The financial technology (fintech) sector has the potential to address many of the obstacles that MSMEs face in obtaining credit. This report draws on literature research, surveys, workshop findings, and interviews with government and private sector stakeholders to discuss a range of fintech policies and programs by APEC economies aimed at encouraging the development of an inclusive fintech environment that better supports MSMEs and other excluded populations.

The first half of the report provides a summary of the credit environment for MSMEs in the APEC region, and an overview of the regulatory framework for fintech services in APEC. The second half of the report presents case studies of eight APEC economies, describing their individual credit environment and the success cases of fintech companies providing credit services to the MSME sector. The report concludes with an analysis of the findings and a set of recommendations for policy makers.