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Special Programs

for SMEs

  • Find out more about how you can access funds through the EaSI Guarantee, Invest Eu,
    Start-up Nation and Woman Antrepreneur programs

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EaSI Guarantee

 

The general needs loan can be granted with a 80% guarantee provided by the European Investment Fund.

This financing benefits from a guarantee financed by the European Union within the Employment and Social Innovation Programme (“EaSI”) and the European Fund for Strategic Investments Fund (“EFSI”) established within the investment plan for Europe. The financing that was granted benefits from European Union’s support within the guarantee mechanism set up in the EU Regulation no. 1296/2013 of European Parliament and of the Council for a Union’s program creation for the Employment and Social Innovation Programme (“EaSI”) and within the European Fund for Strategic Investments Fund (“EFSI”) established within the investment plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to support the financing and implementation of productive investments in the European Union and to facilitate the access to financing.

I Additional information regarding EFSI are available on European Commission’s web-site (European Commission’s website) and on Twitter (#investEU).

 

The EaSI program offers a guarantee tool designed to facilitate the access of micro-enterprises to micro-financing, both in start-up and development phases, supporting the development activity and the economic growth, as well as encouraging the social entrepreneurship development that contributes to employment of persons that have difficulties in maintaining or getting a workplace.

 

Details regarding EaSI guarantee:

 

  • No guarantee fee will be charged when granting the guarantee;
  • Guarantees the loans in lei with amounts of maximum 118,710 lei and granted for a period of minimum 6 and maximum 36 months;
  • For loans that benefits from the EaSI guarantee there are not required additional guarantees beside surety and mortgage on current accounts opened at UniCredit Bank;
  • Loans with EaSI guarantee have also a reduced interest rate according to the Agreement with European Investment Fund.

 

The main eligibility conditions* for micro-enterprises** that want to access this guarantee:

  • They are SMEs with the turnover of maximum 2,000,000 euros and maximum 9 employees;
  • They fulfill the eligibility conditions for the loan described above;
  • They are established and operate in Romania
  • They are not the subject of collective insolvency proceeding and they do not meet the criteria stipulated by the domestic law for being placed in collective insolvency proceedings at their creditors’ request.

 

How you can access loans with EaSI guarantee:

If you are interested in this type of financing, general needs loan for current expenses with EaSI guarantee, please visit any UniCredit Bank branch where the Bank’s representatives will assess the financing need and match it up with the appropriate type of loan. If, based on Bank’s internal assessment process, the loan is approved, the loan agreement signing follows and, based on it, the related amounts can be accessed.

* In any UniCredit Bank branch, the Bank’s representative is at your disposal with all the necessary details to access the EaSI guarantee

** Micro-enterprises defined according to Commission Regulation (EC) 2003/361/EC: companies with maximum 9 employees and an annual turnover of maximum 2,000,000 euro.

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About the grant program for pandemic affected SMEs:

 

The program supports authorized individuals (PFAs), individual medical practices (CMIs), NGOs, micro and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in accessing grants from European non-reimbursable funds, totaling 1 billion euro, through the Operational Competitiveness Program (POC) 2014 - 2020 (regulated in Emergency Ordinance no. 130/2020 on some measures for granting financial support from non-reimbursable external funds, related to the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, in the context of COVID -19 caused crisis, as well as other measures in the field of European funds).

The state aid scheme granted by GEO 130/2020 administrator is the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment (MEEMA).

Grants will be awarded for financing contracts signed until December 31, 2020.

The state aid scheme provides 3 forms of support:

  • Micro-grants in amount of 2,000 euros (fixed amount) granted from non-reimbursable external funds in the form of a lump sum.

  • Grants for working capital between 2,000 euros and 150,000 euros granted to beneficiaries in the form of a lump sum and depending on their 2019 turnover.

  • Grants for productive investments granted to SMEs between 50,000 euros and 200,000 euros, depending on financing needs mentioned in submitted investment projects.

 

You can now apply for working capital grants here.

PROGRAM BENEFITS
  • You receive the non-refundable funds directly in your Bank opened account
  • The entire relationship with the authorities (application to the program, evaluation of the application, approval and signing) takes place online
  • Offers grants for both current expenses and investments
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

General eligibility criteria for funding requesting beneficiaries under the state aid scheme measures:

  • The eligibility criteria and the list of eligible fields of activity can be found in the specific legislation GEO no. 130/2020, with the subsequent completions and modifications. You can find eligibility criteria here.

For bank financing, it is also necessary to meet the eligibility criteria related to the lending process.

Types of grants

FIXED AMOUNT MICROGRANTS

Value: 2,000 euros and is granted only once. 

