Decree-Law No. 23/2017 creating the Credit Guarantee System for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

This Decree-Law, consisting of 18 articles, creates the Credit Guarantee System (SGC) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MPME), establishing its legal regime. The SGC is a public credit guarantee programme, managed by the Central Bank of Timor-Leste (BCTL), under the terms provided. This System will be applied by financial institutions authorized to operate in Timor-Leste. The purpose of the SGC is to: a) Encourage the formalization and growth of MSMEs; b) Promote the productivity of MSMEs and job creation through the financing of mechanisms for technological modernization and innovation; c) Facilitate the granting of credit and adequate financing in areas and sectors of activity considered as priorities for national development and the diversification of the economy; d) Encourage national entrepreneurship and the participation of women and young entrepreneurs in the creation of their own jobs; e) Encourage entrepreneurship and the creation of MSMEs in rural areas; f) Contribute to the expansion of access to banking and financial services and, at the same time, encourage responsibility for the timely payment of credits.