Entrepreneurs should be helped to prepare better funding proposals. At the same time, there is a need for enhancing banks' readiness to engage in new ventures. This situation could be helped by training bank staff to better evaluate requests for loans from these new types of business.

E-commerce and the export of services is also rendered more difficult by the inability of banks to loan funds on accounts receivable.

• In Canada, the Government has agreed with banks to guarantee loans to knowledge businesses (i.e. exporters of professional services).
• Bancomext, a Mexican trade promotion organization, has established a joint venture fund in partnership with the private sector (which holds a 51% share), which will not be bound by traditional bank rules requiring fixed asset security.

How can businesses induce and engage local banks and financiers to take a more direct role in developing e-competency and e-commerce?

(Reporting: Philip Williams, ITC)