Bucharest, 23 August 2021 - Banca Comercială Română has arranged and successfully closed a RON 278 million syndicated loan for Rodbun Group, one of the leading agribusiness companies in Romania. This new deal confirms that the syndicated loan market is becoming increasingly attractive for Romanian entrepreneurs.

The facility consists of two tranches: one revolving loan facility in the amount of RON 249 million, and one term loan facility of RON 29 million, to be used by Rodbun Group to refinance its existing loans, cover its working capital needs and support its development plans.

The banks syndicate is composed of Banca Comercială Română, as mandated lead arranger, bookrunner, documentation, facility and warranties agent, and lender, CEC Bank, as mandated lead arranger and lender, Raiffeisen Bank, as mandated lead arranger and lender, Banca Transilvania and Banca Românească as lenders.

PCF Investment Banking România (formerly Professional Capital Finance) acted as exclusive consultant of the borrower for the structuring, negotiation, and implementation of the transaction.

„The openness that Romanian banks are showing, through syndicated loans, created for companies with 100% Romanian capital, certifies a full maturation and responsibility of the Romanian business and lending environment. We are working together, to grow the Romanian economy. Our aim is to offer better services and products to Romanian farmers. In such a competitive environment, Rodbun has the capacity to continue investing in genetics (including national heritage genetics), seed production adapted to the region and state-of-the-art logistics capabilities. Moreover, the company has the capacity to invest in testing a revolutionary technological solution, which can increase grain resistance to drought by up to 50% - and we do this in the context of the UN-declared climate crisis, for Romania to be better prepared for the next decades”, says Daniel Muntean, CEO Rodbun.

"Rodbun is a strong Romanian business which has recorded a consistent annual growth and has always aimed to create a national brand. We are glad we have been able to support their projects along the years, as the group has always been a strong and reliable partner. Together, with each transaction, we have tried to stay close to the reality of their business sector, in order to offer competitive solutions. Agribusiness development is vital for reaching a solid and sustainable economic growth, and we will continue to finance forward-looking entrepreneurs, who allocate important resources towards research and innovation”, says Ana-Maria Samuilă, Head of Agriculture Financing BCR.

„We are proud and honoured to have coordinated this new syndicated loan for Rodbun, a leading player on the agribusiness market, with a robust business plan, adapted to the current challenges of the economic and climate environment. The syndication of the loan facility has been successfully closed with a large oversubscription, which indicates both the quality of the Romanian business and the banks’ appetite for financing the Romanian agribusiness sector”, says Grația Popescu, Senior Banker Loan Syndication BCR.

„Our partnership with Rodbun, initiated 4 years ago, writes a new successful chapter. With the support of the syndicate's partner banks, to whom we thank for their support and diligence throughout a complex process, Rodbun is today a stable company, with an important financial culture and significant corporate development prospects in the coming years", declares Mihai Iordan, Managing Partner PCF Investment Banking România.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP) acted as legal consultant for the bank syndicate, while Radu Tărăcilă Pădurari Retevoescu SCA (RTPR) offered legal assistance to Rodbun Group.

About Rodbun Group

Rodbun is a fully Romanian-owned integrator of agribusiness products and solutions, established in 2002.

The strategic priority of Rodbun Group for the period 2020-2030 is to preserve, develop and promote traditional high-quality Romanian genetics.

Rodbun means a team of more than serious and professional people who provider Romanian farmers with top quality inputs, solid partnerships for harvest selling, modern consultancy solutions, professional support and funding.

Rodbun Group has a genetic seed base for a wide crop portfolio, three seed processing and conditioning plants and a network of over 500 promoters and 50 agricultural shops.

The Group owns one of the strongest logistic infrastructures on the wholesale market, with regional logistics centers, zonal storage facilities and cereal storage capacities.

The bank syndicates

About Banca Comercială Română (BCR)

Banca Comercială Română (BCR), a member of Erste Group, is one of the leading financial groups in Romania, including universal bank operations (retail, corporate & investment banking, treasury and capital markets) and specialized operations in leasing, private pensions and housing banks.

BCR provides a full range of financial products and services, through a network of 18 business centres and 16 mobile offices dedicated to companies and 370 retail units located in most cities across the country with over 10,000 inhabitants. BCR is the No. 1 bank in Romania in the market of bank transactions, BCR customers having available the largest national network of ATM and multifunctional machines- almost 1,800, 11,300 POS and complete services of Internet banking, Mobile banking, Phone-banking and E-commerce.

About CEC Bank

CEC Bank is the financial institution with the longest tradition. Founded in 1864, CEC Bank currently has the widest national network, with over 1,000 branches and territorial units and assets over Ron 36 billion as of the end of the first half of 2020.

CEC Bank is a top universal bank on the Romanian market, offering a full range of products and services for retail customers, SMEs and corporations, via multiple distribution channels: bank agencies, ATM networks, internet banking (CEConline), mobile banking and phone-banking (Tele CEC).

The Romanian State, through the Ministry of Public Finance, is the sole shareholder of CEC Bank.

About Raiffeisen Bank

Raiffeisen Bank is one of the top 5 universal banks in Romania and serves 2.2 million individual and corporate customers. In recent years, the bank has stepped up its digital simplification and transformation process, developing a range of digital lending, online and mobile payment solutions to meet customers' need to access banking services anywhere, anytime. More than 950,000 digital customers use Raiffeisen Smart Mobile and Raiffeisen Online apps. Raiffeisen Bank has 4,800 employees and a network of more than 300 branches across the country, around 700 ATMs, 400 multifunctional machines (MFMs) and 24,500 POS.

About Banca Transilvania

Banca Transilvania is the largest bank in Romania and the main financier of the economy. With a history that started 27 years ago, BT has over 18% market share, 3.4 million customers, 3 business lines, over 9,000 people in the team, state-of-the-art online banking solutions and 500 branches in 180 locations. It is the only Romanian banking brand in the Brand Finance Banking 500 ranking (2021). Beyond banking, Banca Transilvania wants to have a positive impact in Romania, for people, business and the environment.

About Banca Românească

For 30 years, Banca Românească has been providing its retail and corporate clients with a wide range of quality products and services tailored to their specific needs. With a territorial network of almost 100 branches and agencies, Banca Românească is currently positioned – through the diversified solutions tailored to meet the financial needs of retail and corporate clients – as a top finance-banking institution in terms of affordability and competitiveness. For more details about the offer of Banca Românească, please visit www.banca-romaneasca.ro.