Eligible beneficiaries:

  • SMEs with no employees at 31.12.2019;

  • PFA, NGO, with economic activity in the fields provided by Annex no. 1 of GEO 130 

  • PFA, CMI, which were involved in the transport, equipment, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, who did not benefit from medical incentive granted based on GEO 43/2020 approved with amendments and completions by Law no. 82/2020.

 

Cumulative eligibility conditions to be met by the beneficiaries:

  • have carried out current / operational activity for a period of at least one calendar year before the date of funding application submission, except for PFA / CMI for which the activity start may take place until 01.02.2020;

  • obtained a turnover in the financial year prior to financing application submission of at least the LEI equivalent of 5,000 euros at the date of financing application submission, except: PFA, CMI, NGO.;

  • they maintain their activity for at least a 6 months period from the granting of the microgrant.

 

Eligible expenses:

  • expenses regarding the stocks of raw materials, materials, goods, as well as other categories of stocks necessary for the current / operational activity carried out by the beneficiaries;

  • current and overdue debts to current suppliers, including to utility providers according to concluded contracts;

  • rent based on a concluded contract expenses;

  • expenses regarding the acquisition of services and repairs necessary for the basic current activity, except for consulting services, studies and other categories of indirect services with the current activity;

  • expenses for medical protective equipment, including disinfection materials for protection against the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus;

  • expenses regarding acquisition of inventory objects, including inventory objects of the nature of fixed assets necessary for current activity resumption;

  • expenses regarding acquisition of equipment, machinery, installations, technologies, independent endowments necessary for activity resumption;

  • payment of state budget debts expenses.

 

Steps for accessing the grant:

  1.  Submit the funding application in MEEMA developed application dedicated to this program here. To register you can follow the instructions described here

  2. When submitting, indicate UniCredit Bank as partner bank through which you wish to receive the grant.

  3. MEEMA analyzes the application and, if it is approved, also issues the financing contract.

  4. Sign the financing contract with MEEMA through the Agency for SMEs.

  5. You must open a special purpose account at UniCredit Bank to collect the grant there.

  6. MEEMA tranfers the grant to UniCredit Bank.

  7. UniCredit Bank will transfer the grant to your special account within a maximum of 7 days period from receiving the money from MEEMA.

  8. You make the payments for the eligible expenses according to GEO 130/2020.

  9. Submit a progress report on the expenses incurred within 90 days from the receiving grant date.

  10. MEEMA monitors the indicators fulfillment and verifies by sample the use of received non-reimbursable funds.

 

The financing applications submitted within the project calls will be selected in the order of submission by the principle of “first in - first served”, respecting the eligibility criteria.

WORKING CAPITAL GRANT

Value:

  • 2.000 euros for SMEs with a 2019 turnover between 5,000 and 13,500 euros

  • 15% of turnover, not more than 150.000 euros, for SMEs with a 2019 turnover between 13.501 and 1.000.000 euros

  • 150.000 euros for SMEs with a 2019 turnover > 1.000.000 euros

Important:

  • The working capital grants value does not include the beneficiaries co-financing of at least 15% of the requested grant value.

  • Beneficiaries must have co-financing of at least 15% of the requested grant value at the date of using the working capital grant (when signing the financing contract with MEEMA they will have to deposit the co-financing amount, after which they will receive the grant in the account, from where they will make payments).

Eligible beneficiaries:

  • Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs):

-        operating in Annex 2 to GEO 130 detailed fields (eg: restaurants, hotels, cafes, food industry and other activities assimilated to it, transport services, travel agencies, publishing houses / bookstores / libraries, creative industries, organizers of events);

-        obtained emergency certificates based on GEO 29/2020

-        they registered an operational profit from current activity (from exploitation activity), in one of the last two financial years before submitting the financing application for obtaining the grant, according to submitted financial statements;

-       have co-participation in working capital establishment of at least 15% of grant value at working capital grant disbursement date;

-        maintain or, as the case may be, supplement the number of employees, compared to the application submission date, for a period of at least 6 months, from the date of the grant, except in situations where individual employment contracts are concluded for seasonal and / or day laborers.

  • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): with economic activity in education field.

If a beneficiary of state aid provided in art. 12 is part of the category of related enterprises and has submitted several applications for financing to obtain the necessary working capital grant, the cumulative value of the working capital grant to be awarded may not exceed 250,000 euros equivalent in lei on the grant payment date. If a beneficiary of state aid with related enterprise status does not fall into the category of SMEs and has submitted a single application for financing, the amount of the working capital grant may not exceed 150,000 euros on the grant payment date.

