The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), working with the European Union, held the fourth Working Group meeting on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing under the EU-Palestine Investment Platform, focusing on improving SMEs’ access to finance. During the meeting, the PMA signed a cooperation agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to provide technical assistance aimed at improving access to SME financing and developing new financial instruments. The session took place at the PMA headquarters in Ramallah and was opened by PMA Governor Yahya Shunnar and the European Union’s Head of Cooperation Ibrahim Laafia. Participants included representatives from relevant ministries, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the Palestine Investment Fund, the Capital Market Authority, the Association of Banks in Palestine, as well as banks, specialised lending institutions, credit guarantee funds, and international donor and banking organisations; discussions examined financing challenges faced by SME owners, approaches to revitalising commercial and industrial activity, access to affordable financing, and case studies and innovative financing models. The meeting formed part of ongoing work under the EU-Palestine Investment Platform, launched in 2020 to coordinate cooperation between Palestinian and international financial institutions and support investment in Palestine.

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