Crowdfunding – an alternative financing option for SMEs

Author (Person)	Widuto, Agnieszka
Publisher	European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS)
Series Title	EPRS At a Glance
Series Details	PE 542.162
Publication Date	November 2014
Content Type	Research Paper
	Summary: The economic and financial crisis has significantly reduced banks' lending to businesses. This gap in financing, coupled with the rise of social media and interactive online platforms, has contributed to the increased popularity of crowdfunding as a possible alternative source of funding. In this context, the European Commission adopted a communication on unleashing the potential of crowdfunding in the EU, as part of efforts to improve the long-term financing of enterprises and encourage innovation.
Source Link	Link to Main Source http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_ATA(2014)542162 Alternative Source 1 Alternative sources http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2014/542162/EPRS_ATA(2014)542162_REV1_EN.pdf
Related Links	Commentary and Analysis EPRS: Blog, 02/12/2014: Crowdfunding – an alternative financing option for SMEs https://epthinktank.eu/2014/12/02/crowdfunding-an-alternative-financing-option-for-smes/
Subject Categories	Business and Industry, Economic and Financial Affairs
Subject Tags	Small and Medium-sized Enterprises [SMEs]
Keywords	Crowdfunding
International Organisations	European Union [EU]