Trends in the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Far Eastern Federal District Based on the Dynamics of Bank Lending

The development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia is one of the priorities in the regional and federal economic growth policy. It is the subjects of small and medium-sized enterprises that play a huge role in the formation of gross domestic product, as well as are more adaptive to external shocks and can support the country’s economy in times of crisis. Thanks to small businesses, more and more new types of goods and services appear on the market, which contributes to the development of scientific and technological progress. In addition, representatives of this business segment create many jobs, thereby providing employment for a significant part of the population. It is also worth considering the fact that small and medium-sized businesses are tax agents for all their employees, therefore, by withholding tax from their salaries, it allows them to form a base for the revenue side of regional and federal budgets. Therefore, the state is interested in increasing their share in the economy and for this purpose creates a number of preferential lending programs for starting a business and scaling it up. For example, the Federal Corporation for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME Corporation) umbrella guarantee program, organized jointly with several partner banks, through which enterprises can receive funds for investment purposes, replenishment of working capital, business development or refinancing of previously taken loans. This article provides a dynamic and structural analysis of bank lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the Far Eastern Federal District for 2022-2023. According to the results of the study, trends in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Far East were identified based on the dynamics of bank lending.