There are tangible signs SMEs are taking countermeasures and are looking at alternative (i.e., nonbank) suppliers of cash to run their businesses.

Getting access to credit is difficult, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Although central banks are launching rescue programs to guarantee loans to SMEs, and pouring billions of cash guarantees to offset the risk perceived by banks, banks are still not lending for a number of reasons. A lack of loan supply does not reflect a lack of demand from SMEs. They need financial support to survive and prepare for the expected economic recovery. In this report, The State of SME Lending: How Technology Can Help, Celent analyzes the current lending policies of banks.

“The signs of disaffection and disintermediation from SMEs are there for banks to watch carefully and take the appropriate countermeasures,” says Enrico Camerinelli, Senior Analyst with Celent’s Banking Group and author of the report.

This report examines how technology can support banks in regaining SMEs’ attention and wallet share by determining the criteria that corporate lending management systems (CLMS) must have to attract banks’ interest and serve the demands of SMEs for more service and attention.