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Given that banks are the primary providers of external SME financing, the most relevant reforms implemented to date are the initial Basel III capital and liquidity requirements agreed in 2010. These have been evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Consistent with the FSB evaluation framework, other relevant reforms that are at an earlier implementation stage or that are national or regional regulations were only analysed qualitatively.
For the reforms in scope, the evaluation finds no material and persistent negative effects on SME financing in general, although there is some differentiation across jurisdictions. There is some evidence that the more stringent risk-based capital requirements under Basel III slowed the pace and in some jurisdictions tightened the conditions of SME lending at those banks that were least capitalised ex ante relative to other banks. These effects are not homogeneous across jurisdictions and they are generally found to be temporary. The evaluation also provides some evidence for a reallocation of bank lending towards more creditworthy firms after the introduction of reforms, but this effect is not specific to SMEs.
SME lending growth has resumed in recent years, although volumes remain below the pre-crisis level in some jurisdictions. Access to external finance for SMEs also appears to have improved, particularly in advanced economies. Stakeholder feedback suggests that SME financing trends are largely driven by factors other than financial regulation, such as public policies to address SME financing constraints and macroeconomic conditions.