Our friends at Beehive, MENA’s first regulated peer-to-peer lending platform, have released an insightful new report revealing the state of MENA’s SME ecosystem. The report is based on quantitative and qualitative SME research, including a survey of 175 SME owners and senior management and a roundtable of 13 prominent SME founders / CEOs.

 

Key findings from the report include: 

- Surveyed MENA SMEs have more women in senior positions than the global average.

- 28% of respondents see innovation as a priority for growth, yet only 2% of business owners are currently trying to access finance to fund it.

- SMEs offer young people a great opportunity for development. 48% of SMEs would hire someone under 25 with no experience.

The report focused on key areas that impact SMEs such as talent acquisition, innovation and growth factors. The survey results showed positive indicators such as SME appetite for market expansion and the opportunity for women in business. 

 

Craig Moore, Beehive CEO commented: “We’re delighted to be celebrating five years of operation in the region and very much see Beehive as an SME for SMEs. During our five years we have amassed a significant amount of data which gives us an invaluable insight into the SMEs landscape. This report digs deeper to assess their business challenges and opportunities, as well as their attitudes and opinions as SME owners and senior management.”