August 2012Opportunity Bank Serbia

OBS is a community bank specializing in microfinance with a personalized customer approach. It offers simple, fast loan procedures.

Shareholders:

Opportunity Transformation Investments Inc. (63.51%); European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (19.11%); Dutch Development Bank FMO (12.74%); and Oikocredit (4.64%)

Where we work:

Headquartered in Novi Sad, with seven branches and 14 credit offices throughout Serbia

Date of foundation:

July 2002 as Savings and Loan Financial Institution; banking license granted by the National Bank of Serbia in May 2007

Contact:

Bul. oslobodjenja 2a

21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Phone: +381-21 4893-111
Fax: +381-21 4893-123
E-mail: office@obs.rs
Website: http://www.obs.rs/

BACKGROUND

Opportunity Bank Serbia (OBS) is a community bank that provides micro, rural, agro and small and medium-enterprise (SME) lending to clients that cannot ordinarily access financial services from traditional banks. Clients are typically from semi-urban and rural areas of Serbia. The bank specializes in loans to dual-income cottage industries and the agricultural sector.

OBS’s mission is to help create jobs, stimulate small businesses and enable the economic transformation of its clients. With a strategically developed branch network, OBS utilizes field-based client advisors (loan officers) to reach clients remote areas.

USAID provided an $11.96 million grant to Opportunity International to create a sustainable financial institution in Serbia.

PRODUCTS

  • Micro and Small Agricultural Loans
    Investments in fixed assets and working capital
  • Mix of Micro Personal and Agro Loans in rural areas
    Multi-purpose life-cycle loans, unexpected household expenses
  • Small Business Entrepreneurial Loans
    Overcoming problems with liquidity, investments in fixed assets and working capital
  • Complementary business and agro products
    Payments transactions, letters of guarantees, overdraft protection
  • Savings
    Sight and term deposits for individuals, businesses and farmers

RESULTS

  • During its 10years of operations in Serbia, OBS has disbursed 37,000 loans totaling over €157 million.
  • Sixty percent of OBS’s credit portfolio consists of micro-loans valued at up to €5,000 each. These are disbursed to individual entrepreneurs and registered agricultural households.
  • Fifty-six percent of OBS’s credit clients live in Central and South Serbia, unlike most other banks in Serbia, which concentrate on Belgrade and Vojvodina Province.
  • In 10 years, and with only seven collection points for taking deposits, OBS has attracted over 11,000 term deposits totaling close to €29 million.
  • In line with its mission to create jobs and stimulate entrepreneurship, OBS regularly monitors the impact of its loans on job creation. To date, OBS’s loans have led to over 10,000 new jobs and the retention of almost 60,000 existing jobs.