SMEs face credit access barriers in Spain and Mexico

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face significant hurdles in accessing credit due to lack of financial history and misinformation. In Spain, the financial sector is exploring the use of artificial intelligence and predictive models to evaluate the solvency of young companies. By incorporating real-time data and comparable business references, lenders aim to assess risk beyond traditional credit histories. Data from the National Statistics Institute shows that in 2025, over 659,000 companies in Spain had been active for less than 24 months, representing nearly 20% of all economically active businesses.

In the State of Mexico, access to financing is hindered by a lack of information and fear of rejection. While formal credit applications have a high approval rate of approximately 93%, an estimated 50% of small businesses have never applied for formal credit. To address this, development banks like Nacional Financiera are focusing on non-financial support, including training programs and risk-sharing guarantee schemes, to encourage micro-enterprises to engage with the formal financial system.