Russia's Banking System Unready For Full-scale Crediting Of Small, Medium-size Business

The Russian banking system is not yet 100-percent ready to credit small and medium-size business, Impexbank president Yuri Isayev told a RIA Novosti news conference on Thursday. The chief reason is, to him, the lack of a material basis which would be a pledge against credits given to small and medium-size business. "We lack legislative acts that would regulate property and mortgage crediting of businessmen. Without initial capital it is actually impossible to start a small enterprise", he lamented. Simultaneously, the bank president stressed that "the time is coming when also financial-crediting institutions have to turn to domestic producers, especially small enterprises". To him, bankers are interested in growth of the middle class, in which they see potential clients.