Banks lent 191 trillion rials ($800 million) to 763 knowledge-based companies in the first nine months (March 20-Dec. 20, 2020) of current fiscal year. This was an increase of 128% year-year, the Central Bank of Iran website said.
Three banks topped the list. The privatized Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat Iran, and state-owned Bank Melli Iran together accounted for more than half of the loans.
A large portion came from Bank Sederat Iran with 35.3 trillion rials ($147m). Bank Mellat and Bank Melli gave 33.2 trillion rials ($138m) and 30.5 trillion rials ($127m), respectively.
Iran’s knowledge-based economy was the main beneficiary of lending by banks in the month to Dec. 20 with 37.7 trillion rials ($157m). The lowest disbursement was logged for the first fiscal month (March-April) at 6.5 trillion rials ($27m).
Senior government officials including the CBI Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati have voiced support for tech firms and expressed willingness to extend financial support to help tech ecosystems grow.
In an meeting earlier with officials from the Iran National Innovation Fund, Hemmati pointed to the fund’s endeavors in the past to boost knowledge-based firms, saying that to strengthen startups and knowledge-based companies special centers will open in the provinces to facilitate their access to legal and financial support.
According to INIF, affiliated to the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, 4,800 knowledge-based companies are active nationwide with 300,000 people on the payroll.
The Rouhani administration has often said it supports startups, knowledge-based companies and their steadily increasing role in the economy.
