Small Business Finance in Bangladesh : Can 'Crowdfunding' Be an Alternative?

This paper unearths a systematic problem in financing the small business firms in Bangladesh with the country's present financial structure, and reviews crowdfunding — a recently developed market-based phenomenon — as an alternative. The paper argues that crowdfunding approach can effectively solve this systematic problem by filling the gap left by the microcredit institutions and commercial banks. Crowdfunding can also be used for financing the young startups without replacing business angels and venture capitalists, and it can be a part of the country's inclusive growth framework