Initial public offering as a source of financing for small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

The essential constraint on the development of small and medium-sized enterpris­es (SMEs) is their limited access to sources of finance. In the initial stage they usually use their own or family and friends’ resources. Next, they look for bank loans, which are difficult to get due to the lack of financial history and guarantees, and their weak business condition. Some can use government grants and support from international organizations (e.g. the European Union). They can also take advantage of alternative sources of finance, such as venture capital, mezzanine, crowdfunding, bond issuing and initial public offering (IPO). The latter form of financing may bring substantial benefits to SMEs, strengthen their market position and facilitate their economic ex­pansion, but it involves many constraints. The most significant concern difficulties in fulfilling the criteria to enter the stock exchange or special platforms (even though such criteria are less strict than for large companies), high costs, a lack of knowledge about the capital market and the low liquidity of SME shares. Therefore, it is essential for governments, international and domestic organizations and stakeholders to take steps to eliminate or limit these constraints.