SME Chamber

Access to Finance for SMEs Conference

15 October 2004

Access to Finance for SME’s, Conference – Corinthia Palace
Hotel, Attard 20-10-04

GRTU – Malta Chamber for Small and Medium
Enterprises is organising a National Conference on Access to Finance for Small
and Medium Enterprises in co-ordination with UEAPME, European Savings Bank
Group, Bank of Valletta and the Malta Financial Services Authority.



The chosen theme is Basil 11 for SME’s: The Access to Finance for SME’s. The Conference is being held on Wednesday 20th October 2004 at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard. This is a one-day training Conference for business owners and managers of SME’s.Access to finance has always been of key importance for Small & Medium Enterprises. Shortly, revised international capital adequacy requirements for banks and other credit institutions will be introduced in all EU member states. These new requirements will transform the process of access to finance for small & medium business.In order to explain these changes to owners of SMEs, UEAPME – the European Federation of Organisations of SME’s and the European Savings Banks Group have joined forces to implement the European Commission’s commitment to ensure that owners of small and medium sized businesses are aware of the access to finance mechanisms which are available and that will be applied in the future. The new schemes will encourage the Banks to offer enhanced financing packages for SMEs based on a favourable credit rating system. The new schemes will provide for an adoption by SME managers of new business behaviour to comply with the new capital requirements.Owners of SME’s in Member States of the EU are being invited by UEAPME and ESBG to attend a One-Day National Training Conference to learn more about these developments. A total of 60 training conferences for SMEs are being held in all EU member states. The first of this Conference is being held in Malta on Wednesday 20th October 2004. The theme of the Malta Conference is “Access to Finance for SMEs” . Participation is open to business owners and other interested parties. Application forms can be obtained from GRTU Offices, Republic Street, Valletta or through GRTU’s Website: www.grtu.org.mt. The Malta Conference is organised by GRTU, Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – as Malta’s representative and as member of UEAPME in collaboration with the Bank of Valletta plc as a member of the ESBG, and with the support of Malta Financial Services Authority. The Malta conference is organised under the patronage of the Hon. Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minster of Malta. The Conference will be addressed also by Prof. Joe Bannister, Chairman of MFSA and the keynote speakers include Mr Joseph FX Zahra, Chairman of Bank of Valletta and Mr Karol Gabaretta, Director Banking Unit of MFSA. Keynote speakers in the Conference will be: Mr. Ian Jakeways British specialist on SMEs financing needs and in assistance to financial institutions on a better understanding of their customers project management, policy co-ordinations and social partners negotiations. Mr. Christian Marlier is currently Director in charge of Institutional Risk Services at Fortis Bank. Mr Gerhard Huemer, UEAPME expert on solutions to SMEs financing problems. Mr. Vincent Farrugia Director General of GRTU will present the findings of GRTU’s Study Project on Financing Requirements for Maltese SMEs. Mr Karol Gabaretta and Ms Catherine Galea from MFSA. Mr Joseph FX Zahra, Chairman Bank of Valletta. Owners and managers of SMEs participating in this Conference will have an opportunity to learn what development is taking place in the field of access to finance and how the financial world is gearing up to provide access to finance which is more friendly to SME’s. The Director General of GRTU, Vincent Farrugia will present the results of a Survey conducted among Maltese SME’s and highlights the issues that Maltese SME’s wish to see resolved thus enabling SME’s to meet their financing requirements of their expansion programmes.

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