Background information

The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) has launched a new program aimed at helping hotels and restaurants. The recipients are among the businesses which were most negatively affected after the break of the COVID-19 pandemic. Micro, small, medium and start-up hotels and restaurants can benefit from preferential financing, even if they have overdue debts of up to 90 days.

Content of measure

The total program resource equals BGN 60 million (€31 million). BDB divides the program into two separate products: "Liquidity support for restaurateurs" and "Liquidity support for hoteliers". The program provides financing for companies with late payments of debt of up to 90 days. The type of loans covered by the program include: revolving credit line, credit overdraft, loan with repayment installments (for working capital). The loans can be used for:

• working capital for funds needed to pay for inventories, salaries, labor costs and overheads, incl. rental and advertising costs;
• refinance existing liabilities to the state and to suppliers;
• refinancing of existing liabilities to financial institutions;
• refreshment and renewal.

Under the program, BDB will provide loans to hoteliers and restaurateurs who have not ceased business operations in 2020 and 2021. The maximum funding provided will be determined by the size of the company- BGN 500,000 (€256,000) for companies with staff of up to 49 employees (or 20% of net sales revenues for 2019) and BGN 750,000 (€383,000) for companies with staff of 50 to 249 employees (15% of net revenues from sales for 2019). The maximum overdraft loan provided will be BGN 250,000 (€128,000).

Use of measure

The program is adopted by the new coalition government as part of its anti-crisis measures.

The general information about anti-crisis measure for business is that 538 Bulgarian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises have been approved for financing under the guarantee program managed by the Bulgarian Development Bank to support businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The total amount of loans confirmed for guarantee is nearly BGN 75,5 million, according to BBR data as of October 12, 2020. BGN 83 million were interest-free loans for individuals approved by commercial banks. Loan applications exceeded 31,300. There is no information concerning the restaurateurs and hoteliers that benefited from this measure.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Sector specific set of companies SMEs	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement registered yet.

Views and reactions

No views found yet.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 04 January 2022: Програма „Подкрепа за туризма“ (bbr.bg)
• 04 January 2022: Министър Лорер: ББР ще подпомага българските малки, средни компании и стартъпи (www.focus-news.net)
• 07 February 2022: One third of the BDB's tourism credit program has already been exhausted (www.economic.bg)