6  income group.14 Efforts are on-going in developing Asia to enhance the accessibility of credit to small firms beyond their informational opaqueness. One approach is a centralized approach. An example is to establish a credit bureau for small companies.
Credit growth has been accompanied by a gradual shift from short-term trade finance to increased lending directed towards the productive sector of the economy. In February 2000, the share of loans with a maturity of more than 5 years amounted to 16.8%, while at the end of 1998 the respective figure was 13%.