Publication: IFC and Fransabank Supporting Job Creation in Lebanon
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2014-02
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2017-04-24
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IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, seeks to promote private sector led growth in order to support job creation and inclusive growth. In this context, an important priority of IFC in Lebanon is to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In Lebanon, SMEs represent 97 percent of the total formal enterprises, employ more than 51 percent of the working population, and are mostly family-owned. Supporting Lebanese SMEs is therefore an important mechanism for increasing employment opportunities, and improved access to finance for SMEs is an essential factor allowing SMEs to grow. As part of its activities in Lebanon, IFC partners with local banks and other financial institutions to (i) broaden their networks and facilitate greater outreach to SMEs; and (ii) offer innovative products that expand financing options for SMEs. Fransabank and IFC have had a long-standing relationship dating back to the 1990s. In 2007, IFC supported Fransabank under the Lebanon Rebuild Program with two facilities including a risk-sharing facility to support the bank’s lending to SMEs. IFC’s counter-cyclical support not only provided liquidity but also helped restore investor confidence in Lebanon and its private sector in a post-conflict situation. Measuring the impact of IFC’s investment and advisory activities can be complex. With the idea of quantifying job creation through financial markets investments in Lebanon, IFC and Fransabank have undertaken this in-depth study. The key objectives of the study are: (i) to measure the job impact on SMEs from increased access to finance; and (ii) to understand the broader development outcomes facilitated by engagements in the financial sector. The results are based on a survey implemented in March 2013, which sampled 73 companies that received loans from Fransabank during 2008 and 2011. The enterprises ranged from very small to medium firms in the service, agribusiness, and manufacturing sectors across the five regions of Lebanon. While it is difficult to draw any definitive conclusions from these findings, the results validate that SMEs are vital and have the potential to contribute significantly to job creation. The findings should also encourage financial institutions like Fransabank to continue supporting SMEs through financing and other services to promote sustained job growth in Lebanon.
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“International Finance Corporation. 2014. IFC and Fransabank Supporting Job Creation in Lebanon. © International Finance Corporation. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26442 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”
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