SME's Policy Dataset

his dataset accompanies the research paper titled “Policy Gaps in SME Financing: Comparative Analysis of U.S., GCC, and South Asian Models.” It provides a structured comparison of policy-relevant indicators for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing across five key economies: United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, India, and Pakistan, covering the period 2018–2024. The dataset consolidates high-level national data and policy characteristics from official sources, and presents indicators across three pillars: Regulatory Frameworks (e.g., presence of SME policy, insolvency law reforms, collateral regulations) Financial Institutions’ Role (e.g., SME credit as % of total lending, key government institutions) Fintech Integration (e.g., adoption level, availability of digital lending platforms) The aim is to support comparative research and inform policy recommendations for strengthening SME access to finance, especially in emerging markets. 📊 Data Variables (Columns) Country – Jurisdiction included in the study SME Credit (% of Total Bank Lending) – Share of total domestic bank lending directed to SMEs Credit Guarantee Scheme – Name of the primary credit guarantee program Fintech Adoption Level – Qualitative measure (High, Moderate, Emerging) Movable Collateral Law – Indicates presence of laws allowing use of movable assets as loan collateral SME Contribution to GDP (%) – SME sector’s contribution to gross domestic product Dedicated SME Policy/Strategy – Presence of national SME development policy Key Government Institution – Main public institution responsible for SME finance/policy Latest Insolvency Reform – Most recent legal reform facilitating SME bankruptcy or restructuring 📅 Time Period Covered 2018–2024 (latest available data for each country) 🌍 Geographic Coverage United States United Arab Emirates Qatar India Pakistan 📚 Sources Data compiled from: World Bank Doing Business Reports IMF Country Reports U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Emirates Development Bank (EDB) Qatar Development Bank (QDB) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Government SME Development Policies Peer-reviewed academic and institutional reports Keywords SME financing, regulatory policy, fintech, credit access, credit guarantee, emerging markets, GCC, South Asia, development finance, public-private partnership, insolvency reform