26.06.2024

Bank Austria for Austria
„UniCredit for CEE“ offers financing solutions for over 2.6 billion euro for micro and small enterprises across CEE

  • The initiative "Bank Austria for Austria" is rolling out the offer in Austria
  • Special focus on favorable conditions for account management and advisory to support the micro and SMEs clients in transition towards more sustainable business models
  • UniCredit for CEE adds value to the clients, leveraging the group strong cooperation with over 25 local and international partners

UniCredit announces the launch of “UniCredit for CEE”, a new initiative with concrete financial, accounts management and advisory solutions across CEE, aimed at helping micro and small enterprises, including organizations from the third sector, to grow, cope with transition and be more competitive.

60 financing solutions for over EUR 2.6bn are available for utilization till the end of 2024 across the markets. They are specific to each market and dedicated to support innovation, digitalization, competitiveness, sustainability and more, while local programs are also developed for specific economic sectors like agriculture, tourism or exporters.

With “Bank Austria for Austria” the offer will also be launched in Austria to support domestic micro and small enterprises.

“UniCredit for CEE” initiative is based on three main pillars: financing, account management and advisory. Among the concrete actions that UniCredit has made available to micro and small businesses are:

  • FINANCING: 60 solutions in place with more than EUR 2.6bn available for utilization till the end of 2024. Among them special solutions targeting key areas.
  • ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: Special conditions, specific to the local markets, among which fee free period for organizations from the third sector or for newly onboarded clients.
  • ADVISORY: Support the micro and SMEs clients in transition towards more sustainable business models, through various educational or entrepreneurial initiatives.

“With UniCredit for CEE, we not only consolidate and grow our product and services base, available to micro and small businesses, but also increase the opportunity for sharing best practices among the markets for the benefit of the clients. The framework gives opportunity for strong local customization with specific country initiatives which match the current needs and ambitions of our clients in each market. This is further evidence of our commitment to proximity to our clients, communities and territories in which we operate”, commented Teodora Petkova, Group Head of Central Europe and Eastern Europe. 

"SME are an important customer segment for us and we are pleased to launch 'Bank Austria for Austria', an initiative that will support local businesses and help them seize the opportunities and possibilities in the market. We are constantly expanding our offering and are leveraging on the advantages of our group to do even more for our customers in Austria," says Ivan Vlaho, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria.

Initiatives within the framework of "Bank Austria for Austria":

  • CorporatesDirect is an innovative approach for personal, efficient and site-independent support for small businesses. Every corporate customer in the small business sector has a personal advisor and assistant as a direct contact person and can be reached by telephone, video consultation or via the communication center in BusinessNet. The promise: a response within 24 hours, at the latest!
  • The GoGreen-Businesskonto (GoGreen Business Account) with the Austrian Ecolabel is a "green" account for the self-employed, freelancers and small and medium-sized enterprises. Sustainable financing is granted in the amount of the deposits in the account. This gives small and medium-sized enterprises the opportunity to make a contribution to climate protection with their payment transactions.
  • With the Nachhaltigkeits-Barometer (Sustainability Barometer), UniCredit Bank Austria supports companies in reviewing their sustainability strategy and defining or optimizing individual targets. With the help of the innovative consulting tool, which was developed in collaboration with one of the most renowned ESG rating agencies, the status quo on the topic of sustainability is assessed and also benchmarked for 20 sectors.
  • UniCredit Bank Austria's Online Förderfinder (Online Subsidy Finder) provides more clarity in the subsidy jungle. Companies can use it to get an initial overview of what support is available to them and in what form. The Austrian state governments, the federal government and the European Union all offer a wide range of subsidy programs for projects in Austria, foreign investments and export business.
  • UniCredit Bank Austria offers charitable and non-profit organizations accounts with special conditions, the so-called NGO bank account with free account management.

The UniCredit banks in CEE continue to provide best-in-class fincing solutions to ensure the clients’ growth and the development of local economies. For instance in CEE for the last year UniCredit supported 63k Small Corporates with 15bn of loans, and more than 53k Micro Corporates with 4bn of loans. „With UniCredit for CEE we go the extra mile for our clients to leverage numeours special offers with increased guarantees with more favourable conditoins thanks to our strong cooperation with over 25 local and international partners. We also continue to invest in our talents so they can build on the advisory roles for our clients”, Petkova concluded.

About UniCredit:
UniCredit is a pan-European Commercial Bank with a unique service offering in Italy, Germany, and Central and Eastern Europe. Our purpose is to empower communities to progress, delivering the best-in-class solutions for all stakeholders, unlocking the potential of our clients and our people across Europe.

We serve over 15 million customers worldwide. They are at the heart of what we do in all our markets. 

Digitalization and our commitment to ESG principles (environmental, social, governance) are key enablers for our service. They help us deliver excellence to our stakeholders and create a sustainable future for our clients, our communities and our people.


Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel. +43 (0) 50505 – 52809
E-Mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at