 

Eligible expenses:

-          expenses regarding the stocks of raw materials, materials, goods, as well as other necessary categories of stocks;

-          current / operational activity of the beneficiaries;

-          current and overdue debts to current suppliers, including to utility providers, according to the concluded contracts;

-          expenses regarding the rent based on a concluded contract;

-          expenses regarding the acquisition of necessary services for the current activity, excepting consulting services, studies and other categories of indirect services;

-          expenses for medical protection equipment, including disinfection materials for protection against the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus;

-          expenses regarding the acquisition of inventory objects, including inventory objects of the nature of fixed assets necessary to resume the current activity;

-          expenses regarding the acquisition of equipment, machinery, installations, technologies, independent endowments necessary for the resumption of the activity;

-          expenses regarding the payment of debts to the state budget.

 

Steps for accessing the grant:

  1. Submit the funding application in the application dedicated to this program developed by MEEMA. For registration you can follow the instructions described here; 

  2. At submission, indicate UniCredit Bank as the partner bank through which you want to receive the grant;

  3. MEEMA analyzes the application and, if it is approved, issues the financing contract;

  4. Sign the financing contract with MEEMA through the Agency for SMEs;

  5. You must open a special purpose account at UniCredit Bank to collect the grant there;

  6. MEEMA transfers the grant to UniCredit Bank;

  7. UniCredit Bank will transfer the grant to your account within maximum 7 days from receiving the money from MEEMA;

  8. You make the payments for the eligible expenses according to GEO 130/2020;

  9. Submit a progress report regarding the incurred expenses within 180 days from the date of receiving the grant;

  10. MEEMA monitors the fulfillment of the indicators and verifies by sample the use of the non-reimbursable funds received;

GRANTS FOR INVESTMENT

Value:  between 50.000 euro and 200.000 euro and are granted according to the financing needs of the submitted investment projects. 

Eligible beneficiaries:

        Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which:

  • invest in the areas of activity detailed in Annex no. 3 to GEO 130; 

  • had current / operational activity for at least one year before submitting the financing application;

  • have registered operational profit from the current activity, respectively from the exploitation activity in one of the financial years from the last 2 years before the submission of the financing application;

  • undertakes to ensure the project sustainability, respectively to ensure the development of the operational / current activity for a period of at least 3 years after the expiration of the project implementation period;

  • achieves at least 50% of the value of the revenues planned within the business plan linked to the financing request in the first 2 years of project sustainability, and the difference until the end of the sustainability period, respectively the third year;

  • have their own co-financing of the project in a percentage of minimum 15% of the value of the investment project requested for financing for the less developed regions and for Bucharest-Ilfov region of minimum 30% of the value of the project requested for financing;

  • undertakes to present proofs for reasonability of the costs related to the investments for which is requested state aid.

 

Eligible expenses:

  • expenses with the execution / acquisition of constructions, acquisition of equipment, including IT&C, software technologies, equipment, installations, technologies, independent endowments, office furniture and specific furniture, land acquisition within 10% of the eligible value of the project, expenses with consulting and design, project management, technical assistance, site management, systematization and land use planning expenses, environmental expenses, expenses related to utilities, accessibility expenses, promotion expenses, participation in fairs, events, conferences, study expenses, intellectual property rights expenses, intangible assets related to patents, product brands, software necessary to carry out the activity, as well as any other categories of expenses which are related to the investment project object of the financing contract;

  • expenses for the execution of medical equipment warehouses, medicines, sanitary materials destined for the intervention for emergency situations;

  • expenses with the acquisition of equipment, including IT&C equipment, software technologies, technologies, equipment, -        installations, independent endowments, office and specific furniture, inventory objects of the nature of fixed assets for the existing production / service units, as well as intangible assets related to patents, product brands, software necessary for current activity.

    • The beneficiaries of grants for productive investments in the transport services area can also use non-reimbursable external funds for financing the following categories of expenses:

  • expenses with the rehabilitation / modernization / extension and / or execution of some depots for the existing transport means or for those to be purchased;

  • expenses with the acquisition of transport means for the transport of persons and goods necessary for carrying out transport activities, except taxi or those for administrative activities of the economic operator or transport activities in their own interest;

  • expenses regarding the endowment of the existing transport means with equipment and technologies which lead to improving the comfort / quality of the transport services for passenger and goods.

Important:

  • For investment projects, the selection criteria include the return on investment projects (IRR), the value of co-financing, the ratio between the operating profit and the requested grant, the CANE code. Download the selection criteria here.

