NDI learns from Lithuania’s experience in transforming a development bank

ILTE, Lithuania’s national development bank, hosted a study visit by representatives of the National Development Institution (NDI) — the legal successor to the Business Development Fund.

The visit, supported by the Council of Europe Development Bank under the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, focused on practical aspects of building a modern development finance institution.

The NDI delegation was led by Mantas Šukevičius, Chairman of the NDI Supervisory Board, who previously served as a board member of ILTE.

The Ukrainian delegation studied ILTE’s approaches to:

• strategic planning and governance;
• MSME financing instruments (loans, guarantees, microfinance, equity);
• cooperation with financial partners and risk-based pricing;
• financial sustainability and ESG, including green finance;
• monitoring and impact assessment.

The experience gained will inform the development of new financial instruments to support MSMEs and strengthen Ukraine’s economic resilience.

Following the 2023 merger of four development institutions, ILTE now manages over EUR 1.6 billion in assets and provides loans, guarantees, grants and equity investments.