Despite policy measures, 83% SMEs lack access to finance: Survey

Over 83 per cent of small businesses are unable to access finance despite a slew of measures taken to deepen credit, especially in the wake of the pandemic, as per a recent survey.

The survey by B2B platform Tradeindia also showed that 63 per cent lack technological know-how, domain knowledge and guidance for business loans.

"Over 83 per cent of SMEs in the country required access to finance and investment solutions," the survey involving 50,000 small and medium enterprises having a revenue of Rs 5-50 crore, said.

Tradeindia's chief executive Sandip Chhetri said the survey has brought some "troubling bits of data".

"With such a substantial percentage of businesses still unable to avail financial credit and investment solutions due to technological deficiencies or lack of knowledge, the onus falls on the industry cohorts across various verticals to help them through," Chhetri said.

Also read: Growth in SME segment due to digital transformation amid pandemic: Salesforce

The survey findings come despite the government and other regulatory agencies initiating targeted measures to boost lending to SMEs, which are one of the biggest driving forces for the economy because of the massive employment and activity that they create.

The challenges faced by small businesses in accessing credit include lack of knowledge concerning business loan processes, it said, adding majority of them have scarcity of capital owing to restricted access to finance and credit.

As many micro-businesses operate in remote and far-flung places, they also lack the essential technical knowledge required to avail of fast-paced digital loans, the report said.

Tradeindia said it is conducting a summit to connect SMEs with non-bank lenders and fintechs for helping the former access loans.

Check out latest videos from DH: