WB EDIF in your country

WB EDIF in your country

WB EDIF operates in 7 Western Balkan economies
and provides millions of euros of financing and support to SMEs
WB EDIF operates in 7 West Balkan countries
and provides millions of euros of support.

WB EDIF
in yout country

WB EDIF operates in 7
West Balkan countries
and provides
millions of euros of support.

Kosovo*

WB EDIF first began providing financing to Kosovo via its Guarantee Facility instrument, which was deployed via Procredit Bank in 2013. 3 years later this instrument was topped up from the second round of EU financing under the Guarantee Facility owing to the success of the first round across the region.

The Fund Managers of ENIF and ENEF have also been actively sourcing deals in the country. ENIF made its first investment into LabBox: an ed-tech product that offers a fun learning experience in technology for kids of ages 6+ while ENEF made three investments into Kosovar companies, namely Viva Fresh: a supermarket retain chain operating across the country with plans for expansion further afield; Santefarm: the largest pharmaceutical distributor in Kosovo with 30% market share and supplying generic and branded drugs, OTC and medical material to 400+ pharmacies throughout Kosovo and Meridian Group which is a leading distribution and convenience retail group.

On the Support Services side:

  • The EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses  (ASB) has provided advisory support to 48 projects in total,  in order to help SMEs in Kosovo grow, enhance competitiveness and bankability,
  • Led by the OECD, the Small Business Act (SBA) assessment supported Kosovo in improving SME policy making and enhancing the capacity of its policy makers in addressing related challenges,
  • The World Bank Investment Readiness Program “Pioneers of the Balkans” provided mentoring to entrepreneurs to help them get access to external sources of funding.
  • An IP Toolkit was distributed to participants of the Workshop held in Pristina under the programme lead by EIB for support on intangible assets and intellectual property in the Western Balkans
  • The World Bank Investment Readiness Programme through its “PowerUp: Capacity Building for Early Stage Firms in the Western Balkans” programme supported several companies in Kosovo.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
82.9m € Financing for SMEs
644 SMEs financed
Western Balkans WB EDIF map Serbia Croatia Kosovo* Montenegro Bosnia and Herzegovina North Macedonia Albania

News & Events

NEWS

WB EDIF Business Forum

The first WB EDIF Business Forum took place in Belgrade on 26 June 2018 as part of the 12th WB EDIF PAG meeting. The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Economy of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and took place under the auspices of the European Commission with the support of the EIF.

The event gathered more than 150 participants from the entire region, including officials from the beneficiary economies, EC, EUDs, IFIs, Chambers, banks and finance providers as well as a number of SMEs. Several panels were organized to learn more about what WB EDIF has to offer, to hear stories from the companies benefitting under the facility and to discuss the main access to finance challenges.

The Forum was opened by the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Marko Cadez, State Secretary of Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Serbia, Branimir Stojanovic and Head of Cooperation at Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, Ingve Engstrom.

A business to finance event was organized in the afternoon, where the SMEs from the Western Balkans had the chance to meet the finance and advisory providers under the WB EDIF.

NEWS

Kosovo marks its investment in ENIF with a signature event in Pristina

The Government of Kosovo signed an Agreement to join the Enterprise Innovation Fund (ENIF) as a Limited Partner. Kosovo Government joins ENIF in the subsequent closing, bringing the total fund size to more than EUR 40M available for investments in high growth potential tech companies in Western Balkans. Read more

9 Feb
- 2017
NEWS

EUR 70m for SMEs in Kosovo, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under the Western Balkans Guarantee Facility

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and three ProCredit group subsidiaries have signed guarantee agreements to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Serbia, Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This was made possible via the Western Balkans Guarantee Facility, funded by the European Union under the Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility. Read more

See more news & events

Case studies

CASE STUDY

Kosovo* Case Study

A native of bablak in southern Kosovo*, Ejup Shumolli is the owner of a factory that produces high quality vinyl windows and doors. His products are unique because he uses Inoutic, a German material which is well known for its superb thermal insulation and moisture protection.

Find out how Ejup received financing for his company through WB EDIF’s Guarantee Facility

WBEDIF Succes Stories – Shumolli

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