According to the bank’s official press briefing, Sberbank is positioned at the forefront of delivering results under the VEB.RF Project Finance Factory program. In concrete terms, the total transaction limit closed within this program with Sberbank’s participation has surpassed 500 billion rubles, underscoring the bank’s active role in accelerating large-scale infrastructure and manufacturing initiatives across the country.
Since the program’s inception, Sberbank has financed about one third of all Factory projects, demonstrating a steady, mission-aligned contribution to this public-private financing framework. At present, Sberbank, in collaboration with VEB.RF, is evaluating prospects for signing new loan agreements that would cover more than 10 projects, with aggregate financing potentially exceeding 300 billion rubles. This ongoing pipeline signals strong momentum and a continued appetite for long-term capital deployment within key strategic sectors.
The priority investment areas identified for these projects include transportation infrastructure, industrial manufacturing, metallurgy, and the chemical industry. These sectors are recognized for their broad social and economic impact, including job creation, regional development, and enhanced competitiveness of Russian industry.
Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, emphasized the bank’s active engagement with the Project Finance Factory instrument. He noted that, alongside government colleagues and a number of commercial lenders who are leaders in the Russian syndicated loan market, Sberbank contributed to shaping the program’s conditions and rules and supported its 2018 launch. He pointed out that the project finance tool holds significant potential, particularly if its mechanisms are refined to better serve senior lenders and borrowers, with goals such as reducing project risks, increasing financial flexibility, and simplifying procedural steps.
To recall, the Project Finance Factory operated by VEB.RF focuses on selecting viable projects and also serves as a loan manager, providing protection against certain risks. The program is designed to finance projects located in priority sectors and imposes criteria that include a minimum project cost of 3 billion rubles, financing terms extending up to 20 years, and a minimum creator contribution of 15%. This framework enables the financing of socially meaningful projects distributed across the country, aligning public interests with private capital and technical expertise. The ongoing collaboration among state institutions, major banks, and project sponsors aims to mobilize long-term capital for strategic priorities, thereby contributing to nationwide development while maintaining prudent risk management practices. (Source attribution: VEB.RF, Sberbank).