How to get a loan for a small business from the state: types of loans and documents to obtain. Help for small businesses from the state Where to get a loan

When drawing up a high-quality business plan for starting or expanding activities, replenishing and modernizing fixed assets, many entrepreneurs are looking for profitable ways to attract additional funds. Loans for small businesses outperform offers from private investors with speed of processing, minimum rates and a large selection of programs:

Express loans - up to 200 - 300 thousand rubles. to increase working capital. Individual entrepreneurs and legal entities engaged in trading activities can apply for a loan.
Microcredit - up to 1.5 million rubles. to replenish fixed and working capital. Preference is given to companies engaged in trading and manufacturing activities and providing services.
Small loans - up to 5 million rubles. Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses can apply for issuance.
Loans under the “Agro+” program - up to 1 million rubles. entrepreneurs specializing in the agricultural sector.
Overdraft (expense in excess of the account balance) - up to 1.5 million rubles. to increase turnover. The program is designed for lending to legal entities.
Credit lines - the amount is calculated individually, depending on the account turnover. Funds are provided only to legal entities.
Credit cards - up to 100 thousand rubles. for small purchases and business travel expenses. Loans are issued to individual entrepreneurs and legal entities in various fields.

Depending on the choice of program, the bank evaluates the documentation from 1 day to 2 months. Additional benefits are provided to customers who have a current or current account with the bank.

Who do they lend to?

As part of the programs of international financial organizations, the issuance of loans is not available to companies offering alcohol and tobacco products, gambling, real estate or food products to the public. Banks make a negative decision when applying for a loan to create an authorized capital and pay off current obligations.

They are wary of manufacturing companies. Owners of small production shops (shoemakers and tailors) can apply for a loan if they have extensive business experience, a wide range of suppliers of raw materials and a customer base.

Loyal conditions are provided:

Trade enterprises (to increase working capital) - shops, catering establishments or beauty salons.
For road carriers applying for a loan for the purchase of a vehicle.
To farmers (loan funds are issued within the framework of the Agro+ program).

Banks are reluctant to provide loans to start a business. There are more chances to get a loan to change activities or develop a new business area.

Lending purposes

Loans are provided to entrepreneurs for various purposes:

To cover additional costs.
For maintenance and repair of buildings and structures.
Equipment modernization.
To open a business.

Who falls under the category of borrowers?

Entrepreneurs applying for a loan from a bank are subject to a number of requirements:

Legal status – individual entrepreneur or legal entity, joint-stock company or private person with equity participation.
Place of registration – preferably the company is registered and carries out activities on the territory of the bank.
The period of doing business is from 6 to 12 months. from the moment of registration.
The maximum number of employees is up to 100 people.
Confirmation of the absence of imposed arrests and bans.

Business owners, as individuals, are also subject to a number of criteria:

Russian citizenship.
No arrears on previous loans.
Registration in the territory of the financial institution.
The client must meet the status of an individual entrepreneur, or have ownership rights in the business.
Age limit - from 21 to 60 years.
Availability of a landline telephone.

Based on the choice of program or loan parameters, banks may impose additional conditions.

Overpayment amount

SME lending programs feature minimal overpayments. Thus, the average overpayment ranges from 16 to 24% per annum. A number of companies set limits from 14.9 to 18.5%. There are also programs on the market with rates of 28% or more, which is typical for small banks.

Package of documents

Participants in the program for lending to individual entrepreneurs and SMEs without collateral or guarantors are asked to collect a standard package of documentation:

Application for consideration. Served in the office or on the company website.
Original or photocopy of passport.
State registration certificate (copy).
For legal entities - a photocopy of the Charter, extracts from shareholder registers, an order on the appointment of a chief accountant, minutes of shareholder meetings, etc.
For a registered business - a report on the movement of funds in the account.

The Bank reserves the right to require additional securities:

Constituent documentation for legal entities.
Confirmation of the settlement of the client’s relations with the authorities conscripting citizens for military service.
Confirmation of expenses associated with the acquisition of rights to a share in property.