 

Steps for accessing the grant:

  1. Submit here the funding application in the application dedicated to this program developed by MEEMA; 

  2. At submission, indicate UniCredit Bank as the partner bank through which you want to receive the grant;

  3. MEEMA analyzes the application and, if it is approved, issues the financing contract;

  4. Sign the financing contract with MEEMA through the Agency for SMEs, within which you will also establish the implementation method (through a classic reimbursement mechanism or through direct settlement mechanism for payment requests);

  5. Must open a special purpose account at UniCredit Bank to collect the grant there;

  6. If case, apply for bridge loan and / or investment loan for co-financing the project;

  7. Implement the project and after making the eligible expenses according to the approved budget send the reimbursement / payment requests to MEEMA;

  8. MEEMA transfers the grant to UniCredit Bank;

  9. UniCredit Bank will transfer the grant to your account within maximum of 7 days from receiving the money from MEEMA, based on approval of the reimbursement / payment requests approved by MEEMA;

  10. Submit a progress report on the expenses incurred within 180 days from the date of receipt of the grant;

  11. Submit annually to MEEMA during the implementation of the project (and 3 years from the completion of the implementation) sustainability reports of the project;

  12. MEEMA monitors the fulfillment of the indicators and verifies by sample the use of the non-reimbursable funds received;

UniCredit launched the "UniCredit for CEE" initiative - an umbrella framework that offers concrete financing solutions, financial advice and account management, dedicated to supporting micro, small and medium enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

In Romania, we offer fast and advantageous solutions through the InvestEU, Recovery and Resilience Programs (RRF) - SME Competitiveness and Sustainability and EaSI guarantee.

If you want to grow your business, UniCredit Bank now offers you guaranteed loans to develop and access new opportunities. Through the InvestEU programs and the Recovery and Resilience Program (RRF) - SME Competitiveness and Sustainability, you can benefit from advantageous financing, whether you need working capital or want to invest in the long term.

The InvestEU guarantee instrument

Through InvestEU, UniCredit Bank offers you working capital loans (revolving and non-revolving), and  also financing for investments, all supported by advantageous guarantees.

Find out how you can get the financing to take your business to the next level, on each component of the program!

Sustainability:

Financing up to EUR 7.5 million per transaction*.

Guarantee between 30% and 80%, with a maturity period between 12 and 48 months for revolving working capital and up to 144 months for investments.

Guarantee fee: 0.2% per year, paid quarterly.

*represents the maximum exposure of the beneficiary with FEI guarantees under the InvestEU Umbrella/ under the RRF, with the exception of Small Mid Cap clients. In the case of Small Mid Cap clients, the amount of EUR 7,500,000 represents the maximum exposure of loans with guarantees from the InvestEU Umbrella + RRF, as well as any financial aid obtained by the beneficiary from the InvestEU Fund, according to the declaration on his own responsibility (Financing Application)

Skills & Education:

Similar financing, with a guarantee of up to 70% and the same maturity conditions (12-48 months for revolving working capital and up to 144 months for investments).

Guarantee fee: 0%.

Innovation & Digitalisation:

Up to EUR 7.5 million per transaction.*

Guarantee between 30% and 80%, on a maturity of 12-48 months for revolving working capital and up to 144 months for investments.

Guarantee fee: 0.75% per year.

Cultural & Creative Setor:

Financing and guarantees similar to those in innovation and digitization.

Guarantee fee: 0.75% per year.

Benefit for your business: Reduction of the interest margin for transactions guaranteed by InvestEU, which means that you will obtain the necessary financing at a lower cost and with flexible terms. If you want to develop your business, this is the perfect opportunity!

Recovery and Resilience Program (RRF) - SME Competitiveness and Sustainability

Through the Recovery and Resilience Program, UniCredit Bank helps you access working capital loans (revolving and non-revolving), supported by EIF guarantees. If you want to grow your business and become more competitive, this program offers you the perfect solution!

 

Through this program, we offer working capital loans (revolving and non-revolving) for competitiveness projects and credit facilities for working capital investments (revolving and non-revolving) for sustainability projects.

The program is available until 13/12/2026, thus providing an extended period to access funding.

The guarantees cover between 30% and 70% of the loan value (50% for the Bucharest-Ilfov region) for which a guarantee percentage fee of 0.75% per year is applied, on the difference between the standard rate and the one granted within the program

The benefit for the client: The reduction of the interest margin, applied to the difference between the standard margin and the guaranteed one, allowing access to financing with much more advantageous conditions than the standard ones UniCredit remains a reliable partner for SMEs in Romania, offering customized solutions and support for the sustainable and competitive development of small and medium-sized businesses.

 

EaSI guarantee

This program facilitates access to financing for small entrepreneurs, with up to 10 employees, who want to expand their business or implement new projects. UniCredit offers loans for working capital with repayment for a period of up to 36 months.

Do you want to develop your business? UniCredit Bank is with you!

Depending on the sector in which you operate, UniCredit Bank now offers you financing solutions adapted to your needs. If you want to grow your business, we offer loans with EIF guarantee for working capital or investments so that you can fulfill your plans.

Contact us and learn more about how you can get the right financing for your business. Let's build your success together!

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