Kazakhstan: Term Loan Facility JSC Alliance Bank
This report validates the extended annual review report’s assessment of the project. The Independent Evaluation Department agrees with the project’s overall assessment rating as unsuccessful.
In February 2001, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a technical assistance (TA) grantof $600,000 to the Government of Kazakhstan for the preparation of the Urban Small Business Development Project with the objectives of reviewing the development status of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector in Kazakhstan, and identifying and evaluating suitable financial institutions that could act as intermediaries in the delivery of finance to SMEs.
The TA resulted in the formulation of an assistance program for the financing of SMEs, originally planned to be integrated in the Urban Small Business Development Project. However, this project was not implemented due to the breakdown of negotiations with the Government of Kazakhstan over its provision of a sovereign guarantee. Subsequently, the Urban Small Business Development Project was replaced by the proposed Assistance to Private Banks in Kazakhstan.
As part of this initiative, ADB approved a $50 million, 5-year term loan facility to JSC Alliance Bank (ALB) with the goal of providing financing access to SMEs in Kazakhstan.
This report validates the extended annual review report’s assessment of the project. The Independent Evaluation Department agrees with the project’s overall assessment rating as unsuccessful.