Lending gains momentum: businesses have adapted while banks have increased their risk appetite – Olga Volkova
SMB financing indicators in 2026 significantly exceed the results of 2025, while the overall potential for business lending in the coming years remains very strong. This opinion was shared by Olga Volkova, Director of Sales to Medium and Small Corporate Clients at OTP BANK JSC, during the roundtable discussion “Financing for Business: What Is Realistically Available to SMEs in 2026”, organized by Financial Club.
She noted that in 2025, OTP BANK’s small and medium-sized business portfolio grew by 67% overall, including an 80% increase in the agricultural sector. During the first four months of 2026 alone, the Bank’s loan portfolio expanded by UAH 1.2 billion. “We see that businesses have adapted, while banks have increased their appetite for risk. Clients are more willing to seek financing, and demand for investment loans has risen significantly. Previously, many companies were reluctant to consider long-term investments or long-term borrowing. Today, entrepreneurs are investing in energy independence, land acquisition, fleet renewal, and production modernisation,” Olga Volkova emphasized.
According to her, borrowers can expect very fast preliminary credit decisions for loan amounts of up to UAH 40 million. “For loans of up to UAH 5 million, no collateral is required. For agricultural borrowers, we have increased financing limits secured by agricultural financial receipts from UAH 20 million to UAH 40 million,” stressed the Director of Sales to Medium and Small Corporate Clients.
During the roundtable discussion, Olga Volkova also shared updates on digital services for borrowers at OTP BANK, including the launch of a dedicated Portal that provides a fully digital communication cycle between the client and the Bank — from submitting a request to receiving a financing decision.
She also noted that OTP BANK’s NPL ratio, or non-performing loans, stands at around 1%, indicating the high quality of the Bank’s portfolio. “Reputation is an extremely important factor in lending decisions,” Olga Volkova concluded.
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Public Joint Stock Company OTP Bank is a subsidiary of OTP Bank, which is the largest independent Central-Eastern-European banking group. JSC OTP Bank is one of the largest domestic banks, a recognized leader in the financial sector of Ukraine. The Bank provides a full range of financial services to corporate and private customers, as well as to small and medium enterprises. The bank entered the Ukrainian market in 1998, and since then it enjoys a staunch reputation of socially responsible, reliable and stable institution providing its consumers with services of European quality standard.
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