Alternative financing (AF) for businesses across Europe has increased considerably in recent years, becoming an important source of finance for entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs. However, access to AF varies considerably across Europe with Southern, Central and Easter European regions lagging behind Northern and Western European regions in terms of AF volume (total and per capita).

To bridge this gap, Altfinator project will facilitate the transfer of best practices from more advanced to less advanced markets. We will design, develop and implement a capacity-building strategy for the financial ecosystem and its participants in South, Central and Eastern European countries to improve the provision and absorption of alternative finance.

To improve access to AF in target countries, Altfinator will deliver the following activities:

• Map and analyse AF ecosystems in South, Central and Eastern Europe to establish capacity-building strategy and implementation plan
• Provide cross-European online information hub with materials, resources and tools
• Engage AF community to support provision and absorption of financing for innovative SMEs
• Review project impact and provide the evidence-base for adaption and sustainability of the scheme
• Provide stakeholders at European and international level with information about project activities and achievements

To carry out these activities, the Altfinator project targets groups such as:

• Alternative financing providers
  Providers of reward-based, equity-based, real estate, profit-sharing crowdfunding, P2P business lending, invoice trading, debt-based securities, online marketplace, balance sheet business lending, business angel networks, venture capital funds.
• SMEs
  Improve innovative SMEs awareness and understanding of the types of AF available according to their circumstances and development, develop ways of matching business to AF schemes and providers.
• Facilitators
  Initiatives, frameworks, networks and structures supporting SMEs awareness, understanding to access to alternative finance.
• General public, policy makers and traditional financial suppliers.

The vision of the AltFinator project is to implement capacity-building activities for the alternative financing ecosystem and improve innovative SMEs’ access to alternative forms of finance in Europe with focus on South and Central-Eastern Europe. AltFinator envisions a future where SMEs are able to reach these goals in all stages of their development, meaning to have access to wide range of alternative financial instruments.

The main objective of AltFinator is to design, develop and implement country-level plans to increase the capacity of the financial ecosystem and its participants in the different target countries. Multiple events and activities will be carried out throughout the project to engage and broaden the AF community in Europe.