ProCredit Bank continued its growth and investments in economic development in 2024, reaffirming its role as a consistent and stable financial partner.
Srđan Ožegović, a member of the bank's Management Board, discusses key results, new initiatives such as ProStart, ProBiz, and ProBaj, as well as strategic plans for 2025 in an interview.
1. According to reports, the previous two years were extremely successful for ProCredit Bank, with 2023 being the most successful year in the history of your business. How did you start 2025?
If one number best describes our 2024, it's 18 percent – that's how much our customer base grew in just 12 months. This is not a coincidence, but the result of an approach that offers customers more than standard banking.
This growth was accompanied by strong financial results. We increased our loan portfolio by 107 million KM, while the deposit portfolio grew by 18.5 percent, reaching 857 million KM.
Entering 2025 brings even greater ambitions. We are focused on supporting businesses through innovative financing models and flexible conditions that facilitate growth. One of the key steps in this direction is ProStart, an initiative that changes the rules of the game for new entrepreneurs and allows them to focus on development instead of initial costs.
2. ProCredit Bank invests significant funds in cooperation with businesses. How much has been invested and how does the ProStart initiative fit into this story?
Every entrepreneur knows how difficult the first steps are, and we know how much those first steps mean for the future of the business. That's why we created ProStart: to remove obstacles and enable a safer start. No costs, no complications, with support that makes a difference.
In 2024, we paid out half a billion marks in loans to clients. These investments are not just financial, but represent our full confidence in the development of the local economy and concrete support for stable business growth in BiH.
ProStart is a program that helps entrepreneurs start their businesses with clear and sustainable plans, thereby contributing to the creation of a stable and competitive business community. This is part of the bank's broader concept, "ProBaj", a mechanism that lowers the operating costs of our clients and allows them full freedom to make the decision to cooperate with us based on their own experience. Our purpose in BiH is not only to provide capital, but to empower entrepreneurs with the knowledge, resources, and business contacts necessary for long-term success.
3. When we talk about business networking, what results did ProCredit Connect: Regional B2B Summit bring and what other activities are aimed at connecting businesses?
The most promising entrepreneurs in the region gathered in one place and, instead of exchanging business cards, launched very concrete projects. That, in short, was ProCredit Connect. After our last B2B Summit, two entrepreneurs from different countries launched a joint project worth hundreds of thousands of euros. That is exactly what we want to achieve, not just connecting, but creating new business opportunities.
The summit proved its status as a strong platform for establishing new business collaborations. We are especially pleased that new partnership projects were launched among the participants after the event, which confirms that there is a strong need to connect businesses from all over the region.
In addition to the B2B Summit, which was a capital project, we continue to organize related events, such as ProBiz. As the organization of the Summit lasted intensively for several months, we saw in direct contact how important working meetings are that provide businesses with the opportunity to network, exchange experiences, and develop business. Therefore, even after the Summit, we continued to organize events with the same motive, which is to connect businesses. We believe that creating space for direct communication and cooperation is key to long-term, sustainable growth.
The first ProBiz Brunch, held in Gračanica, confirmed what we already knew: businesses do not only need financial tools, but also a real business network. We don't want to be just their bank. We want to be a partner that opens doors to new opportunities and specifically contributes to their success. For this same reason, we also provide personalized services to clients. We want to understand their needs, but also their potential.
4. The bank is a long-time leader in financing green projects. Can you highlight the most important results, as well as plans in this segment?
Imagine a factory that consumes less electricity, pays lower bills, while reducing its ecological footprint. This is not a scenario for the future, these are projects that we are already financing throughout BiH.
In the last ten years, we have invested 273 million KM in green projects. We currently have over 250 solar projects with a total capacity of 58 MWp in our portfolio, which is a clear indication of our commitment to the energy transition.
What particularly pleases us is the launch of our own solar power plant in Sarajevo, which we plan for April. We believe it is right and ethical not only to be a financier of sustainability, but also its example. This is our way of sending a clear message: sustainable business is not the future, it is the present that we are all building together.