Loan size

The average loan size is 4.5 million rubles. Some companies are ready to issue a loan in the amount of 500 thousand to 1 million rubles, others up to 7 million rubles.

For what period should the loan be issued?

The average lending period for SMEs is 36 months. Less often, banks issue contracts for 5-7 years, which is typical for large systemic organizations.

How to pay off debt?

In the Russian financial market, programs designed to repay loans using the annuity method are more common. Clients make payments in equal installments according to the loan repayment schedule. A differentiated scheme is extremely rare in practice.

Bank selection

If you have accreditation with a bank, you should contact it, this will allow you to clarify the conditions and compare them with offers from other companies:

VTB24 - “Negotiable” from RUB 850,000, from 11.8%, up to 3 years. Loan fee - from 0.3%.
Zenit - up to 30 million rubles, 13–14.5%, up to 2 years. No down payment required. It is possible to defer the repayment of the principal debt for up to 12 months.
Kraiinvestbank - 3 programs are provided: for business development from 500,000 to 70,000,000 rubles. for up to 7 years at 13%, turnover at 13% or overdraft from 16%.
Levoberezhny - from 150,000 to 3,000,000 at 15% for up to 6 years (universal program “Business without borders”).
Promtransbank - from 150,000, from 15 to 35% per annum, up to 5 years.
Rosselkhozbank - from 1 million rubles, 13%, from 6 months.
Center-Invest - from 300,000 rub. at 12% per annum, up to 36 months.
Energomashbank - overdraft from RUB 300,000, from 17% per annum, up to 12 months.

Positive and negative characteristics

The advantages include:

High flexibility in determining rates and personal terms of service.

Receipt of the agreed amount without collateral or guarantors.

Loyal conditions for regular customers.

Cons include:

Informing the bank about doing business.
Lengthy documentation collection.
Low percentage of approval of applications to open a business.
Limitations in choosing a business direction.

Small Business Lending Fund

When applying for a loan from a bank, entrepreneurs cannot always provide collateral to cover possible risks. An advisable solution would be to use the possibility of obtaining a guarantee from the FSKMB, which is equivalent to registering a pledge. Depending on the type of activity of the borrower, the Fund acts as a guarantor for a loan from 60 to 90% of the requested loan (up to 60% for wholesale and retail enterprises, travel agencies, up to 70% for transport and agricultural companies, etc.).

Loan processing time ranges from 3 to 60 months.

Fund partners:

PJSC SB RF.
PJSC Bank "Levoberezhny".
JSCIB "Education".
JSC "RSHB".
PJSC "Bank ZENIT"
PJSC "VTB24".
PJSC Promsvyazbank.
JSC Banca Intesa.
JSC "SMP-Bank".
PJSC Bank "FC Otkritie".

In search of the most favorable conditions for revolving lending to SMEs, many entrepreneurs will be interested in the conditions of Sberbank; in 2017, the company offers:

Loan amount: from 10 million rubles. up to 1 billion rubles
Goals: purchase of fixed assets, modernization and reconstruction of production lines, implementation of new projects and replenishment of working capital (in the areas of agriculture, products, electricity, gas and water, construction, transport and communications).
Rates: from 9.6%.
Terms of preferential funding: up to 3 years.

Applying for a loan is carried out in a number of stages:

Familiarization with the terms of the loan, consultation with a background employee.
Preparation of a documentation package.
Submitting an application and collected papers.
Familiarization of the Foundation's employees with the place of business.
Conclusion of an agreement.

Transferred to the entrepreneur's account.

Today there is direct financing of individual entrepreneurship at the expense of the state. To support small businesses in 2020, several state programs have been developed, the purpose of which is to provide assistance to individual entrepreneurs. Many of the projects have been active for several years, others have just begun their development.

