Commission launches €7.5 million calls to support the integration of Ukrainian SMEs in the Single Market

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission is launching two calls for proposals under the joint title “ReadyForEU”, with a total budget of €7.5 million. The two calls aim at helping Ukrainian entrepreneurs and businesses to benefit from the Single Market. The calls are funded under the Single […]

EU Cohesion Policy: European Structural and Investment Funds supported SMEs, employment of millions of people and clean energy production

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. In 2014-2020, the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) unleashed a total investment of €731 billion, of which €535 billion was funded by the EU, fostering lasting socio-economic convergence, territorial cohesion, social Europe and a smooth green and digital transition. This is explained […]

Why big business must support SMEs to achieve economic growth and get to net zero

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Henadi Al-Saleh, Chairperson, Agility As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, policymakers and corporate leaders have arrived at a long overdue conclusion: small business really matters. There’s a consensus that smaller enterprises are critical to the world’s two most pressing challenges. […]

Why we shouldn’t overlook the impact of SMEs on local and global economies

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Julia Devos, Head, New Champions Community, World Economic Forum, Zishu Chen, Content Curator, New Champions, World Economic Forum Beijing The contribution that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make in driving positive social, environmental and economic change is often […]

State aid: Commission approves €226 million Hungarian scheme to support SMEs in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved a €226 million(HUF 90 billion) Hungarian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission […]

State aid: Commission gives green light to new synthetic securitisation product under the European Guarantee Fund to further support SMEs affected by the coronavirus outbreak in 22 Member States

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, the introduction of a new  product in the the form of guarantees on synthetic securitisation tranches under the European Guarantee Fund managed by the European Investment Bank Group (consisting of the European Investment Bank, “EIB” […]

How decentralized finance will transform business financial services – especially for SMEs

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Rebecca Liao, Co-Founder, SKUChain Decentralized finance (DeFi) is emerging as a tool for smaller businesses in developing markets, particularly for remittances and small loans; The transaction banking industry is beginning to see DeFi’s potential to overhaul the inflexibility […]

What Europe’s SMEs need to do for a cyber-secure future

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Alba Perez Grandi, Communications Officer, ENISA & Anna Sarri, Cybersecurity Officer, ENISA & Viktor Paggio, Seconded National Expert, ENISA Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute 99% of businesses in the EU and face diverse cybersecurity challenges including low […]

State aid: Commission approves €6 billion Italian schemes to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved three Italian schemes, with an overall budget of €6 billion, mainly consisting of incentives to the recapitalisation by private investors of small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The three schemes were approved directly under Article […]

State aid: Commission approves UK schemes to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved two separate UK State aid schemes to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of the […]

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion Portuguese guarantee schemes for SMEs and midcaps affected by Coronavirus outbreak

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has found four Portuguese guarantee schemes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps affected by the Coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The schemes, with a total budget of €3 billion, were approved under the […]

Scaling for success: SMEs, tech innovations and the ITU Telecom World Awards 2019, in association with The European Sting

Sponsored content A citizens’ engagement tool from South Africa. An Indonesian micro-financing platform for SMEs. A Nairobi-based firm providing innovative connectivity solutions to tracking vehicles at airports or connect students in off-grid schools. And a new Japanese technology to regenerate lead-acid batteries, increasing the availability of low-cost power whilst reducing environmental waste. They’re all small […]

How fintech is setting Southeast Asia’s SMEs free

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Benedict Carandang, Vice President, First Circle Around 1.7 billion people globally are still unbanked – either having no proper savings or access to credit – according to the 2017 Global Findex Database. In Southeast Asia, only 27% of adults […]

SMEs are driving job growth, but need higher investment in skills, innovation and tech to boost wages and productivity

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been a significant driver of employment growth in recent years, mainly through the creation of new firms, including in high-growth sectors such as information and communication technologies (ICT). But the new OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook highlights that most SME […]

SMEs turning to alternative financing instruments as growth slows in bank lending

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are turning to non-bank financing sources at a faster pace than in the past, as bank lending to them has risen less than expected given today’s favourable credit conditions and business environment. Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs 2019: An OECD Scoreboard finds that […]

EU Copyright Directive: Google News threatens to leave Europe while media startups increasingly worry

The European Copyright Directive negotiation meeting, which was supposed to take place last Monday regarding the finalization of Article 13 and Article 11, was cancelled due to the fact that eleven out of 28 EU countries voted against the text. The text is expected to be altered by the Romanian Council presidency in order to […]

SMEs are the most valuable partners. Here’s why

  This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.  Author: Tarek Sultan Al Essa, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of the Board, Agility In recent years, large global companies have come to understand the need to innovate and evolve more rapidly to stay competitive and relevant. That recognition […]

Here are four steps SMEs can take for long-term success

This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: C. Keith Cargill, President and CEO, Texas Capital Bancshares There are benefits to looking beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, in business and elsewhere. Recent technological innovations have made it more possible than ever before to offer clients the […]

