EFRAG to host symposium on SME finance at 48th European Accounting Association Congress in Prague

EFRAG is set to host the symposium "Can summarised corporate information help in solving financing issues of European SMEs? " at the 48th Annual Congress of the European Accounting Association in Prague on 29 May 2026, from 11:00 to 12:30 CEST.

The event will examine how improved access to structured and comparable information on start-ups and scale-ups could support investment decisions and strengthen Europe’s risk capital markets. It will also consider how such reporting might be designed to remain proportionate while still being useful to investors and other financing stakeholders.

The debate comes amid continued concerns over Europe’s competitiveness. In 2024, EU finance ministers warned that the bloc risks losing ground in growth and productivity unless capital markets are better able to channel savings into innovative companies. While bank lending remains the dominant source of SME finance, policy efforts under the Capital Markets Union have sought to expand market-based funding. However, Europe still lacks a sufficiently deep risk capital ecosystem, particularly for high-growth firms.

Against this backdrop, the European Commission has asked EFRAG to assess a voluntary template for key information disclosures for start-ups and scale-ups. The symposium will explore how such information could improve transparency, reduce information asymmetries, and support investment decisions across different stages of company development. Speakers will also reflect on lessons from the development of the voluntary sustainability reporting standard for SMEs (VSME), particularly in relation to usability and comparability.

The panel will be moderated by Joachim Gassen (Humboldt University of Berlin) and will include Saskia Slomp (EFRAG CEO), Rasmus Sommer (EFRAG FR Associate Director), Chiara Del Prete (EFRAG SR TEG Chair), Martin Frývaldský (CEO Warhorse Studios), and Valentina Guatri (Public Affairs/ESG Manager at Invest Europe) and Kerstin Lopatta (EFRAG SRB Chair).