Small businesses often face problems in obtaining credit. One reason for this may be the lack of collateral. In addition, banks can find it difficult to evaluate the creditworthiness of these borrowers. As an answer to these problems, many countries worldwide have established credit guarantee...

In the wake of the crisis, the capacity of many banks to lend to relatively high-risk sectors such as SMEs and young, innovative firms is seriously impaired by capital constraints and a strong deterioration in the quality of the assets on their balance sheets. Looking forward, it is vital that...