“The Conference of Development of Small and Medium Business in Krasnodar region” took place in the city of Krasnodar on the 27th of May. During examination of the exhibition which accompanied the conference, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC credit bank Center-invest, Doctor in Economics, professor V. Vysokov introduced Minister of Trade and Economic Development of Russian Federation G. Gref and Deputy Plenipotentiary of President of Russian Federation in South Federal District to the experience of Bank Center-invest in cooperation with SMEs in the South of Russia.

Plenipotentiary of President of Russian Federation in South Federal District D. Kozak, governor of Krasnodar region A. Tkachev, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia S. Katyrin, president of the National Fund for Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development S. Zangeeva and also over 3.5 thousand entrepreneurs of South Federal District took part in the conference.

Since 1997 Bank Center-invest has realized the program of support of SMEs of the South of Russia. In the international finance markets Bank Center-invest attracts long-term finance sources into the economy of the South of Russia, which are necessary for new industrialization of the region. It succeeds in the utilization of advanced banking technologies: international contracts guarantees and letters of credits, leasing, project financing.

The indicator of high appreciation of Bank Center-invest by its foreign partners is the conference “Financing Mechanisms of SMEs International Cooperation”, which will be held in the frames of “Russian-Germanic day of Rostov-on-Don SMEs financing” on the 10th of June 2005.

The representatives of the largest German finance organizations and companies, such as: KfW, DEG, AKA, Raiffeisen Landesbank, Commerzbank AG, Lufthansa, Siemens, CLAAS, KNAUF, will take part in the conference. All of them are the partners and customers of Bank Center-invest.

At present the largest international finance organizations have granted to Bank Center-invest credit and guarantee lines for SMEs to the total amount of over USD 37.5 mln.

8000 SMEs and 4000 individual entrepreneurs have already become the customers of Bank Center-invest. By the end of the year Center-invest bank is planning to increase the number of customers (both SMEs and individual entrepreneurs) up to 15 thousand, and the volume of crediting – up to RUR 8 billion.