Nataly Mouravidze: EBRD plans to expand cooperation with Azerbaijani financial institutions

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is ready to engage even more financial institutions in Azerbaijan, head of the EBRD’s Azerbaijan office, Nataly Mouravidze, said at the First National Forum on Financial Accessibility in Baku.

According to Report, she recalled that the EBRD was established in 1991 to support the transition to a market economy, and Azerbaijan has remained an important partner since the bank’s early years.

"Over the past three decades, we have made a significant contribution to the country’s economic development through investments, technical cooperation, and reform support. To date, the bank has invested over €4 billion in more than 190 projects. It is gratifying to see our partnership growing stronger each year. Recently, our Board of Directors approved a new five-year strategy for Azerbaijan, covering key priorities such as promoting economic diversification by strengthening local business competitiveness and corporate governance, enhancing financial sector resilience, supporting the transition to a green economy, and improving regional integration," Mouravidze stated.

She emphasized that the EBRD backs these priorities with major investments, ranging from solar and wind energy projects to the expansion of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company’s (ASCO) fleet abroad.

"However, our primary mission in Azerbaijan has always been and remains supporting the private sector. We provide direct financing to local enterprises, but our main tool for supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) is cooperation with Azerbaijani banks. By investing in financial institutions, we enable them to expand lending to the private sector. We are already working with Bank Respublika, AccessBank, and the International Bank of Azerbaijan, and we look forward to engaging even more financial institutions in the future," she added.