Irish small and medium sized enterprises are reporting higher employment than any other state in the euro zone, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). SMEs continued to report an increase in the availability of bank loans and bank overdrafts. SMEs in Spain, Portugal and the Republic perceived the availability of bank loans to improve the most. An average score of five was reported by SMEs in Italy, the Republic, Portugal and Spain. Irish (22 per cent), Finnish (7 per cent), Greek (6 per cent) and Slovakian (1 per cent), SMEs reported increases in bank lending rates during the period under consideration.

Source: The Irish Times November 29, 2017 11:37 UTC