Representatives of the National Development bank (NRB), the Czech Export Bank (CEB) and the Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation (EGAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with their South Korean counterparts from Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM) and Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE) on Friday, 20 September 2024. The Memorandum aims to support the economic development of the Czech and Korean economies, explore financial possibilities and opportunities for joint support of mutually beneficial, strategic projects.

The National Development Bank (NRB) is launching the New ELENA programme, which builds on its previous ELENA advisory services. The programme is open to both private and public sector stakeholders. Thanks to this programme, the NRB can help them take the first step towards energy-saving measures in their buildings, as New ELENA allows the Bank to cover up to 90% of the cost of their project preparation. Thus, clients will only have to pay 10% of the cost from their own resources.

The National Development Bank (NRB) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) launched a new programme to promote energy self-sufficiency and clean energy. From 31 July 2024, entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes can apply for an interest-free loan of between CZK 500,000 (EUR 20k) and CZK 3 million (EUR 120k), enabling them to install photovoltaic (PV) power plants on business buildings, warehouses, garages and carports. The support can also cover the cost of a battery-based electricity storage system. In addition, the loan comes with a grant component that allows NRB to forgive a significant portion of the repayments to clients (subject to certain conditions). The programme is financed by the ERDF, Operational Programme Technologies and Application for Competitiveness (OP TAC) 2021-2027) with a total allocation of CZK 1 billion (EUR 40m).

The National Development Bank (NRB) guaranteed more than 1,770 loans under the Electromobility Guarantee programme, which enabled Czech entrepreneurs and companies to purchase more than 1,800 electric cars and 45 electric trucks. Under the programme, NRB also paid out financial contributions in the total volume of CZK 65 million (€ 2.6m) to cover part of the cost of purchasing emission-free vehicles and charging stations.

The Annual Meeting of the European Association of Guarantee Institutions - AECM was held on 6-7 June 2024 in Warsaw with the participation of more than 180 representatives of mainly European guarantee and development institutions. The Warsaw meeting was preceded by a meeting of the Board of Directors, which approved the new members of the Board for the period 2024-2027. Tomas Nidetzký, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Development Bank, was elected as one of the Vice Presidents.

On 10 April 2024, Mr. Pavel Marek was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the National Development Bank (NRB). He will be responsible for the Section of Finance at the NRB. He replaces Mr. Pavel Fiala, whose mandate ended this spring.

The Czech Export Bank (CEB) will become a subsidiary of the National Development Bank (NRB). The government decided to start the integration of the two state-owned banks. There are two special banking institutions in Czechia, still operating independently, the NRB and the CEB. One of the government's strategic objectives is to make the National Development Bank a more important part of economic policy, stronger stakeholder in supporting SMEs, as well as a reliable partner in infrastructure development, green transition and digitisation, similarly as in advanced competitive economies.

Prague/Bruxelles, October 20th, 2023 – The members of the European Long-Term Investors (ELTI) Association have gathered in Prague for ELTI’s 11th General Assembly, hosted by ELTI’s Czech member Národní rozvojová banka (NRB) and chaired for the first time by the newly-elected ELTI President Dario Scannapieco, CEO of the Italian National Promotional Institute Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP). The General Assembly of the Association of European NBPIs was a key moment to discuss the first initiatives to implement the new strategy, which aims to strengthen ELTI's presence in Europe and to reaffirm the importance of NPBIs (National Promotional Banks and Institutions) by favouring long-term investments.

The National Development Bank (NRB) has completed the so-called “pillar assessment”, which is a pre-requisite for the bank to become an implementing partner under InvestEU. It creates new opportunities for increasing support to small and medium-sized enterprises as well as in infrastructure financing.

As of May 1, Tomáš Nidetzký was appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Development Bank (NRB). He replaces Jiří Jirásek, who led the Bank from January 2016 to the end of April. His mission in the NRB will aim at strengthening the importance of financial instruments in the Czech economy, dedicated to enabling long-term support of national economic policies.