The paper discusses state, regulative framework, and recent developments in leveraging access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Kyrgyz Republic through global value chain (GVC) examples in the Kyrgyz Republic. Access to finance in the Kyrgyz Republic is...

Tajikistan's outlook for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains challenging as it continues to recover from economic downturn. The SME sector is small but steadily growing in terms of value addition and share of total employment, although access to finance remains poor and financial...

The level of financial inclusion in Uzbekistan remains low: the majority of households and firms, rather than using formal finance, save and borrow informally, and few use digital finance products. Both indicate the high cost of finance as the top reason for not using it. Secondly, households,...

This study examines the recently revived credit guarantee fund (KGF) mechanism in Turkey from a comparative historical perspective and identifies the structural features of the Turkish economy that complicate access to finance for SMEs. The banking-based financial system in Turkey, state banks...

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has brought significant change to people's lives and business activities nationally, regionally, and globally. The Philippines took swift action-including enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)-to contain the pandemic and launched an emergency subsidy...

Within a patriarchal society, women are placed in a precarious societal positioning that leads to a prevalence of gender inequality in education, financial literacy, and access to finance. In the context of Asia, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of most Asian...

Most micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operate informally. While informal sectors are thought to contribute less to national economic development, MSMEs are a driving force behind national economic growth. Thus, formalizing informal MSMEs is critical to boosting national...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted a V-shaped economic post-pandemic recovery in Central and West Asia. It affected global supply chains and slowed the region's growth momentum while adding inflationary pressures. Private businesses were adversely affected by the impact of the invasion...