Loan products for small and medium businesses. The Big Difference: How Banks Differentiate Small and Medium Businesses

How does the state define small and medium business

The most important criteria for financiers are the average annual number of employees of the enterprise and the amount of income of the enterprise for the previous year

Criteria for classifying an enterprise as a small and medium-sized business (SME) federal law No. 209-FZ "On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russian Federation”, and Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 265 “On the marginal values ​​​​of income received from the implementation entrepreneurial activity, for each category of small and medium-sized businesses”. The most important criteria for financiers are the average annual number of employees of the enterprise and the amount of income of the enterprise for the previous year.

Micro-enterprises include companies with up to 15 employees and with an annual income of up to 120 million rubles.

Small enterprises include companies with up to 100 employees and with an annual income of up to 800 million rubles.

Medium enterprises include companies with 100 to 250 employees and with an annual income of up to 2 billion rubles.

Bankers have their own criteria

Some of the bankers we interviewed in their classification of SMEs are strictly guided by the criteria of legislation. For example, Binbank, Rosselkhozbank, Center-Invest Bank, Kuban Credit Bank do this.

But there are also important nuances.

Binbank distinguishes three groups of companies in the category of small business, depending on the size of their revenue, and each group offers specially calculated for this category of customers banking products.

“A significant factor influencing segmentation is the degree to which the personal finances of business owners are integrated with the company’s money and the availability automated systems accounting, - says Mikhail Volkov, Director of the SME Department of Intesa Bank. - If this degree is large, and the accounting system in the enterprise is not automated enough, the company can be defined as a small business instead of a medium one. And companies with small revenues but good profit and asset performance can be considered as larger businesses. A prime example are companies that rent out their own real estate.”

Intesa Bank classifies companies with revenues of up to 60 million rubles as micro-businesses, with revenues of up to 1 billion rubles as small businesses, and with revenues of up to 2 billion rubles as medium-sized businesses. And plans in the near future to raise the upper limit of annual revenue for medium-sized businesses to 3 billion rubles.

Unicredit Bank in Moscow classifies enterprises with revenues of up to 800 million rubles as small businesses, but for branches in the regions it reduces this limit to 300 million rubles. The bank considers the upper limit for classifying an enterprise as a medium-sized business is the amount of annual revenue of $75 million, which is now 4.3 billion rubles.

Promsvyazbank classifies enterprises with revenues of up to 60 million rubles as microbusinesses, up to 360 million rubles as small businesses, and up to 4.5 billion rubles as medium-sized businesses. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the upper limit of small business is 540 million rubles.

In Rosbank, small businesses include companies with revenues of up to 400 million rubles, and medium businesses - up to 4 billion rubles.

In VTB, small businesses include companies with revenues of up to 300 million rubles, and medium businesses with revenues of 300 million to 10 billion rubles.

Banks often set their own criteria for classifying SMEs. Often use different boundaries of SME segments for Moscow and St. Petersburg and for other regions

As we can see, banks often set their own criteria for classifying SMEs. Often use different boundaries of SME segments for Moscow and St. Petersburg and for other regions. There are significant differences in the definition by banks of the upper limit of annual revenue for medium-sized businesses, due to which even large regional enterprises fall into the category of SMEs in some banks.

What are the differences between bank offers for different segments of SMEs

How do bank offers for SME clients differ depending on the scale of their business?

The press service of VTB notes that all SME clients are interested in lending and transaction products - settlement services, cash transactions, services to ensure foreign economic activity. And the list of services that is relevant for a particular client is determined to a greater extent by the specifics of the client's business than by its revenue. For example, trade enterprises, in addition to the already listed services, are interested in acquiring and cash collection. At the same time, small business customers working in the retail trade actively use corporate cards to withdraw and deposit cash around the clock through the ATM network of VTB Group.

