Financing SME growth in the UK: meeting the challenges after the global financial crisis

This paper introduces the Special Issue. It reviews the response of financial institutions to the global financial crisis in the provision of loan and equity finance to SMEs, and highlights the emergence and role of alternative forms of finance, including crowdfunding, microfinance and credit unions. The paper concludes that any continued constraint in the supply of and effective demand for finance for the SME sector will have significant implications for the overall performance of economies in both developed and developing countries.