JIBC/NEXI to support new loan scheme for Russia

(Nikkei Asian Review, Tokyo, 12 December 2016) Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation will jointly launch a new scheme to provide loans for small to midsize Russian businesses via Alfa-Bank. Japanese export credit agency Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) will back up the creditworthiness of the Russian lender. Despite being a major private lender in Russia, Alfa bank's credit profile, including total asset size, is much lower than state-backed lenders. NEXI will provide guarantees in order for Japanese banks to avoid the risk of possible bad loans. The total loan amount is expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars.