The FINANCIAL — With businesses picking up in Georgia, ProCredit Bank has started giving professional advice to businesses on all banking issues for free.
These business advisers have undergone intensive training and will now serve as business advisers for business clients, providing them with guidance on the banking needs of their businesses as well as offering advice regarding their personal finances.
Advisers will assist business clients in selecting an appropriate credit product for expanding their business. They will explain how to manage their company’s accounts without leaving the office and how to pay salaries in just a few minutes. As well as that they’ll also advise the entrepreneurs’ families on managing their personal accounts and savings.
“We are for the first time launching such a service which will be totally free for all our business clients. In total there’ll be around 30-40 such Business Advisers hired from inside and outside the Bank who already have similar experience and who’ll be available in the branches of ProCredit Bank, where such services are required. This service will be very convenient for businesses as they can just call/meet their own adviser whenever they want and get a professional advice on how to best manage their banking needs. For instance if they want to expand their business and need an additional loan, open a savings account, or just have a consultation on how to best pay the salaries of their employees.”
On September 29, ProCredit Bank invited over 150 existing business clients for which the Business Adviser service was created. At the reception they were able to present their products at the so-called “Client’s Corner”, designed for the bank’s clients to promote their products at the bank’s branches. The exhibition at the reception enabled the entrepreneurs to learn about each other’s products and services and build new business partnerships.
“I’m the founder of Tserovani Company, which produces ketchup, mayonnaise, and other types of sauces. I’ve been cooperating with ProCredit Bank for over 5 years, and I’m very satisfied with the service/conditions it offers our business,” said Giorgi Patiashvili, Director of Tserovani Agro-consortium.
“We’ve been operating on the Georgian market since the mid ‘90s and the first partnership we made with a bank was with ProCredit Bank which we continue to be strong partners with today. Tserovani employs 35 people, all Georgians, although almost all of the inputs are imported from Turkey and Ukraine except for sugar” he said.
“In addition to the Business Advisor service that ProCredit has provided for us, we’re happy that interest rates have fallen from 21% to 14-16%. Now we are working on a new cream cheese product and are planning to start exporting our products to Armenia and Azerbaijan’s markets soon. Therefore we’ll require greater investment from ProCredit Bank.” – Giorgi Patiashvili told The FINANCIAL.
The presenters of the products were from other different spheres as well, including: traditional dress, sweets, magazines, construction materials, etc., who were all clients of ProCredit Bank and were very excited about the new service the Bank is offering them.
ProCredit Bank is one of the leading banks in Georgia, the “house bank” for small and medium-sized enterprises, offering a full range of banking services to legal entities and private individuals. The Bank was established in 1999 and has 58 branches throughout the country.
The Bank is a member of the international ProCredit Group, successfully operating in 11 countries in Eastern Europe, 7 countries in Latin America and 3 countries in Africa. ProCredit Group is led by ProCredit Holding AG, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. ProCredit Bank has a BB- rating from the international agency Fitch Ratings, which is the best and highest possible rating in Georgia. As of August 2010, ProCredit Bank’s assets totalled 447 million USD. Currently more than 302,000 clients enjoy the services of ProCredit Bank Georgia.
According to National Bank of Georgia ProCredit Bank is among five most profitable banks in Georgia.
Before her recent assignment as General Director, Maya Meredova was a member of the Management board of ProCredit Bank Georgia for over 3 years, overseeing among other things Human Resources, Small and Medium-size Businesses and Institutional Clients.
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