High operating costs, lack of liquidity and difficult access to financing are the three main problems faced by the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
A total of 94% of survey respondents identified high operating costs (cost of energy, fuel, raw materials/problems in the supply chain) as the main problem.
Also, 41.5% highlighted the difficulty of accessing bank lending/financing, almost 34% the lack of liquidity and 24.6% the high cost of financing (borrowing rate).
The purpose of the survey was the collection of data concerning the economic and business activity of SMEs, the recording of the current situation and the monitoring of their progress. The survey involved 1,466 businesses and 63 public and wider public sector bodies related to SMEs, such as chambers, etc.
Therefore complete or incomplete external financing forces companies to finance with their own resources, avoid investment plans and delay the payment of their debts.
As far as lending is concerned, the majority of businesses (especially very small ones) have not managed to receive a bank loan in the last three years, while the highest percentages of receiving high lending are seen in medium and small businesses.
The main needs that businesses seek to meet through lending are working capital and, to a lesser extent, the purchase of mechanical equipment.