Small business support system in the Russian Federation

The most common practice is to compensate part of the interest rate for the loan. Let's say an enterprise has raised funds to finance its current activities at 15% per annum. The refinancing rate today is 7.75% per annum. The state can compensate up to 3/4 of the refinancing rate, or up to 6% per annum. Thus, the company will pay for the loan by 15% per year, and only 9%. After all, the state compensates 6% for it.

Supporting small businesses in 2020 is a very good and attractive measure. But she has two problematic issues. Firstly, not every small business receives a loan, especially now that banks’ policies regarding the provision of funds have become stricter. Secondly, in order to receive compensation it is necessary to collect a fairly voluminous package of documents, which not every small enterprise will do. Often small businesses outsource their accounting, so it is not at all obvious who will prepare the necessary package of documents. However, this measure works in all regions and is the most popular.

Who is supporting small businesses in 2020?

Currently, government support measures for small businesses are regulated by a number of specialized regulations of both regional and federal significance. The current small business support system in 2020 includes commercial and non-profit financial institutions that act as a kind of intermediary between individual entrepreneurs and government authorities:

private banking and credit institutions,
investment and venture funds,
private and public business schools,
non-profit partnerships and public organizations.

Through the efforts of the legislative branch, the system of interactions of all links in this chain is increasingly simplified, and the interaction itself becomes more effective and accessible.

Two other instruments of state support are implemented by the Entrepreneurship Support and Development Fund, which exists in each territory and was created on the basis of the federal target program for creating infrastructure for the support and development of small and medium-sized businesses. The first tool among them is microcredit. Depending on the economic situation in the region, the Entrepreneurship Support and Development Fund issues loans to enterprises without collateral, for promising projects or to finance current activities.

The third instrument of state support for small businesses in 2020 is a guarantee from the Entrepreneurship Support and Development Fund. If the quantity or quality of collateral is insufficient, a small enterprise can apply to the Entrepreneurship Support and Development Fund. This organization will consider the application and, if it makes a positive decision, will enter into a guarantee agreement with the bank. As a result, the company does not need to look for collateral to obtain financing; everything can be done faster and easier.

Thus, small businesses have enough opportunities to receive government support for lending. In fact, a small business can quickly raise funds at a low interest rate, taking into account the subsidy. This allows enterprises to earn additional profit and use it for further investment in development.

What kind of help can an entrepreneur expect?

According to current legislation, every citizen who has completed the official registration procedure as an individual entrepreneur or founder of an LLC can count on state support. A young business that has not been registered for more than two years can receive financial assistance in the form of subsidies.

The size of the state subsidy is calculated based on a number of objective and subjective reasons, in particular, depending on the region in which the business was registered. For example, for Moscow entrepreneurs the maximum subsidy amount is 500,000 rubles, while in most regions this figure does not exceed 300 thousand.

Among the measures of state support for small businesses, we can note free vocational education programs that will help aspiring entrepreneurs acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to run a business. An interesting offer operating in some regions is preferential terms for renting municipal property for small businesses.

Preferential loans for business

To find out what kind of help small businesses can expect from the state in 2018 (preferential loans, tax preferences and other types of support), it is not at all necessary to search for information on various sites, collect bits and pieces on information and legal portals, from official sources. After all, you can turn to the source, where everything is collected in one place. The website portal was created to facilitate the search for information, help apply for a loan or loan, find out opinions and reviews about a particular organization or products offered.

What kind of assistance can business representatives expect from the government in 2018?

Let's consider the possible types of assistance that the government provides to individual entrepreneurs, as well as who can count on such support. Well, first of all, good news for legal entities. There are plans to revise the conditions for providing loans to business representatives. This means that the rate may be fixed at 10-11 percent. It will also be possible to reinvest with a loan rate ranging from 6.5 to 11 percent.

Who is eligible to receive support for small businesses?