Maxim Lukyanovich, director of the small business department at Rosbank, said that there are no fundamental differences in product offerings for microbusiness, small and medium-sized businesses. Since Rosbank pays attention to increasing sales of remote banking services (RBS), Internet banking services are cheaper for micro and small business customers.

The press service of the Russian Agricultural Bank notes that the main differences between products for borrowers of different segments of SMEs are in the conditions. Thus, a line of specialized products has been developed for microbusinesses, providing for longer lending terms for current purposes, the provision of a simplified package of documents, lending without collateral or partially unsecured loans. For small business clients with a loan amount of up to 30 million rubles, a business plan or a feasibility study is not required.

The larger the client's business, the more flexible conditions banks are ready to offer him.

The larger the client's business, the more flexible conditions banks are ready to offer him.

What banking products are most in demand by small and medium-sized businesses

Depending on the scale of the client's business, not only the range of bank offers varies, but also the demand for banking services.

VTB Bank believes that small businesses use remote channels to a greater extent, striving to carry out almost all operations in in electronic format. Recently, the demand from medium-sized business customers for the bank's digital services has been growing.

Maxim Lukyanovich notes that in Rosbank services are most in demand from SMEs settlement and cash services and related. RBS services are popular - about 80% of transactions are carried out in a non-cash form, Internet banking has become the main working tool for an entrepreneur. Mid-size business clients also actively use transaction products, working capital loans and financing of investment costs.

In Rosselkhozbank, taking into account the specifics of SME clients, loans for seasonal work, loans for the purchase of machinery and equipment, and overdraft loans are especially in demand.

Kirill Tikhonov, Managing Director for Small Business Development at Promsvyazbank, said that Promsvyazbank loan products microbusinesses most demand the product "credit-online", and small businesses - guarantees of all kinds, overdraft, loans and credit lines, factoring. Of the RBS products, the Internet and mobile banking are in great demand.

UniCreditbank is in demand for packages for small businesses, as well as related transaction products, for example, international transactions and foreign exchange transactions.

In Kuban Credit Bank, SME clients prefer loans for replenishment of working capital, for the acquisition of fixed assets, as well as refinancing loans previously received from another bank.

In large banks, to optimize business, customer service of different categories is divided between departments - usually small, medium and corporate business. And the bank's approaches to customers of different categories are different.

The criterion for classifying enterprises by banks according to the scale of their business is very important for customers. In large banks, to optimize business, customer service of different categories is divided between departments - usually small, medium and corporate businesses. And the bank's approaches to customers of different categories are different. The lines of banking products that banks offer to customers often differ depending on the scale of their business.

But this is not the only way the bank builds work with clients. For example, in small banks there is often no internal segregation corporate clients by the size of their business, and the same internal divisions of the bank are engaged in servicing all categories of customers.

All this is important to understand for managers and financiers of SMEs, since many of them in different banks fall into different customer groups. Accordingly, they will be offered different lines of banking products.

Each bank offers "individual" lending programs for small and medium-sized businesses, but, based on the goals of lending, the following groups of loans can be distinguished:

· Credit for starting a business. Every aspiring entrepreneur has to deal with the problem of financing their business. The most common way to get the necessary funds is a business loan. However, few banks risk issuing such a loan. In order to take out a loan for business development, you must have a good business plan that will indicate the prospects of the future business and the ability of the entrepreneur to pay the loan received for the business on time. The bank compensates for the big risk with a high interest rate on the loan, a shortened loan term and a guarantee from individuals.

· Credits individual entrepreneurs. Such loans are also quite risky for banks, since it is rather difficult for banks to assess the reliability and solvency of individual entrepreneurs. If the individual who takes consumer credit, has a fixed monthly income, due to which the loan is repaid, then the individual entrepreneur usually does not have a fixed income and plans to repay the loan at the expense of future income. Basically, individual entrepreneurs require guarantors to obtain a loan, since often individual entrepreneurs are not able to provide a bank with collateral for a loan.

