Sayenko Kharenko has acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in connection with a EUR 20 million loan to OTP Leasing, a leading leasing company in Ukraine.
The financing is supported by an interest-rate subsidy of up to 10 per cent from the United States through the EBRD SME Special Fund. It is intended to expand the availability of leasing solutions for Ukrainian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operating under challenging economic conditions resulting from the ongoing war. By facilitating access to vehicles, equipment and machinery through leasing arrangements, the loan will help MSMEs pursue business development and investment plans without requiring substantial upfront capital, thereby supporting liquidity.
Half of the EBRD’s loan will be allocated to long-term investments in European Union (EU)-compliant and green technologies. Eligible sub-borrowers may also receive investment incentives funded by the United States and technical assistance supported by the European Union under the EU4Business initiative. In addition to benefits available to women-led and youth-led enterprises, greater incentives will be provided to support war-affected and vulnerable groups, including MSMEs that have suffered asset loss or destruction, businesses reintegrating war veterans, internally displaced persons and returnees, persons with disabilities, as well as MSMEs relocated from or operating in war-affected regions.
The EBRD is Ukraine’s largest institutional lender, having deployed more than EUR 9.1 billion in the real economy since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, including EUR 3.3 billion through its partner financial institutions.
Sayenko Kharenko team included Igor Lozenko, Oles Trachuk and Artem Medvetskyi.
