A new Privatbank Microcredit Center has opened in the regional center of Volyn. To date, there are already 4 such centers in the region, three of them in Lutsk. And entrepreneurs of Novovolynsk can receive quality consultations on microcredits at the new consultation point that recently opened on the territory of the Novovolynsk city market. As Privatbank reported, the development of the network of such centers is taking place within the framework of the small and medium business support program, under which Privatbank has been working in Volyn for the sixth year together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the German-Ukrainian Fund. "Lending to small and medium business has become one of the priority areas of Privatbank's work for 2005, which, by the way, the UN declared the Year of Microcredit," says Stepan Dovhoniuk, director of the Novovolynsk branch of Privatbank. "For the Volyn region this program is especially important, because it is no secret that the industry of our region is currently going through far from the best of times. For many small enterprises and plants, such support from a solid bank may become decisive, help them overcome a difficult period, and give an impetus to a new stage of development. Microcredits are not just a program, they are a kind of helping hand extended to private business." "The Volyn region is a border region, and this provides additional opportunities for the development of small and medium business here," says Mykola Romaniuk, director of the Volyn main regional directorate of Privatbank. "Privatbank's microcredit program is, first of all, a response to the existing needs of private entrepreneurship today. In addition, to our regular clients - private entrepreneurs - we offer a wide range of other banking products: opening and maintaining current accounts in both national and foreign currency, issuing corporate and Blitz business cards, concluding agreements for the sale of goods under the "Instalment" program, and more." Privatbank specialists also consider it important that if at the beginning of the Small and Medium Business Support Program loans were used mainly to replenish working capital, today they are directed toward the production needs of the food and woodworking industries, agriculture and forestry, and the information technology sector. A stable position of small and medium business and their active development are simply necessary for the region, believes Mykola Romaniuk. After all, this means both the creation of additional jobs and new revenues to the local budget, and the improvement of the region's economy as a whole. That is precisely why Privatbank does not intend to stop at what has been achieved and within the next month and a half will open another Microcredit Center in Volyn - in Kovel. Privatbank is one of the largest Ukrainian banks. Privatbank's national banking service network includes 1,727 branches and offices throughout the territory of Ukraine. Privatbank is the largest operator of the retail banking services market - as of 01.01.2005 the bank services more than 8.3 million individual accounts, and the volume of funds attracted by the bank from citizens amounts to 5.6 billion UAH. Privatbank is the largest issuer and acquirer of payment cards in Ukraine. To date, the bank has issued more than 6 million cards, and 2,152 ATMs and 14,398 POS terminals operate in their servicing network. Based on materials from the Privatbank press service.