Skopje, Macedonia

Accessing finance and investment is daunting for many agribusinesses and SMEs across the developing world, yet it is increasingly achievable. To address the complicated process of accessing finance in Macedonia to assist companies to obtain the money needed to become more competitive, Crimson has developed and published a Finance Guide for Agribusinesses and SMEs.

This document provides a simple, straightforward explanation of the range of financing products and services available to Macedonian agribusinesses and helps educate business owners on what types of finance may be appropriate for their businesses, the expectations/perspective of lending institutions, and how to improve the likelihood of receiving financing with the loan terms and conditions best suited to their circumstances.

The Finance Manual also contains a detailed section on lending from the perspective of a financial institution. For example, when the Loan Officers meet a client, what are the steps they go through in reviewing potential loan applications? What information is most important to convince a lender to extend credit? Critical issues such as cash flow, collateral, types of products, financial information, documentation requirements and tips for businesses are included.

The Finance Manual is currently being translated into Albanian and Macedonia and will serve as a basis for upcoming workshops on the theme of accessing credit by agribusiness. Further translations and adaptations into Russian and Spanish are anticipated as well. The Macedonian Finance Manual was developed specifically for the USAID funded Macedonia Agbiz Program. Crimson Capital is a subcontractor to ARD Inc. on this activity.