KULOB, July 17, 2010, Asia-Plus -- Over the first six months of this year, branches of open joint-stock company, Agroinvestbonk, operating in the Kulob zone of Khatlon province have provided 25.737 million somoni in loans to 9,710 clients, Asia-Plus has learned from Sayfiddin Qadamov, the head of Agroinvestbonk’s main branch in Kulob.

“Over the report period, 478 more people have used services offered by the bank,” Qadamov said.  Nearly 50 percent (12.72 million somoni) of loans provided by the bank in January-June 2010 has gone to funding enhancement of the agrarian sector, while entrepreneurs and merchants have received loans for a total of 6.43 million somoni, he said.

The deposit portfolio of Agroinvestbonk’s branches in the area reportedly rose 56 percent in the year to July 1, 2010, reaching 12 million somoni.  As of July 1, 2009, the branches’ deposit portfolio amounted to 4.568 million somoni.

Founded in 1992, Agroinvestbonk, with headquarters in Dushanbe, has main branches in Khorog, Khujand, Kulob and Qurghon Teppa and 61 other branches across the country.