SSRN Electronic Journal · 2016 · 169 citations · 10 references
BusinessFinanceInformation TechnologyBusiness StrategyEconomic DevelopmentSmall Business ManagementAsian EconomiesBusiness ExpansionBusiness Growth StrategiesEconomies Of ScaleFinancial InclusionSmall BusinessEnterprise ConstraintsFinancial Inclusion PolicyMedium Enterprise FinanceSmall Business FinanceSmall Business Job CreationSmall Enterprise FinanceSme FinanceSupport Measures
SMEs constitute the backbone of the Asian economy, accounting for more than 98 % of businesses and two‑thirds of private‑sector jobs, yet they are hampered by limited finance access, lack of databases, low R&D spending, undeveloped sales channels, and low financial inclusion, which slow their growth. This paper investigates four major factors that have slowed SME growth in Asia.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Asian economy. They make up more than 98% of all Asian businesses that provide two out of three private sector jobs in the region. Therefore, it is vitally important for Asia's economic success to have fully functioning support measures for SMEs. However, SMEs face challenges from limited access to finance, lack of databases, low R&D expenditures, undeveloped sales channels, and low levels of financial inclusion, which are some of the reasons behind the slow growth of SMEs. This paper focuses on four major reasons that slowed the SME growth in Asia including:
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