DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES IN REGIONS OF LATVIA

For successful economic transition to the new stage of development improvements in business environment, as also the entrepreneurswho are ready to start your own business and to set up new companies. One of the main challenges the EU Member States face isthe need to boost their level of entrepreneurship and to become more competitive in the global market. That was one of the mainobjectives set by the Lisbon European Council, in March 2000, with a view to improving the Union’s performance in terms of employment,economic reform and social cohesion. Entrepreneurship is not only a driving force in the creation of new jobs, but it alsoincreases and enhances competitiveness and growth, personal fulfilment and the achievement of social objectives. The authors payspecific attention to the need to examine factors that affect the business environment development and entrepreneurship in regions ofLatvia, which determinethe complexity of the existing conditions and factors in each region in Latvia.KEYWORDS: regional development, small and medium-sized enterprises.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/rfds.v11i3.62

Role and Importance of the Damu Enterprise Development Fund and International Investment Funds in Implementing Project and Leasing Financing Programs in Kazakhstan

This article considers the loan indicators in the Republic of Kazakhstan and defines promising areas for the development of project and leasing financing of alternative investment instruments in infrastructure projects. The results of the research demonstrate that on the financial market of the Republic of Kazakhstan the volume of bank credit falls and the availability of capital decreases, which stipulates the attraction of alternative sources of financing for infrastructure projects. Prospective mechanisms of investing in projects of this kind include projects and leasing financing. It is noted that currently, the Republic of Kazakhstan is successfully cooperating with international financial companies and multilateral development banks to attract financial resources to implement investment projects. In spite of the existing leasing development potential, this mechanism for financing infrastructure projects is not entirely used. Stimulation of demand for leasing programs by corporate clients, the development of subsidy programs or guarantees to suppliers to purchase equipment, the reduction of the cost of funding, the development and implementation of project financing programs on the basis of syndication of loans are singled out as promising directions for the further development of project and leasing financing mechanisms