USAID GROW Project’s advocacy leads to regulatory changes enabling increased lending capacity for ​small agricultural producers and rural​ businesses​ in Ukraine

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has approved amendments to align credit union regulations with the laws of Ukraine and global best practices.​ Adopted on December 27, 2024, under Resolution No. 177, these changes took effect on January 1, 2025. 

The amendments, developed with support from the USAID GROW Project, introduce three key updates: 

• Updated borrower classification criteria. The criteria for determining the classification of a borrower-credit union, applied by united credit unions, have been updated. The amendments introduce clearer and more straightforward measures for assessing the financial condition of credit unions to determine their classification, emphasizing compliance with prudential norms, timely fulfillment of obligations and adherence to enhanced auditing standards. This ensures a more tailored approach to borrower evaluation based on their financial condition, in line with European Union (EU) prudential regulations.

• Inclusion of guarantees from the Partial Credit Guarantee Fund in Agriculture. Guarantees from this Fund have been included as acceptable collateral. This measure reduces the overall credit risk for credit unions by offsetting it with guaranteed amounts, thereby enhancing lending capacity in agricultural financing. 

• Revised approach to valuing off-balance-sheet obligations The approach to valuing off-balance-sheet obligations for calculating capital standards has been revised. These changes will enable credit unions to expand their lending potential while striking a balance between compliance requirements and providing attractive products to their members.

The recent regulatory changes are the result of the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) GROW Project in Ukraine, and its partners representing the country's credit union market.  

The USAID GROW Project played a crucial role in facilitating these regulatory advancements by collaborating with the NBU and other stakeholders. These changes align credit union regulations with the laws of Ukraine and global best practices, ensuring a more consistent regulatory framework that meets both national legal requirements and internationally recognized standards, and will increase funding opportunities for credit unions to better support their members.