For many SMEs, knowledge is power. Their business – and competitive edge – depends on their knowledge of markets and their product. Businesses can protect some of their most strategic insights through trade secrets.
SMEs and entrepreneurship
We provide data and analysis to develop policies that foster SMEs and entrepreneurship and facilitate sustainable growth, competitiveness and the creation of skilled jobs.
On MSME Day 2022: Check out the launch event for the OECD Recommendation on SME and Entrepreneurship Policy
The Recommendation on SME and Entrepreneurship policy was adopted by the OECD Council at Ministerial level on 10 June 2022 on the proposal of the Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE)
How can digital solutions help SMEs weather the storms in supply chains, raising prices and geopolitical turmoil? What are the most promising applications and what challenges exist for widespread adoption by small businesses under the current circumstances? Today the CFE is launching the 4th D4SME Roundtable: SME resilience and transformation
The OECD presented six key policy responses at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano on 4 & 5 July 2022. The CFE presented one of this note on digitalisation for recovery. The Ukrainian government’s response to the war in the area of digitalisation is structured around three key pillars: “Digital Infrastructure, Internet recovery and development”; “Public Services and Registers”; and the “Digital Economy”. More...
On MSME Day 2022: Check out the launch event for the OECD Recommendation on SME and Entrepreneurship Policy
Register to our online webinar - How to unlock the potential of entrepreneurs as drivers of the green transition? | 23 June | 15:00
The Recommendation on SME and Entrepreneurship policy was adopted by the OECD Council at Ministerial level on 10 June 2022 on the proposal of the Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE)
The new report Financing SMEs for Sustainability: Drivers, Constraints and Policies was launched at the 1st Annual Conference of the OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability | 7 December 2022, OECD Conference Centre
2020 marked an unprecedented increase in SME bank lending, which grew at a rate never before registered in the history of the Scoreboard: 4.9% in 2020 vs 1.2% in previous years - Read more on the 10th Anniversary edition of the Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurship 2022: An OECD Scoreboard
The Missing Entrepreneurs 2021 is the sixth edition in a series of biennial reports that examine how public policies at national, regional and local levels can support job creation by overcoming obstacles to business self-employment.
Read our new report: Understanding firms growth: helping SMEs scale up
The OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook 2021 brings new evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and policy responses on SMEs and entrepreneurs
Strengthening FDI and SME Linkages in Portugal. Read the report here.
Events
SME & Entrepreneurship Ministerial Meeting (27-28 June 2023)
Evaluating the Impact of SME and Entrepreneurship Policies (13 February 2023)
OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability (7 December 2022)
4th Digital for SMEs (D4SME) Global Initiative (23 November 2022)
1st EECOLE Roundtable (24 November 2022)
Data
Join the conversation
Videos
COVID-19 and SMEs
Digital for SMEs
SME Assembly Week
Publications
Areas of Work
Blogs on SMEs
Cogito blog posts
THE SECRETS OF SMES – AND HOW TO PROTECT THEM |
FROM ONE CRISIS TO ANOTHER: WHAT PRICE FOR SMES?The stock of outstanding SME loans grew at around 5% in 2020, a record high since 2007. Many weakened businesses were expecting respite as their troubles began to recede, but Russia’s war against Ukraine has sent a tidal wave through OECD countries and regions. |
IN THE DRIVING SEAT: HOW ENTREPRENEURS CAN MOVE US INTO THE FAST LANE FOR THE GREEN TRANSITIONCountries across the world are now gearing up to face the most profound shared challenge in generations: climate change. The road to net zero will be paved with innovative green technologies – the bread and butter of the green entrepreneur. With the right policy support, these entrepreneurs can drive the green transition. |
IS CULTURE REALLY GOOD FOR YOU? IMPACTS ON WELL-BEINGThe Covid-19 pandemic created a new normal of consuming culture from the couch. Policy makers must take advantage of the great re-opening to expand participation and create equitable access to culture. Where do they start to improve well-being? |
IS FINANCIAL DIVERSIFICATION THE KEY TO SME RESILIENCE?Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs were hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. To invest in growth and greening and play a full part in the recovery, we need to enable them to tap into alternative financial instruments. |
WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS – HOW WE CAN HELP THEM SUCCEEDRecent research suggests that women-founded businesses perform better over time and deliver higher revenue – more than twice as much per dollar invested – than men-founded businesses. In addition, women-founded start-up teams create more jobs for women – they employ 2.5 times more women than all-male start-up teams. |