Affordable Loans 5-7-9%: programme terms in 2026

The programme was launched by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 28 of 24 January 2020. Its essence is making a loan cheaper: the bank lends at a market rate and the state pays the difference between that rate and the reduced one the business pays. You receive no cash from the state and repay the loan in full.

For years the programme was administered by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund. In February 2026 the text of the resolution replaced it with the National Development Institution, and the fund’s website now redirects to the institution’s page. The institution works with banks, not with borrowers directly.

Rates in 2026

The name 5-7-9 describes loans for investment purposes:

• 7 per cent – for micro and small businesses; the rate drops to 5 per cent if at least two new jobs are created in the first full quarter;
• 9 per cent – for medium-sized businesses;
• after that the bank adjusts the rate every quarter by 0.5 percentage points for each job created or cut, within 5–7 per cent for small and 7–9 for medium-sized businesses;
• 5 per cent – for a newly created business borrowing for investment.

Working capital loans cost more: up to 15 per cent, or up to 10 for agricultural producers. There are also softer strands: in the high war risk zone an investment loan costs 1 per cent for the first five years, and for gas, diesel and other generation units the rate is zero.

These rates are not permanent: the resolution was amended more than five times in 2026 alone, so check the terms against the current wording and with the bank before applying. During martial law the bank may, with your consent, set a rate above the base one, and the state does not compensate that premium.

What for and how much

Investment purposes mean buying and upgrading fixed assets, including commercial vehicles, buying non-residential property or land for your own operations, building and repairing production premises, and a franchise. Working capital is financed separately.

Limits depend on the strand: UAH 3 million for a sole proprietor, UAH 5 million for working capital outside priority areas, UAH 60 million for ordinary investment purposes, UAH 90 million for farmers and UAH 150 million for manufacturing. The term is up to 10 years for investment and up to three for working capital. The bank may charge a one-off fee of no more than 0.75 per cent of the amount.

Who qualifies and how to apply

The borrower may be a sole proprietor or a legal entity resident in Ukraine whose ultimate beneficial owners are residents, within the criteria for small and medium-sized business. For a sole proprietor annual income is capped at UAH 50 million. A business registered less than 12 months ago counts as newly created and borrows on separate terms.

• Choose an authorised bank: the list of programmes and partners is on the National Development Institution’s website.
• Submit the application and documents to the bank: financial statements, a project description, collateral details.
• The bank assesses creditworthiness itself and takes the decision itself. State compensation does not waive collateral and financial standing requirements.
• Once the loan is disbursed you pay the reduced rate, and the bank receives the compensation from the state.

The main mistake is to treat the programme as guaranteed. It is the bank, not the state, that refuses, most often because of weak accounts or lack of collateral.

How it combines with grants

A loan and a grant do not exclude each other. In eRobota grants with mandatory co-financing the applicant’s share may be paid from own or borrowed funds. That is how half the cost of an orchard or greenhouse gets covered. The processing grant has a limit: at least 20 per cent of the project cost must be your own, non-borrowed money.

Weigh the load: a grant requires paying taxes equal to its amount, and a loan requires monthly instalments. Both obligations fall on the same cash flow. The instruments are compared in Grant or subsidised loan.