small and medium-sized businesses requested 163 billion rubles in 2023. loans – Kommersant

Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in 2023 requested loans worth RUB 163 billion through the Compare financial marketplace. At the end of the year, the revenue of the SME business doubled compared to 2022. The leaders in SME lending are Alfa Bank and Sberbank.

According to the press release from Compare, companies in the trade sector most often requested loans in 2023 – 42% (of the total number of applications). Applications also came from the fields of construction (27%), transport and services (10% each), and public catering (5%). On average, companies requested a loan of RUB 9.8 million. The average loan amount issued for business was 3.6 million rubles, the approval rate for loans for SMEs was 30%.

The top three popular services by revenue included cash management services (69.8%), business loans (10%) and acquiring (8.8%). Business registration (4.4%), leasing (2.8%) and foreign trade activities (1.2%) were also popular. Most often, individual entrepreneurs resorted to business services – 55% of the total number of applications, the remaining applications (45%) came from LLCs.

As Kommersant reported, the activation of SMEs against the backdrop of the crisis attracted the attention of financial institutions. Banking groups are increasing financing of the segment, including by expanding the provision of leasing and factoring services. This form of work allows you to reduce risks, help increase business margins and retain a wider range of clients.

Details – in the publication “Kommersant” “Factoring for the little ones”.

Laura Keffer