Andrei Zhishkevich appointed DBRB Chairman of Board

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has authorized the appointment of Andrei Zhishkevich as chairman of the board of the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus (DBRB).

Andrei Zhishkevich has been the head of MTBank up till now. Making the appointment, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that many candidates had been suggested for this position but the chairman of the board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus and the finance minister had spoken in favor of Andrei Zhishkevich.

Andrei Zhishkevich talked to mass media after his meeting with Aleksandr Lukashenko. During the meeting Aleksandr Lukashenko said he was confident that the bank will continue playing an active role in the implementation of projects of vital importance for the country’s development. Export support will remain one of the main directions in the bank’s work.

The possible financing of promising projects to advance trade with African countries was mentioned among other things. The organization of milk powder deliveries to Kenya was mentioned. Kenyan businessmen can be invited to invest in some Belarusian agricultural enterprise in order to be able to export the products the enterprise makes. Andrei Zhishkevich noted: “It will be an opportunity for Belarus to enter a large market, which, once it learns the quality of our products, will allow other agricultural enterprises to secure sales.”

The meeting with the head of state also touched upon the Development Bank’s program on supporting small and medium private companies. The program is popular with clients. Andrei Zhishkevich said: “Increasing the volume of finance the Development Bank is ready to provide via partner banks is the key matter.” In his words, the spectrum of projects the program covers is rather broad, but it can be improved by granting new, specific forms of loans, which will be in demand.

The head of state also underlined the importance of social responsibility in the Development Bank’s work. Andrei Zhishkevich confirmed the intention of the bank to continue putting efforts into this area by implementing a number of programs such as the School Bus program.