Fund for Development of Eastern Republika Srpska: what it is and how to get its money

The Fund for Development of Eastern Republika Srpska was set up in 2007 to support development projects in the eastern part of RS, including agriculture, tourism and rural development. The description below follows the law as amended in 2013 and by the amendments adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on 9 July 2026. Farms and guesthouses in East Herzegovina do not apply to the Fund. They apply to a bank or microcredit company, and the loans are issued through the Investment-Development Bank.

In short

• The Fund is a joint-stock company founded by Republika Srpska and managed by Investiciono-razvojna banka Republike Srpske (Investment-Development Bank of Republika Srpska, IRBRS).
• The law lists the municipalities of Berkovići, Nevesinje, Gacko, Ljubinje and Bileća and the city of Trebinje, so all of East Herzegovina is in the Fund's area.
• The law, as amended in July 2026, allows loans (krediti and zajmovi) and other placements, grants by decision of the RS Government, guarantees, risk assumption and investment in securities.
• IRBRS states that the Fund's money currently goes into IRBRS loans and investment in securities. No public call by the Fund for beneficiaries is published on the IRBRS page.
• In practice, for a farmer this means an IRBRS loan through a bank or microcredit company.

Who it applies to

It applies to projects in 22 municipalities and in the cities of Trebinje and Istočno Sarajevo, all named in the law. In East Herzegovina these are the municipalities of Berkovići, Nevesinje, Gacko, Ljubinje and Bileća and the city of Trebinje.

The Fund's goals in the law include employment, production and export, agricultural and food production, tourism, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship, infrastructure, environmental protection and rural development. The 2026 amendment added financing for the purchase of housing units.

IRBRS does not say which credit lines are financed specifically from the Fund's money. Ask IRBRS directly on +387 51 334 746 or +387 51 334 738.

What to do

1. Decide what you need: fixed assets (building, equipment, plantings), working capital, tax payments or refinancing. IRBRS has credit lines for these purposes.
2. Pick a line. According to the IRBRS website, "Loans for micro business in agriculture" range from 5,000 to 500,000 KM, with repayment up to 10 years. "Loans for agriculture" range from 10,000 to 5,000,000 KM, with repayment up to 12 years. "Loans for entrepreneurs and companies", which also cover tourism, range from 10,000 to 5,000,000 KM, with repayment up to 12 years. Grace periods and other loan terms are covered in the article on IRBRS loans and Guarantee Fund guarantees.
3. Submit the request to a financial intermediary: a bank or microcredit company from the list on the IRBRS page (the list includes MKD "PRO FIN" from Istočno Sarajevo). The intermediary decides on the collateral. The request form and the list of required documents are on each credit line's page at irbrs.org.
4. The FAQ answers on these credit line pages do not match the tables above them. The FAQ says the micro business line is for farms entered in the farm register (proved by a certificate from Agencija za posredničke, informatičke i finansijske usluge, APIF, the Agency for Intermediary, IT and Financial Services), with amounts up to 50,000 KM, and that a larger amount needs a registered sole trader business at the municipality or a company registered in court. The micro business table gives amounts up to 500,000 KM, and the agriculture loan table also lists farms as users. Before you apply, ask IRBRS (+387 51 334 738) or the intermediary how much a farm that is only in the farm register can get. The conditions are set by the rules on placement under credit lines (Pravila plasmana sredstava po kreditnim linijama, 45/26), published on the same pages.

Deadlines and amounts

• Interest rates published on the IRBRS website are valid until 31 March 2027. For agricultural micro business the base rate is 4.90%, and 4.60% for projects in underdeveloped and extremely underdeveloped municipalities. For agriculture loans the rate is 4.6%, or 4.3% in those municipalities. For entrepreneurs and companies the base rate is 4.9%, and 4.6% for tourism projects and for projects in underdeveloped and extremely underdeveloped municipalities. Ask the intermediary or IRBRS whether your municipality is on that list.
• On all three lines the rate is 3.0% for buying fixed assets that bring in new technology, if the intermediary's margin is at most 2.5 percentage points and at least 40% of the loan goes to the new technology.
• The intermediary may charge legal entities at most 1% of the loan amount and individuals at most 0.5%.
• There is no application deadline, because no public call by the Fund is published on the IRBRS page. The Fund may award grants only by decision of the RS Government.

Where to go

• IRBRS office Trebinje, Preobraženska 14, Trebinje, tel. +387 59 490 094.
• IRBRS office Istočno Sarajevo, Vojvode Radomira Putnika bb, Istočno Novo Sarajevo, tel. +387 57 490 116.
• Agriculture loans: +387 51 334 746 and +387 51 334 736; agricultural micro business: +387 51 334 738 and +387 51 334 741; entrepreneurs and companies: +387 51 334 746 and +387 51 334 756.

Laws and sources

• Fund for Development of Eastern Republika Srpska, IRBRS page
• Law on the Fund for Development of Eastern Republika Srpska (Službeni glasnik RS 52/07), arts. 1 to 4, 6 and 8
• Law amending the Law on the Fund, 21 March 2013 (28/13 as cited by IRBRS), arts. 1 and 2
• Law amending and supplementing the Law on the Fund, National Assembly, 9 July 2026 (67/26 as cited by IRBRS), arts. 1 to 3
• Loans for micro business in agriculture, IRBRS
• Loans for agriculture, IRBRS
• Loans for entrepreneurs and companies, IRBRS
• IRBRS contact