Jensen relaxes borrowing requirements for small businesses

Minister of Finance Siv Jensen.Photo: regjeringen.no

Finance Minister Siv Jensen will ease capital requirements for small and medium businesses seeking loans in Norwegian banks. The so-called SME discount has been demanded by the financial industry for a long time.

The new rules will come into force when the EU Regulation concerning this discount is taken into the EEA Agreement. When this will happen remains uncertain.
– We will now provide an advance notice of this and are prepared to act quickly. But we are also dependent on proceedings in Iceland, where the political situation is a bit unsettled at the moment, says Jensen to news agency NTB.
The discount will make it more favorable for Norwegian banks and financial institutions to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today