The programme is financed by a specialised EBRD shareholders fund and EBRD’s Taiwan Business Fund for Technical Cooperation
European Bank for Rebuilding and Development (EBRD) announced on Friday that its program for women entrepreneurs in Croatia is continuing, in which small and medium businesses run by women receive access to loans and business counselling, Tportal.hr reported on July 15, 2016.
The first phase of the programme for women entrepreneurs in Croatia began in March 2015, securing, through partner banks Privredna Bank Zagreb and Raiffeisenbank Austria, 15 million Euro to credit small and medium businesses run by women The EBRD expects that another partner bank will join the programme by the end of the year.
A statement pointed out over 200 women entrepreneurs took part in projects of business counselling, business skills training and mentorship programme as well as business networking. The next phase of the programme continues in the same format with the ultimate goal of creating opportunities of improving relations between Croatian and Taiwanese companies.
The EBRD launched this month the Business Lens, a free online tool for business self-diagnostics of companies run by women Through Business Lens, women can identify the positive areas of their businesses, recognise opportunities for further development and request assistance in financing and counselling to improve their business.
“With pleasure we announce the continuation of the Programme for Women Entrepreneurs in Croatia. Strengthening and development of their potential is a key element of the development of Croatian economy, best seen through the success their companies are making. Competitiveness is advanced through higher productivity, boosting innovation and expanding markets which also generates new work places,” said the director of EBRD for Croatia and Slovenia Vedrana Jelušić Kašić.
Acting director of the Taiwanese representative office in the United Kingdom Shyang-Yun Cheng said he is pleased with the continuation of the EBRD partnership to support women entrepreneurs in Croatia. “This programme promotes and strengthens bonds between companies run by women and supports their growth,” Yun Cheng emphasised.
