{"id":789399,"date":"2025-02-26T09:26:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T07:26:50","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-06-17T23:27:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T20:27:07","slug":"2-z-3-msb-planuyut-rozshyrennya-biznesu-u-2025-rotsi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.eba.com.ua\/en\/2-z-3-msb-planuyut-rozshyrennya-biznesu-u-2025-rotsi\/","title":{"rendered":"Two out of three SMEs plan to expand their business in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Business Association, as part of the Unlimit Ukraine project, together with OLX Ukraine and Raiffeisen Bank, has presented the results of the 2024 Small Business Sentiment Index survey. The overall index score has declined to 2.3<\/strong> out of 5 (compared to 2.5 in 2023), indicating a negative trend in entrepreneurs\u2019 sentiment.<\/p>\n

At the same time, small businesses assess the current situation slightly better than during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the index reached a historic low of 2.2 in 2020.<\/p>\n

View the presentation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2024, all components of the index showed a decline, including the assessment of SMEs\u2019 current status, changes over the past six months, expectations for the next six months, and the evaluation of the economic situation. The lowest indicator was the assessment of the economic situation (1.9), while the highest was the forecast for the next six months (2.6).<\/p>\n

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Currently, 21% of entrepreneurs believe their business is doing well (compared to 19% in 2023), while 27.5% assess their situation as neutral. However, the share of those who consider their business condition poor has increased from 39% last year to 51.5%.<\/p>\n

Over the past six months, business sentiment has followed a negative trend: 62% of entrepreneurs reported worsening conditions, 26% saw no changes, and only 12% noted improvements.<\/p>\n

Expectations for the next six months have also become more cautious. Only 22% of entrepreneurs anticipate improvements (down from 37%), while 47% believe the situation will deteriorate (up from 35%). The proportion of those expecting no changes has risen to 31%.<\/p>\n

Moreover, entrepreneurs mostly have a negative outlook on Ukraine\u2019s economic situation: 54% consider it unfavourable, 41% see it as catastrophic, and only 5% view it as favourable.<\/p>\n

SMEs’ expansion plans have somewhat slowed down. The share of entrepreneurs planning to expand has dropped from 79% to 67%. However, growth ambitions remain: 25% plan to launch new production lines, 13% aim to expand their geographic reach, and 14% intend to enter foreign markets. Additionally, 17% of businesses already export goods or services abroad, up from 14% in 2023.<\/p>\n

Of course, the war has significantly impacted business plans. There has also been a sharp decline in the number of entrepreneurs planning to attract funding \u2013 from 80% to 62%. The main sources of financing are:<\/p>\n