Newly opened individual entrepreneurs
Representatives of the ecotourism sector
Manufacturing industry
Craft industry

In 2018, a preferential loan as a type of assistance to small businesses from the state will be available on simplified terms and with expedited processing. The government and banks are making steps towards business representatives and offering a helping hand.

Also, support for small businesses is provided not only in the form of material support and loans on simplified terms. Owners of their own business can count on various free services.

Support for individual entrepreneurs

Free assistance is expressed in the provision of various types of services, information support, etc.

Free educational lectures, courses
Consultations with economists and lawyers
Promotion of services and goods through fairs and exhibitions
Providing industrial space and land plots

You can also receive free help from the budget. For example, you decided to open your own business, but you do not have enough funds for basic capital. Don’t rush to go to the bank for a loan, everything can be solved much easier.

What is required to get loans to run a business?

In such a situation, you can contact the employment exchange and get the required support.

Register at the employment center as unemployed
Conduct a detailed development of your own project, carefully describing the proposed activities
Register your application for participation in the tender

If your business project is interesting and promising, you will receive irrevocable support. The only condition will be a detailed report on the use of all funds allocated to you.

In addition to preferential loans, assistance to small businesses from the state in 2018 can also be expressed in property equivalent.

Space for rent on favorable terms
Sale of state property with favorable contract terms
Objects created for business

Important! If you count on benefits from the state, without refusal, you should establish yourself as a promising owner of your own business, a law-abiding citizen. Feel free to ask questions and get advice on paperwork, tax compliance and other nuances.

The state also launched a grant program in 2018. In principle, getting this kind of help is not difficult.

Who is eligible to receive grants?

In order to be provided with such support, you need to draw up an application and submit it to the appropriate authorities.

Your business is over a year old
You pay your fees regularly and your credit history is perfect
You create conditions for attracting new employees

If you meet all the requirements listed above. Then you will receive a grant from the state without any problems. However, before submitting an application, you need to collect a complete package of documents. You should also take care of a certificate that you have not previously been given grants.

If you did not receive a grant, you can receive a preferential loan from the state to help small businesses in 2018. The rate on it will be only 5-6 percent.

Who can get a preferential loan in 2018

If you want to take advantage of this kind of help, you should check whether you meet the conditions under which such loans are issued.

Activities in the field of innovation development
Production of export products or import substitution
Production of oil and gas equipment

The conditions for obtaining this type of lending are, in principle, quite simple. You need to prepare a complete package of documents required to submit your application. You can find out more about this from our consultants, because in some cases the set of papers may differ, although not significantly.

You submit an application with documents to your municipal or regional fund. The review process takes approximately three days, after which you will be given an answer.

In general, any owner of his own business has the right to hope to receive assistance from the state for small businesses in 2018, preferential lending. However, it should be taken into account that loan priorities are set depending on the field of activity. There are also some restrictions. There are categories of small business representatives who may not count on loans with special conditions.

Who can't count on help from the state?

Businessmen who are on the verge of bankruptcy or who have gone bankrupt
Those who are in arrears to repay a soft loan
Having any kind of debt to the budget

The volume of loans to small and medium-sized businesses in Russia in 2017 increased by 15% against the backdrop of lower rates and preferential government programs, Expert RA found out. Since the 2014 crisis, lending to SMEs has been declining for three years

Photo: Kirill Kukhmar / Kommersant

Signs of life

In 2017, Russian banks issued 6.1 trillion rubles to small and medium-sized enterprises. loans - this is 15% more than in 2016, according to a study by the rating agency Expert RA (available from RBC), dedicated to lending to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The sector is showing growth for the first time since 2013, the volume of issuance is the largest in three years, however, SME lending in Russia has still not reached pre-crisis levels: at the end of 2013, 8.1 trillion rubles were issued to SMEs. loans.

