Amid all the financial measures that have been introduced by governments and financial institutions around the world to provide support to SMEs in the wake of the pandemic, there is still insufficient attention paid to the role of alternative finance. This is a key message in a timely article by Peter Maerevoet, Global CFO and CEO Asia, of Tradewind Finance, writing in Gulf Business. He rightly points out that policymakers recognise the critical significance that SMEs play in economic growth, and that they are “working to create a business friendly climate for SMEs.” Even so, they face a myriad of challenges, principally a lack of financial resources to sustain competitiveness and growth. Without the funds for investment and day-to-day operations SME growth is largely constrained.
