Italy innovates with minibonds to fill SME lending vacuum

Since 2011, bank lending has plunged in Italy, posing serious problems for the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises. Amid bold reforms to remedy the problem, Italy has created something new for Europe — a minibond market to channel institutional funds to SMEs. As Stefanie Linhardt reports, the market is still in its infancy, but investment funds are being formed and dealflow is expected to accelerate.