· Credit for business development. One of the stages of business development is the stage of lack of equity capital to invest in all new ideas or simply to replenish working capital. An individual entrepreneur can replenish his own capital with the help of a business development loan. This is one of the most common types of loans, as it is the simplest type of financing. Pledge, goods in circulation or personal property are required (But there are also banks that have created a new banking product - an unsecured loan for business development). Interest rates depend on the terms of the loan and the size of the loan.

· Credit for the purchase of fixed assets. A loan for the purchase of fixed assets is provided for the expansion or modernization of the company's production lines, for the purchase of real estate (offices, industrial premises, land plots), for the purchase building materials for the construction of buildings allocated for the needs of the organization, or for the acquisition of the necessary machinery and equipment for the work. The main criterion that allows you to distinguish a loan for the purchase of fixed assets from other financial products designed for business is the direction of the received financial resources for the purchase non-current assets companies. Such loans are usually provided for long periods and for large amounts. Accordingly, the requirements for borrowers are stricter. A pledge is required, which can be goods in circulation, equipment, existing vehicles, special equipment, real estate.

· Commercial mortgage. Commercial mortgage, or business mortgage - a term that is used today in relation to the acquisition of objects commercial real estate using a mortgage. A commercial mortgage loan is issued to entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized businesses for the purpose of acquiring non-residential real estate on its security. Compared to other loans, commercial mortgages have longer terms, but they are shorter than mortgage loans for individuals. Interest rates on commercial mortgages are higher than on residential properties.

· Investment lending. This loan product is provided by banks for a specific project, for the implementation or development of which credit resources will be directed. Investment loan usually issued to individual entrepreneurs, legal and individuals for a period of 3 to 10 years, although it does not belong to the category of long-term loans. The loan is issued for a specific investment program: expansion of production, re-profiling of the enterprise, acquisition of new equipment, implementation of new projects, etc. To receive an investment loan, the borrower must provide a business plan for the project, as well as confirm their material well-being. The main condition for granting an investment loan is that the borrower has an operating financially stable business. All existing assets can act as collateral for a loan: real estate, vehicles, goods, etc. In addition, an investment loan can be secured by a guarantee of legal entities or individuals.

· Overdraft is a loan for operating expenses, provided in the absence or insufficiency of funds in settlement (current) accounts. Overdraft provides an opportunity to make timely and uninterrupted settlements with partners, to issue wages and pay bills. Overdraft banks offer their customers who already have current accounts and decent turnover on them. Overdraft interest rates are quite reasonable. The term of the contract can be up to 1 year, but repayment occurs as it becomes available Money to the company's account by debiting them. The term for which an overdraft is issued usually does not exceed 30 days.

Table 2Comparison of loan products for SMEs

The main forms of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises are Lending to small and medium-sized enterprises: textbook. allowance / A.I. Shpynova. - M.: POLPRED Reference books, 2010.-155 s:

· Credit: a one-time provision of a loan amount for a specified period. Repayment of the loan must be carried out by the borrower within the specified period, or in accordance with the established repayment schedule.

· Line of credit: a legal obligation of a bank to provide a certain amount of credit to a customer within a specified period of time. A credit line differs from a one-time lending in that the client can receive a loan more than once on some day specified in the agreement, but when he needs it, in installments.

Table 3. Types of credit lines

In addition, in agreements with banks, two more concepts related to the provision of credit lines are often used. These are, firstly, credit lines with a disbursement limit, when it is limited total amount issued funds. The return of money does not increase the lending limit, that is, in fact, such a loan belongs to the category of non-renewable. And, secondly, the so-called line of credit with a debt limit - the total amount of debt is limited. If the company returned part of the money, then the volume of lending is restored. Hence, it is a revolving line of credit.

The entrepreneurial world has changed a lot with the advent of new technologies. The market requires a quick response to changing consumer preferences, making operational management decisions.

Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and demanding - both in terms of the speed of providing goods and services, and in terms of the quality of service, and in terms of price. Consumers want to get everything at once - quickly, efficiently and cheaply. In turn, the business must quickly transform to meet such requests.

From a financial point of view, businessmen tend to work with banks online. The fact is that modern entrepreneurs value almost every minute of their time. At the same time, they are not constantly in the office, many, in general, practice remote and “cloud” offices, so entrepreneurs want to have access to banking services where it is convenient for them and from all possible devices – smartphones and phones. Payments, transfers, certificates - all these businessmen want to receive / conduct in real time. At the same time, all operations should be as simple and safe as possible.

Until recently, there was a myth that large banks mainly focus on large corporate clients. However, today small business has become a driver for the qualitative development of the economy, many small businesses are successfully developing, so large and reliable banks pay special attention to cooperation with small businesses. Banks offer entrepreneurs new special products or adapt existing ones for small businesses.

One Stop Bank

So, small businesses demand complexes banking services in areas such as RKO, international payments, etc. In this case, the company, receiving all services from one credit institution, can save significantly. Firstly, the total commission for various operations in different banks is reduced. Secondly, employees save time on paperwork for cooperation with several financial institutions. Today, many banks offer a wide range of services for entrepreneurs - from cash settlement services to special industry products ( merchant acquiring, corporate cards, etc.). And some even spend special promotions for packaged products.

The entrepreneur chooses the best set of products and services for himself. In our case, the client gets the opportunity to open a current account, access to working with an account on the Internet, as well as preferential terms for other bank products. Let's say if you want to open corporate card, an entrepreneur who has an account with the RSHB collects an abbreviated package of documents.

Let's put free funds to work!

Almost all banks have a line of classic deposits, but this implies the conclusion of a deposit agreement for a certain period and the withdrawal of funds from business turnover.

At the same time, companies of any size have a balance on their accounts from time to time. free funds. They can simply lie on the account, or you can receive interest from them. You can place them on a deposit with the condition that interest is accrued on the balance. The client concludes an additional agreement with the bank to the contract bank account and earns income.

Deposit rates are quite attractive, while the entrepreneur will have quick access to funds that make up the difference between the current account balance and the minimum balance.

Other useful tools for small companies are online services and electronic banking (remote banking service"Bank-Client" and "Internet-Client"), which gives the entrepreneur the opportunity to manage their accounts remotely from the office or via the Internet from another place. This is a particularly valuable service for those very active businessmen who value every minute of their time. With the help of remote account management, you can control the movement in real time cash flows, make payments, conduct transactions in the 1C system, receive statements, control payments of subsidiaries - and all this without visiting bank branches. And with the help of online services, entrepreneurs can apply for a loan, calculate the amount and payments, and so on.

And small can

Another myth is that bank loans today are the prerogative of large corporate clients. In fact, some banks are actively developing small business lending, and the bank's products are easily adapted to the needs of entrepreneurs. So, for example, one of the most popular products for trading companies is a guarantee of performance of obligations under contracts. Guarantees allow firms to participate in tenders (including public procurement), conclude contracts on more favorable terms, including when working with international partners. Also, firms with bank guarantees minimize the risks associated with non-fulfillment of obligations by counterparties. So, having issued a guarantee of payment in favor of the supplier in the bank, the buyer makes payment after the shipment of the goods. When a bank provides a guarantee of the return of an advance payment or a guarantee of the fulfillment of contractual obligations, the supplier delivers after receiving the advance payment. The commission on guarantees is usually set individually, but is much lower than the standard loan rate.

There are few products on the market for microbusiness companies, but they do exist. So, for example, in the RSHB you can get a loan in the form of an overdraft, a loan without collateral, for investment goals, to refinance current liabilities, to purchase real estate, etc. The amount is up to 20 million rubles, the term is up to 10 years. Requirements for borrowers are very liberal.

