In modern economic conditions, conducting business activity of any kind without availability of debt finance is improbable. The private sector in Bulgaria face the challenge of maintaining sufficient amount of capital to successfully satisfy both working and investment needs. Debt finance products offer an ideal way to satisfy those needs.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises are main employment generator and key economic growth factor. They play primarily role in forming both GDP and Value Added of the country. However, SMEs have experienced a vast amount of economic and social problems. Main problems groups can be brought down to:
- Inappropriate business environment for the development of SME (administrative, legal, poorly developed business consulting services and regional business centers etc.)
- Insufficient financial assistance
Since capital markets in Bulgaria are still underdeveloped and alternative sources of finance are hardly present, bank loans/credit lines along with supplier/customer debt prove to be a primary source of capital for small- and medium- sized enterprises. In a bank-based financial system like Bulgaria, banking system is a key factor of economic growth with a major role in productivity, investment levels, innovation and expectation of entrepreneurs.
All those factors explain the importance of the chosen topic on regional and national level. Purpose of this work is to create a comprehensive profile of the SME sector in Bulgaria; to pinpoint and analyze its problems toward access to external capital as well as to evaluate trends and challenges in SME debt finance.
Key question on which this work attempts to answer is:
What are the trends and challenges in the corporate debt financing sector?
In order to get there, specific tasks will need to be accomplished
- Creation of a comprehensive profile of the SME sector in Bulgaria and illustration of its growing importance for the national economy.
- Evaluation of the supply and demand for debt and determination of potential barriers to limited external finance access for SMEs
- Formulating and analyzing trends and challenges of corporate debt financing in Bulgaria
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Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER I: SME Sector in Bulgaria
- 1.1 Emergence and Early Development- Economic Overview (1990-2001)
- 1.2. Relative Importance for the National Economy
- 1.2.1. General Outlook
- 1.2.2. SME Economic Profile
- 1.2.3. Competitive Position
- 1.3. Recent Developments and Trends
- 1.4. Sectoral Barriers to Economic Growth
- CHAPTER II: Financial Intermediaries in Bulgaria - Key Facilitator of SME Growth
- 2.1. Overview of the Bulgarian Banking Sector
- 2.2. Supply of Debt Capital
- 2.2.1 Types of Bank Loans in Bulgaria
- 2.2.2. Group I Banks in Bugaria - Role in SME Financing
- 2.3. Demand for Debt Capital
- 2.3.1 Debt Structure
- 2.4. Problems and Obstacles for Bulgarian SMEs in Obtaining Bank Loans
- 2.5. Suggestions for Improvement of Debt Accessibility for SMEs
- CHAPTER III: Challenges and Future Outlook for SME Debt Financing
- 3.1. Alternative Sources of Finance - Project and Institutional
- 3.2. Trends in SME Debt Financing
- 3.3. Cost of Borrowing
- CONCLUSION
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work aims to provide a comprehensive profile of the SME sector in Bulgaria, focusing on its economic and financial performance and development. The thesis analyzes problems faced by SMEs in accessing external capital, particularly debt financing, and evaluates the trends and challenges within this sector. Key themes of the work include: * The importance and role of SMEs in the Bulgarian economy. * The supply and demand for debt capital in Bulgaria. * Barriers to SME access to external finance. * Trends and challenges in SME debt financing. * Alternative sources of finance for SMEs.Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Chapter I: SME Sector in Bulgaria
Chapter I focuses on the economic importance of SMEs in Bulgaria and their historical development, providing an overview of their early development and economic overview (1990-2001). It further explores the role of SMEs in the national economy, examining their economic profile and competitive position. The chapter concludes by discussing recent developments and trends in the SME sector and identifying key barriers to economic growth.Chapter II: Financial Intermediaries in Bulgaria - Key Facilitator of SME Growth
This chapter examines the role of financial intermediaries, particularly the Bulgarian banking sector, in facilitating SME growth. It provides an overview of the banking sector, analyzes the supply of debt capital, including types of bank loans and the role of Group I banks in SME financing. The chapter then explores the demand for debt capital from SMEs, including their debt structure and challenges faced in obtaining bank loans. Finally, it proposes solutions for improving the accessibility of debt financing for SMEs.Chapter III: Challenges and Future Outlook for SME Debt Financing
Chapter III delves into the challenges and future outlook for SME debt financing in Bulgaria. It explores alternative sources of finance, including project and institutional funding, and analyzes current and potential trends in SME debt financing. The chapter concludes by evaluating the cost of borrowing for SMEs and outlining several examples of alternative finance programs and projects.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This work focuses on the Bulgarian SME sector and its access to debt financing. Key terms include: SME financing, Bulgarian banking sector, debt capital, economic growth, alternative sources of finance, cost of borrowing, and challenges to SME growth.- Arbeit zitieren
- Dimitar Vasilev (Autor:in), 2009, Small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/180859
