Next week the Federal Council wants to decide on a possible new edition of the SME loans with a federal guarantee. But after the most recent decisions on hardship payments, it has become unclear what the purpose of a new loan program will be.
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In the event of a third wave of pandemics, will the loan program be reissued?
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The federal government has had to listen to criticism on an ongoing basis since the outbreak of the Corona crisis. At least one project received good marks from broad circles: the program for emergency loans to help ailing companies with liquidity. Within a few weeks, the federal government and banks had built a billion-dollar program out of the ground last spring. And the money flowed quickly, especially for loans of up to CHF 500,000, 100% guaranteed by the federal government. In total, over 130,000 companies received loans totaling around CHF 16 billion. Abuses could not be avoided, but these seem to be within a manageable range. Last December found National Bank researchers also found that the program turned out to be targeted.
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