The Impact of Financial Access on SMES Development in Oku Regency, South Sumatera

Financial access was a key factor in supporting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study aimed to analyze the effect of financial variables, such as the amount of loans received, financing frequency, speed of fund disbursement, and ease of access to development institutions, on SME development measured by income growth. Data were collected from 40 SME respondents through surveys using the snowball sampling technique. Multiple regression analysis showed that the amount of loans received and financing frequency had a positive and significant effect on SME development, with beta values of 0.582 and 0.407, respectively. However, the speed of fund disbursement and ease of access to development institutions did not have a significant effect. The model achieved an R Square value of 86%, indicating that 86% of the variation in SME development was explained by the independent variables analyzed. The findings implied that sustainable financial management and the provision of adequate loans were priorities in supporting SME growth.