SME Guarantee Scheme – Liquidity measures

The Federal Government has announced the Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme as part of its “Supporting the Flow of Credit” economic response to COVID-19.

How does it work?

The Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme is designed to provide support to otherwise viable SME businesses that have had their cashflows impacted by COVID-19.

Under the Scheme, the Government will provide a guarantee of 50% of the value of a new unsecured bank loan. The object of the scheme is to enhance the lender’s willingness and ability to provide credit.

Eligibility Criteria and details

The Scheme is only available to SMEs with a turnover of up to $50m. Loans will have the following terms:

• Maximum size of loan is $250,000 per borrower
• Loans will be for terms up to 3 years, with an initial six month repayment holiday
• Loans will be unsecured

Loans will be subject to lenders’ credit assessment processes with the expectation that lenders will look through the cycle when assessing loan serviceability, to sensibly take into account the uncertainty of the current economic conditions. The Scheme will commence early April 2020 and be available for new loans made by participating lenders until 30 September 2020.

Applications

SMEs will be required to contact their bank in order to apply for these loans. Financial Institutions are currently determining how the loans will be processed, but we would expect this to be done through their frontline staff.

To apply, in addition to providing the lender financial information typically sought when obtaining finance, taxpayers will need to provide evidence that their aggregated turnover is below $50m.

To discuss your eligibility and how we can provide support to your business during this time, reach out to your ShineWing Australia expert.

Contacts