Access to timely and adequate formal credit remains a persistent challenge for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Factors such as information asymmetry, limited formalisation, lack of comprehensive financial records, weak credit histories, and insufficient collateral contribute to this issue.
According to SIDBI’s report ‘Understanding the Indian MSME Sector: Progress, and Challenges’, in primary interactions with MSMEs, 17 per cent of the respondents did not avail any form of credit, while 8 per cent availed it from informal sources. Given the higher level of difficulty in accessing credit for micro enterprises, 12 per cent of those surveyed borrowed from informal

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