•  The legal certainty regarding payments will remove another important barrier to trade  •  faster payments will improve liquidity conditions for all companies  •  enhanced competition in payment services will contribute to lower costs and will be a key driver of innovation and  •  standardisation will provide easier access to banking software and payment terminals, including for SMEs.
Meanwhile, the lending attitudes of financial institutions as perceived by firms are improving somewhat, although small firms continue to perceive them as severe.