EU budget for 2019: do more for the young, SMEs and the climate, urge MEPs

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Next year’s EU budget should focus on young people, say MEPs, in a resolution voted on Thursday. Other priorities are growth, security, fighting climate change and migration. The resolution, which sets out principles for MEPs to follow in 2019 budget negotiations with the Council, […]

A Sting Exclusive: EU Commissioner Mimica looks at how the private sector can better deliver for international development

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mr Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation & Development. There’s never been a more relevant time to look at what role the private sector has to play in development. What are the challenges, and what can it help to deliver? The current world situation leaves us […]

Environmental labelling, information and management schemes are central to the circular economy

Eco-innovation, as well as environmental labels, information and management schemes are essential to get Europe on the path to a circular economy. This was the primary conclusion of the 18th European Forum on Eco-innovation held in Barcelona, on 20-21 May. Over 300 stakeholders from across Europe came together to make recommendations on what the European […]

Can ECB’s €60 billion a month save Eurozone?

The European Central Bank as from this March will start pumping into the Eurozone economy extra liquidity of €60 billion a month of freshly printed money. The details of this extraordinary policy measure will be revealed tomorrow Thursday by Mario Draghi the President of ECB, in his regular Press conference after the Governing Council meeting […]

Eurozone: GDP development heads to naught; the expensive euro serves only Germany

A new Eurostat wave of data statistically confirmed that Eurozone is utterly moored in economic stagnation, with disturbing signs that this might even turn to recession. Most significantly, last week the EU statistical service issued an estimate that the euro area GDP idled with a zero growth rate during the second quarter. The same source […]

Industrial price dive may lead to point of no return

Last Monday, Eurostat, the EU statistical service issued data on June industrial price developments (0.1% month to month), actually showing stagnation in relation to May. It is more alarming to observe though that all along the first five months of 2014, from January to May on a month to month basis, industrial prices had been […]

Finance for SMEs: Alternative supply mechanisms do exist

Indisputably, one of the most crucial barriers to economic growth is the lack of adequate financing for SMEs, across the European Union. Indeed, the problem is more acute in the hardest hit by the financial crisis countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland. In some other member states this setback is chronic. The SMEs […]

Regional competitiveness and growth: a Gordian knot for Europe

A week has passed since the European Business Summit (EBS) 2014 where the European Sting was official media partner. On 14 May, one of the first sessions that took place at the library of Edmond Palace had the title “How do European regions contribute to competitiveness?”. European Sting was there to report this vital issue for Europe. The […]

European Business Summit 2014: Sting Report, Day I

It was only last week and the time for the annual most important ‘appointment’ of the European industry had come. The rendez-vous was given at the same place as every year; the 12th European Business Summit that took place this year at the prestigious venue of the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels. The European Sting was Media Partner of the […]

The EU Commission by serving the banks offers poor support to European mainstream political parties

The 2008-2012 financial aka banking crisis and its devastating repercussions on the European Union, with deep recession and skyrocketing unemployment, are the main reasons why the EU political and economic establishment shivers ahead of the 22-25 May elections fearing a possible disastrous result. Eurosceptic extremists, nationalists and harlequins may occupy an increased part of the […]

Draghi’s ‘quasi’ announcement of a new era of more and cheaper money

Mario Draghi, the ECB President, was more than explicit last week, that the European Central Bank will live up to its duty and do in June whatever it takes to help the Eurozone economy grow again and push inflation a bit upwards, back in line with the institutional target, which is below but close to […]

Eurozone: Negative statistics bring deflation and recession closer

An avalanche of disappointing statistics on Eurozone was released during the last two days, supporting the view that the single money zone is stuck in economic stagnation. The Business Climate Indicator (BCI), Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI), the annual inflation and a euro area bank lending survey, all those statistics for April show that the euro […]

The ECB will do whatever it takes to set the Eurozone economy again in motion

Benoît Cœuré, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, speaking at the high-level conference on “Monetary Policy in the New Normal” organised by the IMF in Washington D.C., on 13 April 2014, described in detail the unconventional monetary policy tools the Eurozone’s central bank is about to use, in order to affect (reduce) interest […]

ECB: A revolutionary idea to revitalize the European economy with cheap loans to SMEs

IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington DC last weekend gave the opportunity to the European Central Bank (ECB), supported by the Bank of England (BoE), to launch a new monetary policy ‘offensive’ in order to revive the stagnant European economy. Mario Draghi, President of ECB clearly stated that the Eurozone’s central bank will […]

The ECB proposes a swift solution for SMEs’ financing

The European Central Bank is deeply worried about the ability of Eurozone’s SMEs to access bank financing at a reasonable cost and under competitive terms. The present business loan stalemate has already bitten into the growth prospects of the euro area, mirrored in the dangerous fall of inflation rate towards the deflation zone and the […]