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Financing of ICT/ICTE SME: The Supply Side
Financing Technology Entrepreneurs and SMEs in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
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Excerpted from infoDev's study of Financing Technology Entrepreneurs and SMEs in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities.
There are a variety of available approaches to supplying financing. This excerpt provides an explanation of many of these schemes, including:
- Equity financing - While India boasts a strong venture capital market, many less developed countries lack the funds to finance early-stage firms.
- Quasi-equity financing - In situations where the SME's potential for capital appreciation is negligible, a suite of hybrid financing options exist that can be tailored to fit individual businesses.
- Debt financing - Although many observers believe traditional loans are inappropriate for ICT/ICTE firms, the absence of equity financing in many countries make debt financing the only formal option for many.
- IFI/donor schemes - In recent years, international financial institutions (IFI), most notably the International Finance Corporation, have made efforts to facilitate access to finance for ICT/ICTE businesses.
By Roberto Zavatta, Economisti Associati SRL in collaboration with Zernike Group BV and Meta Group SRL. Published June 2008.