DUSHANBE, February 7, 2011, Asia-Plus — To-date, the Khujand-based Eskhata Bank has provided 15 million somoni (equivalent to 3.4 million U.S. dollars) in loans in the framework of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending program, the Eskhata Bank press service reports.
According to the press service, this program is funded by the EBRD Shareholders Special Fund and the Early Transition Countries Fund. The program has been implemented since January 2010 under technical support of international consulting company, Business & Finance Consulting (BFS).
Established in November 1993, a privately owned Eskhata Bank, with headquarters in Khujand, got operating license in 1994. The bank has thirteen branches in various regions of the country. In addition to branches, Eskhata Bank has also developed a network of 96 outlets and nine service points giving it good country-wide coverage.
Eskhata Bank was the first bank to join the EBRD’s Tajikistan Micro and Small Finance Facility (TMSEFF) in 2003 and it has since become one of the largest provider of MSE loans under the program.