For larger enterprises, loans are available for investment purposes (unlimited in size), for replenishment of working capital, for the purchase of real estate (up to 200 million rubles), etc.

For enterprises operating in the agricultural industry, in general, a wide range of loan products is provided. These are loans for seasonal work (this includes the purchase of seeds, fuel and lubricants, energy resources, fertilizers, etc.), and loans for the purchase of machinery (almost any machinery and equipment for agricultural work), and loans for the purchase of young animals with /s of animals, and loans for the purchase of land, etc.

And this is just not all the possibilities that provide modern banks to their clients.

Small business is the backbone of any economy. At the same time, the main problem that entrepreneurs have to face is the issue of financing. In Russia, it is difficult not only to find sources of funding, but even relevant information. Today, not all Moscow banks that have branches in the territories are able to work throughout the territory Krasnoyarsk Territory. Most of them are concentrated in the city of Krasnoyarsk. There are about 40 banks on the territory of Krasnoyarsk, these include Absolut Bank, AK Bars, Alfa-Bank, VTB, Promsvyazbank, Rosbank, Raiffeisen, Uniastrum Bank, etc., but not all of them offer services in the field of lending to small business, and about 11 banks. We will consider all those possible lending services using the example of three banks. These will be Uralsib Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, Absolut Bank.

The types of loans are diverse: these are microcredits, microcredits in the form of an overdraft, express loans, secured loans, investment loans, etc. Money can be borrowed for up to five years, with certain types of credit - up to 8 years. Particular attention should be paid to the pledge, it can be both the property of the enterprise (real estate, vehicles, equipment), and goods in circulation. At the same time, the amount of collateral depends on the loan term: for a loan term of up to 1 year, it will most likely be necessary to secure up to 100% of the loan amount, for a loan term of more than 1 year - up to 50% of the loan amount. But to obtain an express loan, an entrepreneur may need, for example, two solvent guarantors. An investment loan can be secured, among other things, by the borrower's residential real estate. Almost all banks offer the development of an individual payment repayment plan, taking into account all the features of the business. In Krasnoyarsk, according to experts, loans without collateral or with a small collateral are popular. Bank customers prefer to receive loans without opening a current account, as well as credit lines with a debt limit with a tranche term of 90-180 days, credit lines for replenishment of working capital, and revolving ones of the "overdraft" type. Interest rates on loans for several years are at least 11% per annum (of those declared by banks). Typically, banks charge only a one-time fee for granting a loan. Monthly fees most often not provided. Of course, the golden rule of bankers is respected - an individual approach to the client. That is, a certain fork is indicated for the product, for example, 15 - 18%. A specific indicator for a particular business is determined during the approval of a loan application. The dependence is the most direct: there is a deposit - lower%, the larger the deposit, the lower the percentage. Business is "zero" - the percentage is higher, the business is valid for a significant period -% is lower. If you want to get a loan in the style of "express" - get ready for higher rates - from 19% and above. At the same time, if you are an established businessman, you can choose among different offers, if the business is at the nascent stage, you will have to run around and agree to the proposed conditions, which are certainly more profitable than the offers of "usurers". By the way, special mention should be made of these competitors of banks. Despite the fact that offices that offer money to entrepreneurs often at extortionate interest (in some cases, we are talking about 5% per month, respectively, 60% per year), this type of capital loan is in demand. Of course, because when receiving these funds, there is no need to talk about "business transparency", about financial reporting, etc. Lenders in general, in fact, do not care what the entrepreneur takes money for, if only he would give it back on time. Indeed, a "mega competitive" advantage. However, talking about economic effect there is no such thing as a loan. For business development, timely financial support is important, which was determined when creating the small business lending program of ALFA-BANK OJSC: loans for small businesses are provided for any purpose related to its development; the decision to grant a loan is made on the basis of information about the real state of the client's business; repayment of the loan occurs according to an individual schedule, taking into account the seasonal characteristics of small businesses; it is possible to defer repayment of the main debt on the loan for a period of not more than 6 months.

