Every Fifth Loan Issued by Oschadbank is Directed to Frontline Regions

Oschadbank remains the largest lender to businesses in Ukraine’s frontline regions, with every fifth loan it issues being directed there and providing systematic support to the economies of regions facing the highest war-related risks.

This was stated during Oschadbank’s Energy Finance 2026 forum by Nataliia Butkova-Vitvitska, Member of the Management Board of Oschadbank in charge of MSMEs.

According to her, supporting businesses in frontline and de-occupied territories is a fundamental position of the state-owned bank and part of its strategic role in the country’s economic recovery.

“We are the largest lender to frontline territories. This is our fundamental position. Our nearest competitor has three times less financing volume. For Oschadbank, these transactions actually have zero margin, but who else will finance the country’s economic recovery if not a state-owned bank?”, emphasized Nataliia Butkova-Vitvitska.

A good case in point is the financing of a 2.9 MW solar power plant in a frontline area. The total cost of the project is UAH 80 million. The loan decision was approved in just one month, and 10% of the project cost was covered for the client by the EBRD as a grant provided with the support of the European Union.

Oschadbank also takes advantage of new regulatory opportunities introduced by the National Bank of Ukraine. When assessing borrowers from de-occupied or frontline territories, we consider not only their past credit history but also future cash flows. This makes it possible for businesses that have suffered due to the war but still have potential for growth to access financing.

One of the key support mechanisms has been business relocation. Oschad helps enterprises relocate part of their production facilities to safer regions. At the same time, they maintain their operations in frontline regions.

Oschadbank takes an individual approach to such projects. Decisions are not made using automated scoring models, but through a comprehensive assessment of business risks and prospects.

Another factor contributing to the strengthening of this initiative was the reformatting of the state “5-7-9%” program by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. The program is increasingly focused on supporting frontline regions. While in 2024 only UAH 5 billion out of UAH 90 billion in total financing was allocated to these territories, this figure rose to UAH 25 billion in 2025. In 2026, financing is demonstrating even higher growth rates: as of early May, the volume of loans has already reached UAH 25 billion.

Energy Finance 2026 is a large-scale energy forum organized by Oschadbank, which took place in Kyiv on May 13 and served as a key platform for discussing a new model of energy sustainability for Ukraine. The event brought together over 400 representatives from the public sector, international organizations, financial institutions, energy companies, and the business community to coordinate efforts in developing decentralized generation, supporting communities, and ensuring energy independence for households. The forum showcased how the banking sector is evolving to become the driving force behind the country’s comprehensive energy ecosystem. The event was sponsored by VISA, UPG, VUSO, and SONNEN+ ENERGIE.