S Leasing Serbia Secures €10 Million for Green Investments in Collaboration with EBRD and GCF

S Leasing Serbia (SLS), a subsidiary of Erste Bank Serbia, has announced its participation in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF), further bolstering Serbia’s transition to a greener future. This collaboration has received a substantial boost, as S Leasing Serbia has secured a €10 million loan from the EBRD and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The funds will be directed towards green investments in the country, made possible through the EBRD’s innovative Green Technology Selector platform.

Erste Bank Serbia, a longstanding partner of EBRD in Serbia, has initiated its first joint venture with its subsidiary, S Leasing Serbia. The subsidiary, recognized as the fourth largest in Serbia in terms of total assets, specializes in passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as construction equipment. The newly acquired financial support will enable S Leasing Serbia to expand its portfolio of green technologies, including solar panels, heat pumps, and biogas equipment, for local businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. These technologies will be sourced from a pre-approved list on the EBRD Technology Selector platform.

Aleksandra Vukosavljevic, EBRD Director, Financial Institutions, expressed, “The EBRD continues to promote green investments in the country and scale up financing to local businesses through its partner financial institutions. We are happy to welcome S Leasing Serbia as our new partner institution, and we hope that this project is just the beginning of a long-standing relationship”.

Bojan Vračević, Chief Executive of SLS, commented, “Environmental, social and governance principles are deeply rooted in our business philosophy, which is why this partnership is extremely important to us. We are fully committed to improving business sustainability and our support for projects that focus on renewable energy sources will be our imperative in the future. The EBRD and GCF support for green investments will be invaluable on this path.”

The EBRD has been a significant contributor to Serbia’s economic development, with investments totalling nearly €8.7 billion in 340 projects to date. Remarkably, nearly 70% of these investments have been dedicated to supporting the private sector’s growth. In 2023, the EBRD has already committed over €680 million to further fortify Serbia’s economy.