EBRD Organized a Meeting Between Banks and Mine Action Operators

Today, interested banks met with mine action operators at the Humanitarian Demining Centre office. The meeting was organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with the participation of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Ukraine, Demine Ukraine, and the Humanitarian Demining Centre.

Participants of the roundtable discussed a number of important topics:

🔹 Financing needs and existing constraints for mine action operators;

🔹 Insurance mechanisms and their accessibility for the sector;

🔹 Challenges in certification, training, and staff retention;

🔹 The need for equipment, its availability on the market, and maintenance issues;

🔹 Interaction with international organizations, including the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Mine Action Operator Assessment Project.

The discussion took place in an interactive format, where participants shared their experiences and outlined challenges for further coordination between banks, insurance companies, and mine action operators.

The head of UDS Company thanked Ukreximbank, Ukrgasbank, and Guardian Insurance Company for their productive cooperation, emphasizing:

💬 “There are two key directions for cooperation with banks: first — working capital financing when executing state contracts, as such contracts are usually paid upon completion. Second — leasing or similar programs that would enable operators to purchase domestic demining machines.”

He also outlined several issues currently hindering effective cooperation between mine action operators and banks in Ukraine.

The discussion evolved into an active exchange of ideas, during which participants emphasized the need for regular dialogue to develop financial instruments in the mine action sector.

In addition, UDS Director of Economics, Oleksandr Romaniuk, noted that effective demining is impossible without the use of Ukrainian-made machines, with Germina being the most productive among them.

Representatives of the Government of Ukraine were present, including officials from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Deputy Minister Ihor Bezkaravainyi, and the leadership of the Humanitarian Demining Centre — Director Volodymyr Bayda.

Mine action operators in attendance included: LLC Ukrainian Demining Services (UDS), Come Back Alive Charitable Foundation, LLC Ukrainian Demining Agency, LLC Ukrainian Security, LLC International Demining Service, LLC International Demining Group, SE Ukrspetsexport – Ukroboronservice, LLC Safe Ground Solutions, LLC Global Demining, LLC Global Clearance Solutions, LLC Humanitarian Demining of Ukraine, LLC Scientific and Production Company Patron Demining, LLC NIBULON, LLC PSM Ukraine Group, LLC Transimpex Demining, and LLC Incompass Demining.

Financial institutions represented included: EBRD, Crédit Agricole Bank, Kredobank, PrivatBank, ProCredit Bank, Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine, Ukreximbank, Ukrgasbank, Ukrsibbank, and others.