OECD governments have long assigned a high priority to improving conditions for access to finance for new, innovative and fast-growing SMEs and established firms pursuing expansion. This report analyses the potential and challenges of mezzanine finance for addressing diverse financing needs of...

The present report is a case study on crowdfunding as a finance instrument for SMEs and entrepreneurs. The report aims to examine the characteristics, diffusion and uptake by new firms and existing SMEs, assessing its effectiveness in supporting innovative or potentially high-growth firms to...

The 2008-09 global financial crisis had a profound impact on the availability of bank credit for SMEs. Although a decline in the demand for bank credit played an important role, banks have also become more reluctant to lend, including as a consequence of new capital requirements. Moreover, a...

Financial intermediaries may increase economic efficiency through intertemporal risk smoothing. However without an adequate regulation, intermediation may fail to do this. This paper studies the effects of a production shock in a closed economy and compares abilities of market-based and...

Banking regulators often practice forbearance and ambiguity in insolvency resolutions. The paper examines the effects of regulatory forbearance and ambiguity in a context of allocational efficiency. Bailouts, liquidations and their stochastic policy mix lead to suboptimal allocations if banks do...

Despite progress in the past decade, financial markets in Colombia remain relatively small and shallow. In particular the banking system suffers high intermediation costs, which limit constrains access to finance by households and firms. This paper explores some of the causes behind these...

Over the last two and a half decades, Luxembourg’s financial sector emerged as a leading international hub for asset management and investment funds and became a key contributor to growth. Diversification into new areas of financial asset management is continuing. However, changing financial...

The banking sector in the United Kingdom (UK) was deeply affected by the crisis. Bank credit has collapsed reflecting both weak demand and tighter supply. New prudential requirements have improved the resilience of the banking sector and a number of measures were taken to support credit supply....

The NZ economy has performed well over the past few years, having achieved relatively strong GDP and employment growth. However, some constraints to sustaining this momentum beyond the short term are emerging in the fields of skills, housing and urban infrastructure. Skills shortages have risen...

Slovenia is facing the legacy of a boom-bust cycle that has been compounded by weak corporate governance of state-owned banks. The levels of non-performing loans and capital adequacy ratios compare poorly in international perspective and may deteriorate further, which could require significant...