Gap analysis of SME financing – new fi-compass report published

A new report has been published on the fi-compass website, which presents an analysis of the financing gaps and market failures relating to SME financing in each EU Member State. The report shows how, following the success of ESIF financial instruments in this sector during the 2014-2020 period, significant financing gaps nevertheless remain in all Member States for both debt and equity finance for businesses. This suggests there remains significant potential for ESIF financial instruments to do more in the future and the report provides a robust starting point for managing authorities planning their operational programmes.

The report has been designed to help unlock the greater use of financial instruments for SME financing in the 2021-2027 period. Using both quantitative and qualitative analyses, the report calculates the market gaps in each Member State in relation to debt and equity finance for SMEs. In addition to the identification of financing gaps, the report highlights the potential for financial instruments to support SME financing and should provide a useful framework for the development of Operational Programmes and future ex-ante assessments for the 2021-2027 programming period.