Based on data from the Central Bank, the SME loan portfolio in the Russian banking sector has been declining for the fourth year in a row - minus 7% at the end of 2017 (to 4.2 billion). But Expert RA calculated that the negative dynamics were due to changes in the register of small and medium-sized businesses in August 2017. Because of this, more than 600 thousand organizations, some of them with a credit load, ceased to be considered SMEs. If not for this circumstance, the loan portfolio would also have grown for the first time since 2014 - to 4.9 trillion rubles, the authors of the study calculated. The volume of the loan portfolio is less than the volume of loans issued due to the predominance of loans for up to one year in the SME market.

The Expert RA study is based on official statistics from the Central Bank, the results of a bank survey, as well as in-depth interviews with participants in the SME lending market (representatives of 47 banks were interviewed).

Which businesses in Russia are classified as small and medium-sized?

There is a legislative definition for small and medium-sized businesses in Russia. Micro-enterprises should employ up to 15 people, small enterprises - up to 100, medium enterprises - from 100 to 250 people. To be included in the SME group, there are restrictions on revenue - 120 million, 800 million and 2 billion rubles. for micro, small and medium enterprises respectively.

The main reason for the upward trend in the SME lending market is the reduction in interest rates on loans for this category of enterprises. The weighted average rate on long-term loans in this sector decreased over the year from 14.2 to 10.9%, for short-term (up to one year) - from 14.8 to 12.4%.

In addition, in 2017, individual entrepreneurs received access to the already existing state program for lending to SMEs (at 6.5% per annum). Finally, the government approved a new program under which loans to SMEs operating in priority industries will be subsidized from the federal budget at 6.5% per annum (currently real rates on preferential loans are 9.6-10.6% - preferential rate plus bank margin in the amount of 3-4 pp). Priority sectors include agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transport, communications, tourism, healthcare and waste management.

According to Expert RA, not only the volume of lending has increased, but also the number of submitted and approved applications for SME loans. The first indicator is growing by one and a half times for the second year in a row (based on a survey conducted by a rating agency among banks), and the number of actually concluded contracts at the end of 2017 also increased by one and a half times after a decrease a year earlier.

Market for state banks

Considering that state programs remain the main driver of growth in SME lending, banks that are not among the largest have fewer and fewer opportunities to compete in the market for loans to large enterprises. At the end of 2017, the share of SME loans issued by banks from the top 30 by assets reached a historical maximum of 66% (in monetary terms, the SME loan portfolio of the largest banks amounted to RUB 2.8 trillion). The total volume of loans issued by banks from the top 30 to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2017 showed explosive growth - plus 34%, up to 4 trillion rubles. (such dynamics have not happened since 2011).

The leader in SME lending in 2017 was Sberbank - the largest Russian bank virtually single-handedly ensured the growth of the sector in 2017 (without taking into account Sberbank’s indicators, the total portfolio of SME loans would have decreased by 14%). The State Bank increased its SME loan portfolio by 17%, and the volume of loans by 60%. Also in the top 5 largest creditors of small companies at the end of 2017 were VTB, Moscow Industrial Bank, Bank St. Petersburg and Alfa Bank. The fastest growing loan portfolios were Mosoblbank (four times), Russian Capital (plus 174%) and SMP Bank (plus 104%).

In the case of small banks, the situation is exactly the opposite. Over the year, the volume of loans issued to SMEs decreased by 9% (to 2.1 trillion rubles), the loan portfolio - by 24%, to 1.4 trillion rubles. (minimum since 2011).

There are several reasons for the leadership of large banks - they more often participate in state support programs and are more active than small banks in offering preferential terms for debt refinancing to SME borrowers.

What do they borrow for and when will they be paid back?

In 2017, more than half (51%) of loans issued to small and medium-sized businesses were in the trade sector. Banks traditionally lend to this sector most willingly, notes Expert RA. 14% of loans each went to small enterprises in the manufacturing and construction industries, 6% to insurance and financial SMEs. Agriculture in the overall structure of SME lending looks modest (share of 3%), however, participants in the Expert RA survey note an increase in lending to this industry, and some banks (VTB24, Ak Bars, Raiffeisenbank) increased the share of loans in this area by 49- 68%.