The Bank provides legal entities with the following types of lending programs: "Universal Credit", "Revolving Credit", "Overdraft", "Bank Guarantee". The loan officer selects the borrower the most profitable option lending in accordance with the purpose required loan, the term of the desired credit limit, its term, as well as the collateral provided by the borrower, which allows minimizing banking risks related to loan repayment.

Table 2.9

Characteristics of lending programs of OJSC "ALFA-BANK"

According to the results of the comparative analysis, it should be noted that the most attractive lending program for the bank's customers is Universal Credit, since under this program it is possible to receive a loan amount of up to 75,000,000 rubles for a period of 2 to 3 years. This program small business owners are interested in property accepted as collateral.

Clients who have a settlement account with OJSC "ALFA-BANK" are provided with "Overdraft" for up to 60 days inclusive. These clients have established themselves as reliable borrowers. Consequently, the bank has high confidence in the quality of providing this type of lending. Choosing one or another loan program for a borrower, loan officer appreciates it financial condition, credit history. In this regard, the borrower must meet certain requirements of the bank:

¾ registration of the borrower as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

ѕ State participation in the authorized capital of the company is not more than 49%;

¾ the borrower is a resident of the Russian Federation;

¾ business experience of at least 2 years;

* annual revenue is no more than 780 million rubles;

ѕ no negative credit history;

To consider an application for a loan, you must submit the following documents to the bank:

ѕ title (constituent and registration) documents;

ѕ financial documents, management reporting data;

¾ documents confirming the ownership of the collateral provided.

When issuing a loan by a bank, special attention is paid to the danger of a significant increase in credit risks. This leads to a sharp aggravation of the liquidity situation.

Default risk is a portfolio characteristic that depends on two factors - the quality of each borrower individually and diversification loan portfolio by the size of the loan, industries, purposes, its terms. The policy of OJSC "ALFA-BANK" is not to compensate the risk with high rates, but to form a high-quality diversified portfolio. According to experts' estimates, the average market default rate on loans does not exceed 2%, in OJSC "ALFA-BANK" this figure is set at 1.5%. the allowable share of overdue in the loan portfolio is not more than 4%. According to the results of the work of OJSC "ALFA-BANK" for 2008-2010. based international standards financial reporting it is possible to draw a conclusion about the work of the bank as a whole. In 2010, the volume of the loan portfolio legal entities increased by 53.8 billion rubles, which is more than in the same period of 2009. Profit before taxes from profit increased by 31.1% compared to the results of 2009 and amounted to 134.8 billion rubles. The increase in profit is due to the increase in income from lending and commission transactions. The Bank's capital has increased since the beginning of the current year by 15.0% due to the received net profit and amounted to 783.5 billion rubles. The analysis of the structure of the loan portfolio of the bank under study was carried out, which showed the most profitable aspects of lending programs, pointed out the points that the bank needs to pay attention to. The main point in this chapter is the comparative characteristics of credit products provided to small businesses in OJSC "ALFA-BANK", the analysis of changes in the bank's loan portfolio. This made it possible to identify positive trends, to understand weak sides in the development of lending. In particular, the first is expressed as follows:

• 1. The Bank presents three areas of lending, one of which the client has the opportunity to use on favorable terms for him. According to the results of the comparative analysis, it should be noted that the most attractive lending program for the bank's customers is "Universal Credit", since under this program there is an opportunity to receive a large loan amount.
• 2. Analysis of the borrower's creditworthiness is carried out on the basis of a scoring system, which makes it possible to take into account possible risks when issuing a loan.

