The regulator has extended the program of preferential crediting of banks for the segment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), extending its including to restructure the customer payment of the leasing and factoring companies. Market participants believe that the mechanism will be used mainly to increase the credit portfolio to SMEs. In this case the winner is the state-owned banks and their subsidiaries which, thanks to the support of the Central Bank will strengthen the positions in specialized segments.The Central Bank has extended the preferential unsecured lending banks within the 500 billion rubles allocated for support of SMEs, including leasing and factoring. It follows from the letter GU the Central Bank the Central Federal district, which read “y”. A number of banks have acknowledged receipt.Program to support lending to SMEs developed in March in the framework of the “additional support for the most vulnerable sectors of the economy and citizens in a pandemic”. Based on the ratio of current credit debt of SMEs to its size on April 1, the Bank can lay claim to a certain limit unsecured loans from the Central Bank at rates ranging from 3.5% per annum. Upper limit — key rate (now at 5.5%) plus 1 percentage point. Access to the program have only banks with a rating not lower than A– according to the national scale.The original program took into account only the credit portfolio of the banks (including the factoring agreement). Now, the letter, the basis also includes the debt to the Bank’s factoring and leasing companies, which was formed for the financing of these companies of SMEs. “When the decision was made to stimulate growth of the SME loan portfolio, it did not take into account the fact that dealing with business financing through leasing and factoring should also receive support. This is corrected by including in the portfolio of loans to leasing and factoring companies,” explains the Director of the Department of small and medium business ICD Viktor Zhidkov. The Central Bank attributed its decision with the possibility of SMEs to restructure, for example, lease payments to leasing companies.The Central Bank did not respond to a request “b”. Banks believe that the proposed mechanism is not associated directly with the restructuring. “The measure is aimed at stimulating lending to SMEs”,— noted in VTB. “Refinancing is actually the Bank to increase lending to SMEs from April 2020”,— said General Director of “agricultural Leasing” Alexander Kozhevnikov. As the managing Director of PSB innocent Volovik, early due to high transaction costs in the financing of small enterprises, many factoring companies are reluctant in this segment. Now, however, “the Central Bank has increased the financing of small enterprises”, he said: “”MS�� Factoring” is planning to expand financing of small businesses, including through the use of this mechanism”.The beneficiaries of this programme will be a major state-owned banks and subsidiary leasing and factoring companies, the fear of the Director for business support of GC “Alfa-Leasing” Veronika Novikova. “The program includes group requirement (Covenant) by neumegen portfolio to SMEs by more than 10% compared with 1 April 2020. Compliance with this requirement in the current crisis situation as soon as possible state banks and their subsidiaries,” she said. Banks with a low rating in which loans leasing and factoring companies, “the growth of the portfolio generally not worth it regardless of ability to obtain funds, the Central Bank,” says Viktor Zhidkov. These banks are more pressing are issues of capitalization. Attraction of resources of Bank will be used for new transactions, noted Ms. Novikova, and companies that are not credited in the banks category, And will lose in this competition.Ilya Usov, Olga Cherenkova leasing market customers asked for restructuring 72 thousand transactions, accounting for 14% of the market, reported in a press-service of the savings Bank, citing data from the United leasing Association. Applicants from 38 thousand customers belong to the affected industries. In addition, 56 thousand customers are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Leasing company approved changes for 81% of transactions of customers of the affected branches and 93% of transactions for the clients of SMEs, said the representative of the Bank. In “Sberbank Leasing” (according to “Expert RA” at the beginning of 2020 took the second place on volume of a leasing portfolio after STLC) asked for a restructuring of the 14% of customers. 87% of applicants lease payments were restructured according to the special restructuring programs, as noted in the savings Bank. “The rules of restructuring of the market is already established,— said the Chairman of the Board GK “the alpha-Leasing” Veronika Novikova.— A large proportion of the queries of clients already satisfied from the leasing companies.”Ilya Usov