Mostly, small companies borrow for a short period of time (up to a year) - they need money to finance working capital and eliminate cash gaps. However, as Expert RA notes, in 2017 the share of loans for investment projects to small and medium-sized businesses (that is, for a period of more than three years) exceeded pre-crisis indicators, reaching 18% of the total lending volume.

SMEs are still the most unreliable borrowers. The share of overdue debt in the SME loan portfolio is 14.9%. This is much higher than retail loans (7%) and loans to large businesses (5%). They mostly do not repay debts to banks not included in the top 30—their share of overdue debt in this group reaches 21.7% (increased by 6 percentage points over the year).

Growth will continue

“Expert RA” predicts that with stable oil prices, inflation and the continued reduction of the Central Bank key rate, the SME loan portfolio in 2018 will grow by 15%, to 4.9 trillion rubles. (the agency uses official statistics from the Central Bank as its base). At the same time, banks will not rush to ease lending conditions: only 14% of banks participating in the Expert RA survey are ready to take such a step. The rest either do not intend to change approaches to assessing borrowers (57%) or will tighten them (29%).

The main growth in SME lending in 2018 will come from large banks, which will increase credit limits for the highest quality borrowers, Alexander Saraev, managing director for banking ratings at Expert RA, told RBC. The group of SME borrowers with an average level of risk, which medium and small credit institutions traditionally work with, will continue to experience significant limitations in borrowed resources. According to Saraev, it can be expected that, against the background of a decrease in risk appetite among medium and small banks, the funding gap for a wide range of SMEs will increase, despite the overall market growth.

The SME lending market has prospects only for companies that have sufficient and stable account turnover, says Fitch senior analyst Alexander Danilov. Only in this way can the banks that service these companies more or less reliably assess their solvency, while their reporting is uninformative. “For clients on the street, getting a loan will be problematic - banks are reluctant to do this because it is difficult to assess the risks,” Danilov clarifies.

RBC interviewed representatives of Russian banks with capital of 200 billion rubles. on their assessment of the prospects for the SME lending market. The leader in lending to the sector, Sberbank, is going to increase its portfolio of SME loans in 2018 from the current 1.3 trillion rubles. by 250 billion rubles. To do this, the bank plans to develop online lending and credit analysis technologies based on the use of big data. The bank's press service noted that Sberbank launched online lending to small businesses in March. Other banks that responded to RBC's request (Promsvyazbank, Uralsib, SMP Bank) predicted that the SME lending market will grow, and they do not intend to change their approaches to assessing the quality of the borrower. “We expect that by the end of 2018, rates on SME loans may fall. The reason for this will be a rate cut by the Central Bank. As a result, the growth of lending to the SME segment in 2018 will continue and reach a level of 9-10%,” predicts Kirill Tikhonov, vice president and managing director for small business development at Promsvyazbank. Lending to SMEs will grow due to “improving the situation in the Russian economy” and reducing loan rates, he believes.

Beginning entrepreneurs and small firms often face the problem of lack of financial resources in the course of their activities. Attracting a bank loan is a very expensive undertaking.

What are the conditions for providing state financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2020? Answers to questions in this article.

Features of obtaining MB loans on preferential terms

In Russian practice, only those enterprises that will provide an effective return for the entire national economy as a whole can count on receiving preferential loans and the opportunity to take advantage of loyal conditions for attracting bank loans.

What criteria determine such returns?

The number of jobs created (this aspect is especially significant for the economy of Russian regions);
The volume of tax revenues to the regional and federal treasuries;
GDP growth at the level of individual regions and the entire state as a whole.

In order to effectively support enterprises capable of creating favorable trends in the Russian economy, the Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation was created in 2015. It is through it that credit and guarantee support programs, as well as the public procurement system, are currently being implemented.

In order to take advantage of the financial support of the Corporation, it is important for a business entity to prove its readiness to ensure economic efficiency for the entire national economy as a whole.

What support can small businesses count on?

The Government of the Russian Federation regularly provides regional budgets with financial resources that should be used to support small and medium-sized businesses.

Why is it important for the state to develop this segment of the national economy?

Firstly, these are the beginnings of the future big business - the pillar of the national economy;
Secondly, these are additional jobs, an increase in GDP and tax revenues to the treasury;
Thirdly, this is a way to create an effective competitive environment in the market that can positively influence the quality of products.

There are several groups of Russian business entities that can count on receiving government financial assistance, including:

New companies taking their first steps in business;
Enterprises engaged in the production of products;
Ecotourism companies;
Business entities engaged in the creation of masterpieces of folk art.

Support for SMEs in Russia has several main areas, including:

Financial assistance in the form of preferential loans to small and medium-sized businesses and their subsidies. Participation in government procurement;
Non-financial assistance in the form of free services that are significant for the business sector (training, consulting, fairs, provision of land and premises, etc.).

It seems appropriate to examine in detail the key options for government financial assistance.

Subsidy from the labor exchange

This is the most convenient way to obtain cheap start-up capital. It is relevant for entrepreneurs who have effective business ideas, but do not have the means to implement them.

How to take advantage of this government support option?

Register with the regional employment center and obtain unemployed status;
Create a high-quality business plan for the future business with detailed calculations of financial results and justification of the significance of the project (projects with a social focus are approved in 100% of cases);
Submit a business plan and application for consideration by the grant committee.

After receiving a positive decision, the entrepreneur registers the company (in the form of an individual entrepreneur or LLC), receives government assistance to his bank account, and begins operations.

At the end of the quarter or year, the businessman is obliged to submit a report to government agencies that the allocated funds were spent for their intended purpose.

Property assistance

In 2020, property support for SMEs from the SME Corporation will be expressed in the following activities:

provision of real estate for rent at preferential rates;
sale of property assets by the state at low prices;
formation of infrastructure (business incubators, technology parks, etc.);
preferential lending;
free training in the basics of building a business, private consultations with experts;
legal and information support;
ensuring access to procurement;
other related services (for example, providing a credit history of a legal entity).

In addition, the “SME Business Navigator Portal” website was created on the basis of the Corporation’s information resource. This is the official free resource for the development of small and medium-sized businesses. The information will help you open and expand your business and provide detailed information about taxes, deductions and ways to earn money. Using the resource, you can calculate a business plan, find benefits for your business, find the best area to open your business, find real estate, check the reliability of your counterparties, and create a website for your business.

Grants from the state

Grants are a type of free financial assistance from the state.

They have the right to count on:

Entrepreneurs whose activities in the field of trade or production last less than 12 months;
Businessmen with an ideal credit history and no debts on taxes or other mandatory payments;
Firms that create new jobs in the national economy (especially at the regional level).

In order to become the owner of a grant from the state, an entrepreneur must prove the fact that he did not participate in other programs or receive grants or subsidies. And also undergo training in the basics of doing business at special courses organized by territorial employment centers.

SME lending

Refusal of grants and subsidies is not at all a reason to abandon the idea of creating your own business. Loans to small businesses from the SME Corporation in 2020 are provided at a rate of 0% to 9.8% per year.

The following conditions for attracting borrowed funds can be counted on:

Firms developing innovative industries;
Enterprises in the agricultural sector;
Ecotourism enterprises;
Enterprises engaged in the production of import-substituting products;
Companies that create equipment and mechanisms for the production and processing of hydrocarbons.

All of the above sectors have received such high attention because they are recognized as priority areas for the development of the national economy of the Russian Federation.

To obtain a loan, you must contact the Corporation branch in your region or the MFC with a list of documents. The application review period is 10 working days.

Non-state grants for starting a business

Creating your own business should begin by considering the issue of receiving free assistance, which, first of all, is grants. It is provided by non-state funds operating under banks, investment companies and financial and industrial groups.

