Renewable Energy Capacity Building for the ProCredit Group

ProCredit is a group of development-oriented commercial banks with a geographical focus on Eastern and South Eastern Europe and a structural emphasis on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Developing its green portfolio is one of the pillars of the group’s environmental strategy and is a non-negotiable part of its long-term business strategy. The ProCredit group has promoted the financing of energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmentally friendly measures for SMEs and private individuals since 2006. As of June 2020, green loans accounted for 17.3% of the group’s total loan portfolio. The target for the medium term is to increase this share to 20%; strengthening the group’s capacity in terms of renewable energy finance is an important step towards achieving this goal.

During the capacity building training, more than 100 employees in the ProCredit group were trained in the field of renewable energy (photovoltaics, water, wind, biogas and geothermal energy), in particular with regard to the technical, economic and legal aspects of these technologies. The training was largely aimed at employees from the credit risk, environmental and legal departments and addressed the varying levels of knowledge of the operational staff and the management.

The training sessions included presentations, as well as case studies, group work, active exchange of experience, and analysis of real loan cases. The learning materials were made available to all employees and an existing online platform for the structured exchange of knowledge and experience was further developed. At the end of the capacity-building training, the participants took a final exam.

The training of the workforce, as well as the development of renewable energies, will have long-term positive effects in all countries of the ProCredit group, especially in terms of maintaining and creating jobs by supporting SMEs, but also in terms of reducing the effects of the climate crisis by generating awareness about the importance of investing in green technologies.