Explained: Malta SMEs And Access To Funding

As outlined by the Times of Malta as well by DBRS in a recent report they published about the Maltese economy, access to funding remains one of the most pressing issues faced by Maltese SMEs. The percentage of companies that pointed towards access to funding as one of their main obstacles rose to 11.5% in 2013 from 4.7 in 2011.

The Central Bank of Malta in collaboration with the European Commission carried out a survey that looks into funding trends and facts locally compared to European counterparts. It was found that Maltese SMEs are more dependent on bank overdrafts and other sources of funding such as credit lines or credit card facilities than other European companies in general. In fact, in 2014, more than 70% of local SMEs resorted to funding compared to 37% across the rest of the EU.