increase lending to private sector with a focus on micro, small and medium sized enterprises. USAID/Albania utilizes this DCA Loan Portfolio Guarantee to increase access to financial resources of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises for business expansion and diversification. The implementation of the DCA activity improves the development impact of USAID/Albania to foster economic growth in Albania through promoting competitiveness of MSMEs in domestic and foreign markets, and assisting Albania’s integration into the global market.

Key Accomplishments:

• The DCA program offers the opportunity for SMEs to access larger size loans. In 2006, the participating bank – Raiffeisen Bank of Albania – disbursed 8 loans for a total value of $1,366,897.