Asia's bank-centered financial systems require the reduced supply-demand gap in lending as a core policy pillar to improve small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) access to finance. Meanwhile, the diversification of financing modalities beyond conventional bank lending is another key policy...

While in Western Europe the venture capital and private equity industry have mostly got over the shock of the crisis, the Central and East-European region in 2013 still showed a tendency of deterioration. Signs of recovery could not be perceived neither in fundraising, investment or divestment...

Governments play several roles in the venture capital market. Based on empirical examples, the current paper focuses on the role of the government as a venture capital investor. Compared to the direct involvement of governments in investments entailing risks of market distortion, the paper...

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in Asian economies as they contribute to high shares of employment and output. However, SMEs generally have limited access to finance compared to large enterprises. Given the bank-dominated financial systems in Asia, banks are the...

The establishment of a Capital Markets Union (CMU) is a high-priority project of the European Commission. CMU should foster additional non-bank sources of finance, mobilize private savings more efficiently and enhance capital market integration. Although more integration is needed, the...