Grants cover interesting and promising, from a commercial point of view, industries - agriculture, innovative production.

In this case, assistance can be provided in two forms:

On the condition of non-refundable provision of funds, but with the fulfillment of certain requirements.
In the form of an interest-free loan that must be repaid after a certain period.

In both the first and second cases, the recipient of the grant is determined through a competitive selection conducted by a special commission: participants submit an application and a package of documents with a public offer, detailing the goods offered by the company and indicating their cost.

The main difference between grants from non-state funds and government subsidies is that in the first case the commission selects promising and cost-effective projects, and in the second - mainly socially significant ones.

In 2020, those businessmen who plan to implement bold, but at the same time completely realistic and profitable projects can count on grants.

Loans for small businesses from the state

The state creates and supports special preferential lending programs for SMEs. They are usually implemented through a network of partner banks (Sberbank of the Russian Federation, Rosselkhozbank, etc.), in which part of the interest rate is subsidized from the budget. As a result, novice businessmen can receive borrowed funds on very favorable terms.

Lending to small businesses in 2020 provides for the opening of overdrafts, revolving lines of credit, and single loans to enterprises from priority industries:

socially significant projects;
construction companies engaged in the construction of economy-class apartment buildings;
projects aimed at import substitution;
organizations in the field of agriculture;
production based on the use of environmental technologies, etc.

There are several other options for government lending (in addition to interest rate subsidies):

Providing free subsidies to cover part of the principal amount of the loan or interest on it.
Providing government guarantees and guarantees for loans to small and medium-sized businesses.

The main feature of government lending programs for small and medium-sized businesses- its retributive nature.

Sooner or later, borrowed funds will still have to be returned to the lender.

However, there are many people who want to receive borrowed funds with government support, because:

Firstly, the rates on such loans are extremely low (0-10%);
Secondly, preferential programs also cover aspiring entrepreneurs who take their first steps in the market and are considered by commercial banks as very risky clients.

Lending on general terms

In addition to all of the listed forms of lending, organizations that do not fall under any of the projects can count on bank lending according to the general rules. The main conditions will be:

absence of debts on taxes and fees;
economic activity from 3 months;
citizenship for individual entrepreneurs or the share of residents of the Russian Federation in the authorized capital must be more than 80% for legal entities.

Interest rates on loans and additional conditions change regularly, so for detailed information it is better to contact the bank directly or leave a request on their websites.

The procedure for obtaining a preferential loan

In order to become a participant in programs for providing borrowed resources on preferential terms, an entrepreneur will need to take the following actions:

Choose a preferential program for business at one of the partner banks.
Prepare all the necessary documents and an application for borrowing funds.
Submit the papers for consideration by the banking commission.

If it turns out that the borrower does not have collateral, the borrower can apply to the SME Corporation to secure a guarantee for the loan. The corporation studies the borrower's business, its prospects, importance for the national economy, etc. If the corporation agrees to provide a guarantee, then an agreement is concluded between it, the bank and the borrower.

The conditions for providing preferential loans for businesses in Russian financial institutions are extremely similar to each other - they are distinguished by a low rate, loyal requirements for clients, and a long period of use of borrowed funds.

Particular attention should be paid to programs back-to-back loans. They are provided by the state at minimum rates so that small and medium-sized businesses can repay their debts to commercial banks.

It is worth adding that in 2020, gratuitous financial assistance programs for small and medium-sized businesses in Russia will cover enterprises in innovative industries, agriculture, the creation of essential goods and import-substituting products. Other companies should immediately focus on preferential loans.

most programs are implemented at the regional level and have their own specific conditions (for example, the guarantee can cover the entire loan amount or only a separate part of it);
it is important to pay special attention to the preparation of documents - most often a positive decision on the provision of assistance depends on this;
When attracting grants and loans through the labor exchange, it is important to realistically assess your capabilities in terms of efficient spending of funds and obtaining a positive result.