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Reshaping SME financing
The Citizen
|March 20, 2025
» New innovative solutions promise to address barriers.
mall and medium enterprises (SMEs) have historically remained under-supported in terms of access to funding. This is as a result of the inability of traditional banks to adequately service their debt capital needs — with less than 15% of SMEs gaining access to debt funding, excluding overdraft facilities.
Additionally, alternative lenders have not been able to fully meet the significant lending demands of SMEs, a funding gap which is estimated by the International Finance Corporation to be $30 billion (about R550 billion).
Fortunately, the landscape of SME financing is undergoing a transformation in 2025. Technological advancements, changing economic conditions, and the unique challenges and opportunities facing SMEs are reshaping how businesses access capital.
This story is from the March 20, 2025 edition of The Citizen.
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