SME Policy: Facilitating access to financing

A man in a suit climbing stairs.

Would you like to establish a company or develop an SME, but are you lacking the necessary capital? The Confederation facilitates access to financing.

Seeking financing is a part of the major challenges facing those who establish companies. In fact, when they have their initial idea, it is rare that entrepreneurs have the assets necessary to start an SME.

As a consequence, the Swiss authorities would like to encourage and assist as best as possible in this crucial phase in establishing a company. Although the Confederation does not directly finance projects seeking start-up capital, it indirectly supports SME financing by facilitating their access to credit. For this purpose, it makes use of two important means of leverage:

  • The Confederation supports the guarantee cooperatives that enable SMEs to benefit more easily from bank loans.
  • The Confederation supports the Société suisse de crédit hôtelier (SCH), which grants specific aid for the development of hotel establishments in Switzerland.

In addition, the Confederation supports specific research and development projects through Innosuisse, the Swiss Agency for the pormotion of Innovation. For additional information about this subject, see:

The cantons, specifically the economic development and regional investment offices (ORP), also have different systems to assist companies. For an overview, see:

Guarantee system

Accessing bank loans is not always easy. The Confederation supports various guarantee cooperatives that are useful for SMEs.

Hotel loans

The Confederation supports SMEs in the tourism sector through the SCH, which grants attractive loans.


Information

Last modification 05.03.2020

Top of page

News and useful information for founders and entrepreneurs.
https://www.kmu.admin.ch/content/kmu/en/home/sme-policy/access-financing.html