{"id":12890,"date":"2026-11-10T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=12890"},"modified":"2026-11-10T12:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:00:38","slug":"council-of-europe-development-bank-lends-eur-5-mln-to-romanian-founded-fund-supporting-roma-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=12890","title":{"rendered":"Council of Europe Development Bank lends EUR 5 mln to Romanian-founded fund supporting Roma entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) signed<\/a> a EUR 5 million loan agreement with the REDI Fund, an investment vehicle established by the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative. The money will support Roma-owned businesses and small companies employing Roma workers in four countries.<\/p>\n

The agreement was signed in Paris on November 9 by CEB vice governor Tom\u00e1\u0161 Bo\u010dek and REDI Fund director Petric\u0103 Dulgheru, a Romanian chemist and founder of the REDI network.<\/p>\n

Backed by a guarantee from the CEB\u2019s Social Impact Account, the loan is expected to generate more than EUR 8 million in microcredit between 2026 and 2028. The program aims to support over 1,000 businesses and create or preserve more than 2,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial inclusion is essential to social cohesion,\u201d Tom\u00e1\u0161 Bo\u010dek said. \u201cThrough our partnership with the REDI Fund, we can help Roma entrepreneurs access the finance they need to build and grow their businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

The REDI Fund will channel the money to local microfinance institutions in Romania, Moldova, Albania, and Kosovo. These institutions will then issue loans for equipment, productive assets, and working capital.<\/p>\n

At least 40% of the CEB financing will be allocated to Roma-owned businesses. The rest will support micro and small enterprises directly connected to Roma communities, including companies employing Roma staff.<\/p>\n

The average loan is expected to be approximately EUR 7,000, typically financing small farms, family-run retail businesses, crafts, and services. REDI also aims to direct at least 30% of the loans to women entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoma entrepreneurs have never lacked ideas or the will to work, but too often lenders saw stereotypes instead of a business plan,\u201d Petric\u0103 Dulgheru said. \u201cOur borrowers have shown that they repay like any other client.\u201d
\n\u201cFinancing Roma businesses is an investment that pays back in jobs, taxes, and stronger local economies,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The funding will be accompanied by business development services, financial literacy training, and assistance with loan applications. REDI also trains Roma loan officers to work within partner banks and microfinance institutions.<\/p>\n

Roma are Europe\u2019s largest ethnic minority, estimated at between 10 million and 12 million people. According to the CEB, they are twice as likely as other groups to live in poverty and continue to face significant barriers to formal financial services.<\/p>\n

The new agreement is the CEB\u2019s second loan to the REDI Fund. A EUR 3 million program approved in 2021 financed microfinance institutions in Romania and North Macedonia.<\/p>\n

Together with REDI\u2019s wider portfolio, the earlier program has supported approximately 460 borrowers, including 300 Roma entrepreneurs. Women-led businesses accounted for 60% of that portfolio.<\/p>\n

Founded in Bucharest in 2016, REDI works across Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Turkey. In 2019, it established the Luxembourg-based REDI Fund, described as Europe\u2019s first investment vehicle dedicated to Roma entrepreneurs.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) signed a EUR 5 million loan agreement with the REDI Fund, an investment vehicle established by the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative. The money will support Roma-owned businesses and small companies employing Roma workers in four countries. The agreement was signed in Paris on November 9 by CEB vice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}