As regulatory pressure is seen to be squeezing banks’ liquidity, SMEs-focused banks now stand the chance of attracting funds from private equity (PE) investors aimed at growing Nigeria’s Small and Medium Enterprises.

Private equity investment is generally made by private equity firms, venture capital firms or angel investors targeting asset class consisting of equity securities and debt in operating companies that are either listed on not listed. An angel investor is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity.