Europe and Central Asia

Access to finance is a key determinant for business start-up, development and growth for Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and they have very different needs and face different challenges with regard to financing compared to large businesses. The latter have ready access to equity capital markets, which are not accessible to the vast majority of small businesses. The lack of equity capital invested in small firms makes these businesses more reliant on other sources such as bank lending and other types of financial products.

Access to finance is still among the top concerns of the EU's small and medium sized enterprises and younger and smaller firms are the most badly affected, according to the "Access to Finance" survey released today by the European Commission and European Central Bank.

Some 200 people attended the Brussels launch of the next phase of the Eurostars programme. Eurostars is the only European programme that provides funding for research-performing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Eurostars is a programme that supports research-performing small and medium enterprises, which develop innovative products, processes and services, to gain competitive advantage. Eurostars does this by providing funding for transnational innovation projects; the products of which are then rapidly commercialized.
Eurostars is a joint programme between more than 30 EUREKA member countries and the European Union.

The European Crowdfunding Network AISBL (ECN) is a professional network promoting adequate transparency, (self) regulation and governance while offering a combined voice in policy discussion and public opinion building. Founded in 2011 as an interest group, we formally incorporated as an international not-for-profit organisation in Brussels, Belgium in 2013.

New research exposes major disconnect between banks and SMEs re securing finance

The lack of understanding that banks and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have about each other’s needs and processes has been highlighted by a new research report commissioned by top 20 chartered accountancy firm Kingston Smith LLP.

This European Investment Fund paper from the research & market analysis department analyses the current state of the market for SME Loan Securitisation, its main framework conditions, and presents important developments and policy options.

The EIF Working Paper Series has been designed to make available to a wider readership selected topics and studies in relation to EIF´s business. The Working Papers are edited by EIF´s RMA. They are typically authored or co-authored by EIF staff and are usually published only electronically.

This scoreboard establishes a comprehensive international framework for monitoring SMEs’ and entrepreneurs’ access to finance over time. Comprising 18 countries it presents data for a number of debt, equity and financing framework condition indicators. It provides governments with a tool to understand SMEs’ financing needs.