Confidence is increasing among businesses in the Czech market. Two-thirds of all companies surveyed in a recent poll by the Association of Small and Medium Businesses (AMSP) said they plan to invest into expansion. But while last year the key factor was the availability of bank loans, in 2012 they’re looking for favorable conditions.
ČTK quotes the director of ČSOB’s small and medium businesses division Roman Kracík as saying that in the course of the crisis, businesses have gotten used to relying on their own resources. “Five years ago, loans were the most frequent way of financing. Nowadays managers are much more careful, as they realize that a debt burden makes them vulnerable.” Interest rates are a key criteria for 80 percent of businesses when deciding on a loan, while 60 percent consider strongly the fees and smoothness and swiftness of the administration process of the loan.
