EBRD, UKRSIBBANK partner to support Ukrainian retailer EVA

• EBRD and UKRSIBBANK support one of Ukraine’s leading retailers
• Unfunded risk-sharing guarantee from EBRD will help EVA improve logistics
• Health and beauty retail chain is among top 100 companies in Ukraine

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is cooperating with Ukrainian partner bank UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group to support Ukrainian health and beauty retail chain EVA (RUSH LLC), providing an unfunded risk-sharing guarantee of UAH 150 million (equivalent to €3.1 million/US$ 3.6 million) to cover half of UKRSIBBANK’s loan to the retailer to support improvements to its logistics hubs.

This is the first time that UKRSIBBANK will use the EBRD’s risk-sharing facility for individual customised transactions to enable an investment loan to a corporate. It follows an upgrade to the EBRD’s rules on risk participation that previously only covered the Bank to share risk on working capital facilities. The change was made as a preparation for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

RUSH LLC operates Ukraine’s leading health and beauty retail chain under the brand name EVA. The brand is among the country’s top 100 companies (ranked 45th in the 2024 Forbes Ukraine list of the largest privately owned companies) and has more than 1,000 branches nationwide. It provides a wide assortment of cosmetics, personal care, household goods and accessories and has demonstrated its ability to operate in crisis situations, recording strong performance during wartime.

UKRSIBBANK, the EBRD’s partner bank for this transaction, has partnered with EVA since 2019, providing credit facilities alongside other major banks. It is one of the largest lenders in Ukraine, with a strong market presence and wide-ranging expertise in supporting the private sector and agribusinesses. It is majority owned by BNP Paribas, with the EBRD a minority shareholder.

The EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Ukraine, with cumulative investment of more than €22 billion across more than 600 projects. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Bank has deployed more than €7 billion in Ukraine’s real economy.