Weaknesses in the development of lending to small businesses are as follows:

• 1. The non-transparency of the potential client's business, in connection with this, in the future, it becomes difficult to conduct high-quality underwriting, which makes it possible to identify the risks of the bank associated with the untimely repayment of loan funds by the borrower;
• 2. The lack of collateral and guarantors for the borrower to obtain a loan, which makes it difficult to choose a lending program;
• 3. Untimely repayment of loan funds by the borrower The Bank loses the timely profit it expected. Consequently, the bank increases its costs by finding new funds and collecting debt from borrowers. In this regard, the bank needs to tighten measures to prevent such situations, primarily by applying increased penalties for the fact of late payment on the loan.

The small business lending department in Krasnoyarsk began its work in 2009. OJSC "ALFA-BANK", as a strong dynamically developing bank, sets itself the goal of maintaining the growth trend and becoming a leader in servicing legal entities. Due to the current competition in the small business lending market, it will not be easy for the bank to achieve its goal of increasing the volume of small business lending, but in order to remain in the lead, it needs to offer customers something completely new.

Based on the foregoing (the goals of the bank, the demand of small businesses for existing loans, it is necessary to create new types of loan products for the bank. At the same time, they should be beneficial for customers and the bank, attractive in terms of service, should help retain existing customers and attract new ones. .

Small and medium businesses, unlike large ones, are in a losing position. He is limited in personnel and finances, suffers from tax burden. Therefore, he is very interested in obtaining profitable loans.

How affordable is SME lending?

The dynamics of SME lending is not rosy. If 5 years ago loans were popular, now the picture is changing. In 2011, the total amount of borrowed funds amounted to about 2.9 million rubles. Lending growth in 2012 was 19% (about 3.4 million rubles). In the context of the crisis, the leading banks focused on lending to large businesses. And this is already a serious pressure on the segment of small and medium-sized businesses.

Now 31% of enterprises have credit obligations, and most of them are representatives of medium-sized businesses (39%), followed by small businesses (32%) and, less often than others, microcompanies (24%) take loans. These are the data of a study of entrepreneurs in the SME sector, which was conducted by NAFI together with the Analytical Center for SME Bank in early 2016. According to the same survey, 38% of entrepreneurs say that loans have become less affordable. Only 11% of businessmen have the opposite opinion.

According to the public organization Opora Rossii, the most common obstacle is excessive high stakes on credit, especially for start-up projects. 48% of the surveyed businessmen called the problem of high rates a key one. 22% mentioned difficulties in providing collateral or bank guarantees. 2% of respondents stated that bank loans are not available to them at all.

One of the main problems of lending to SMEs is, of course, a large share of overdue debts. Banks got worried and introduced a mechanism for refinancing the debts of clients of other credit institutions. big banks who are able to afford cheap funding launched the program at very attractive rates. However, such programs have their own pitfalls, for delay in payment, sanctions are applied.

At the same time, entrepreneurs complain that the problem with the so-called "long money" is acute. You will not find such a resource at every bank. At the same time, the “commercial mortgage” product is not common in long term 10-20 years. If there is an offer, it comes with high interest rates coupled with insurance and appraisal costs.

One of the serious problems for SMEs is the refusal of banks to invest in start-ups. Not surprising, since the venture business is very risky. Young businessmen differ from those that have already taken place by their novelty of ideas, and the issue of relations with the regulator is in last place. For them, simple business financing is much more important.

The main problems of lending to SMEs:

— Businessmen prefer to take loans when financial situation staggered. Otherwise, SMEs only manage with personal money.

- Banks prefer to give loans for a short period, for which it is extremely difficult to get on your feet.

- short credit history entrepreneur or its complete absence.

- Insufficient information about the enterprise or the lack of opportunities for the bank to find out reliable information about the SME. Financial documentation submitted to the bank, as well as long-term plans and forecasts, do not always allow drawing correct conclusions. As a result, the risks of fulfilling the loan agreement may increase.

- Poor quality of collateral equipment or its complete absence.

— Outdated data due to late reports from small businesses.

