"Priority sector for country": NBU governor urges banks to step up lending to Ukrainian arms manufacturers
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has called on commercial banks to increase lending to defense industry enterprises.
NBU Governor Andrii Pyshnyi announced this on Facebook following a meeting with representatives of major Ukrainian banks.
"Financing the defense industry is a national priority that should be clearly reflected in the banks’ lending portfolios," Pyshnyi emphasized.
He noted that banks "performed very well" in supporting energy restoration projects, financing the construction of 1.2 GW of generation capacity and over 400 MW of energy storage.
"Let’s look for models that will make us equally effective in supporting the defense industry. It has enormous potential, including for exports, especially given how the EU is expanding its defense programs. The defense sector will undoubtedly remain one of the key industries during reconstruction," Pyshnyi urged.
He added that in this context, more attention should be paid to consortium lending, which helps distribute risks among multiple financial institutions.
As previously reported, state-owned PrivatBank is currently reviewing corporate loan applications totaling over UAH 20 billion, according to board member Yevhen Zaihraiev.
He said these include dozens of projects at various stages of preparation, including those in the defense sector.
