Thus, 62% of the respondents said the access to financing registered significant improvements in the last 12 months, compared with 30% in 2015 and 16% in 2014.
Most of the entrepreneurs (40%) said they plan to access banking loans in the next 12 months to finance business growth. Supplier credit ranks second, with 21%, followed by EU funds, with 17%. 3% of entrepreneurs plan to access state aid and private equity funds, while 1% of the respondents target the stock market and alternative trading systems.
“Romania is witnessing a window of opportunity unseen in the last 20 years. We have interests with historical lows, the raw material prices are very low, demand is growing so that entrepreneurs should have the courage to invest! I think the confidence in the future is a challenge for entrepreneurs and we can see an improvement in this sentiment lately,” said Cristian Sporis, Raiffeisen Bank Corporate Banking vice-president.
EY Romania’s study assessing the perception of Romanian entrepreneurs on the local business environment was based on the answers of 350 Romanian entrepreneurs and was conducted between March 28 – April 20.