Ministry of Finance has revealed over USD 21 million have been issued to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) under the COVID-19 Recovery Loan Scheme.
The recovery loan scheme was introduced by the government to assist local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loans for SMEs are issued by SME Development Finance Corporation (SDFC).
Ministry of Finance revealed SDFC has so far disbursed loans worth USD 21.3 million for 1,969 individuals and businesses. This includes USD 20.2 million issued to 1,254 SMEs and USD 1.1 million issued to 615 sole proprietors.
SDFC also provides special loans for female-owned SMEs and sole proprietorships affected by COVID-19. In this regard, the corporation has issued USD 7.5 million for 563 businesses owned by women.
The government introduced an economic relief package to prevent local businesses from going bankrupt amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief loans are provided through the SDFC and the Bank of Maldives (BML).