The Azerbaijan SME Support project aimed to increase employment, outside of the oil sector, by creating increased access to loan capital and financial services. Approaches included:

• Upgrading training and educational services to increase the number of trained financial managers
• Strengthening the Azerbaijan Micro-Finance Association’s (AMFA) capacity to serve as a training, service and advocacy institution
• Providing policy assistance to resolve legal and regulatory issues that restrict lending and provision of financial services
• Increasing access to loan capital through a credit guarantee fund with USAID’s Development Credit Authority and by brokering access to debt and equity financing.

QED helped the Azerbaijan Bank Training Center obtain accreditation and certification from international bank training and educational institutions, and to strengthen their training activities. QED also helped the AMFA improve and expand its training capacity and course offerings to serve as a training, service and advocacy institution that supports the development of non-bank financial institutions serving MSME clients.