- Unreasonably high loans issued. A product that exceeds the objective need for additional capital theoretically helps to improve business, but in practice leads to wasteful spending.

— The high cost of credit products. The price of a loan is inversely proportional to the size of the enterprise. And for small businesses, it is higher than for large ones - about 19% against 12% per annum. Average annual rates range from 15% to 28%. Depending on the region, its saturation with resources and terms of lending. Therefore, enterprises often go on-lending.

What banking products are available for SMEs?

— In a number of large banks there are preferential programs lending to small and medium-sized businesses, they help to partly solve the above problems.

— Lending by reduced rates(from 12.5%). Credit, as a rule, is provided for a period of 1-1.5 years to replenish working capital and up to 5 years - for investments. Pledges and guarantors are often required to obtain a product.

- Unsecured loans. Such an offer usually has a higher interest rate because the risks of the bank are higher. This product is given for up to 5 years.

— Loans for start-ups. Despite the risks, some banks still launched programs for entrepreneurs in the formative stage. Initial capital is given for a long period without additional security.

— Loans for individual needs. This includes commercial mortgages, auto loans, loans for leasing or for the purchase of fixed assets.

— Loans for participation in open tenders and auctions, as well as for the fulfillment of government orders. They may be of interest to SMEs who want to apply for the supply of goods, the provision of services and the performance of work for state or municipal needs.

— Commission products for opening and maintaining settlement accounts on preferential terms. This helps to save on cash register equipment.

— Special cards with which you can withdraw and deposit money to the company's account through ATMs.

— Mobile acquiring services.

— Bank guarantees secured by obligations, in particular, under state and municipal contracts.

In addition to loans, banks can offer other products to SMEs:

1. Commission products for opening and maintaining settlement accounts on preferential terms. This helps to save on cash register equipment.
2. Special cards with which you can withdraw and deposit money to the company's account through ATMs.
3. Mobile acquiring services.
4. Bank guarantees secured by obligations, in particular, under state and municipal contracts.

How to get financial support under the SME Bank program?

Despite preferential lending programs, financial products for small and medium-sized businesses can still remain a dream. SME Bank is partly called upon to help solve the main problem of SME representatives - high rates. It is not a competitor to commercial banks, it does not even issue loans. A plays the role of their partner and complements banking capabilities.

SME Bank partners offer very profitable terms lending. Interest rates also fluctuate depending on the purpose of the loan. For example, for the purchase of vehicles, machinery, equipment, they give a targeted collateral loan at 10.5% per annum. In general, most banks provide loans on standard terms: 60-150 billion rubles, 12-12.5% ​​per annum, for 5-7 years.

To receive assistance from SME Bank, you need to check whether the company falls under the category of “small and medium-sized businesses”, whether it has the right to use benefits, then decide on the type of financial assistance and contact the partner bank of SME Bank.

How to increase the availability of bank loans for SMEs?

It is necessary to work out protective mechanisms for businessmen in case of revocation of licenses from banks. While the regulator is fighting unscrupulous banks, entrepreneurs are losing their own money. In particular, this is precisely why the volume of loans issued to small and medium-sized businesses has recently been falling.

In order to increase the availability and attractiveness of lending, banks are already developing a set of measures, in particular, they are expanding programs for preferential refinancing of loans for SMEs. Some credit organizations already successfully working with the system credit bureaus, which helps the bank to assess risks and, as a result, increases the availability of financing for entrepreneurship.

However, there is still something to strive for. According to representatives of the largest Russian banks, it is necessary to establish work on the “one-stop shop” principle, when entrepreneurs are offered legal support and services that promote a businessman’s product or service.

According to Sergey Kryukov, Chairman of the Board of the SME Bank, it is necessary to introduce key performance indicators (KPIs) for SMEs in the regions of the country. This should increase the availability of investments for businessmen. The KPIs will encourage stakeholders to spread the word about business support, rate cut opportunities, and points of contact for advice.