“Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the Czech economy and no region or the entire economy can do without their strong development. The National Guarantee is a practical tool to facilitate companies’ access to finance, support their investments, innovation and competitiveness. That is why we have decided to relaunch this programme in cooperation with the National Development Bank,” said Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček.
“The National Guarantee fulfils one of the key roles of the NRB, which is to support small and medium-sized enterprises. They are a major driver of our economy, not only in terms of growth and innovation, but also because they are a major employer in all regions. Our goal is to make it easier for them to obtain bank loans. The National Guarantee product offers self-employed persons and small and medium-sized enterprises advantageous guarantees for investment or operating loans that will help with the development of their business and strengthen their competitiveness,” said Tomáš Nidetzký, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Development Bank.
The product provides a guarantee for investment and operating loans with a guarantee amount of up to 70 percent of the principal of the guaranteed loan. The maximum amount of the guaranteed loan is up to CZK 20 million. The warranty period is up to ten years. The guarantee can be used for a wide range of needs, such as the acquisition and renovation of fixed assets such as buildings, machinery and technology, financing the purchase of inventory, operating expenses and warehouse management. Guarantees are provided for loans from banks that have cooperation agreements with NRB.
“We welcome the National Guarantee programme as an important step towards the renewal of the proven instrument of support for small and medium-sized enterprises, which builds on the former M-guarantee. Small and medium-sized enterprises are a key segment of the Czech economy, and thanks to the guarantee scheme, we can offer financing to a wider range of entrepreneurs, support the implementation of investments and the stability of their operations, and thus multiply the impact on the real economy. The parameters of the programme have been agreed in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the National Bank of Industry and the banking sector, and banks are ready to process applications so that the approved loans reach companies in the shortest possible time. We believe that the programme will contribute to the growth of investments, strengthening the competitiveness of enterprises and to the recovery of the economy not only at the national but also at the regional level,” said Aleš Blažek, Member of the CBA Presidium and CEO of the ČSOB Group.
“AMSP ČR has been striving for the renewal of the guarantee programme for a long time, so we are glad that it is back in the form of the National Guarantee. Although small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the driving force of the Czech economy with a share of approximately 54% in value added, a significant source of jobs and the emergence of often breakthrough innovations with an approximately 59% share in employment, many SMEs will not be able to obtain bank financing without effectively set up guarantee programmes. According to our data from 2024, about 40% of SMEs had a problem getting a loan without a guarantee,” added Josef Jaroš, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Crafts of the Czech Republic.
