AIB Approves More Than €60m in Loans From its €200m SBCI Backed Fund

AIB has approved more than €60 million in business credit to over 1,300 customers following the launch of a €200 million fund backed by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) in March.

There has been strong demand from businesses and farmers for the loans which are available at the highly competitive rate of 4.5 per cent per annum variable. This is the cheapest standard variable rate for business loans in the market. AIB’s SBCI offering represents a discount of two per cent on its Standard Variable Business Loan rate.

Commenting on demand for the fund, AIB’s Head of Business Banking, Ken Burke, said: “AIB is pleased with the level of uptake of the SBCI backed fund. It is very encouraging to see the range and scale of the 1,300 businesses that have been approved for funding. For example, they include a Dublin food company expanding its premises to support growth; a farmer in the midlands purchasing machinery; a pharmacy in the south-east purchasing a premises for its business; a hotel in the west renovating its property and purchasing equipment; and a dentist returning to Ireland to set up a new practice.’’

“As the economy continues to recover, investment by SMEs in their businesses is critical for continued growth. This attractively priced fund has helped stimulate demand from our customers to invest in their businesses at this turning point in the economy,’’ Burke added.

The fund offers terms ranging from two to ten years and the demand for the fund is spread across all the regions AIB serves and across a variety of sectors including agriculture, distribution, manufacturing and services.

AIB is keenly aware of the importance of a fast response to business customers’ requests for credit. To this end, the bank also has a 48 hour decision-making process for loan applications up to €30,000. AIB’s SBCI fund caters for loans up to €5 million, however many loans are for less than €30,000.