Short-term interest rates are the rates at which short-term borrowings are effected between financial institutions or the rate at which short-term government paper is issued or traded in the market. Short-term interest rates are generally averages of daily rates, measured as a percentage....

Long-term interest rates forecast refers to projected values of government bonds maturing in ten years. It is measured as a percentage. Forecast data are calculated by making an overall assessment of the economic climate in individual countries and the world economy as a whole, using a...

Interest can be defined as the price paid by the borrower for the use of funds saved by the lender and the compensation to the lender for deferring expenditures. This compensation comprises two elements, namely a payment equal to the loss of purchasing power of the principal during the term of...

This report analyses the effects of zero rating, i.e. when a predetermined type of traffic received by consumers is not counted against the download allowance of the Internet access service. The report looks at the economics of zero rating and issues such as the effects of zero rating on...

The support that governments provide to their industrial producers has been a growing source of concern. Much of that support is provided by governments through the financial system, either in the form of below‑market borrowings or below-market equity. To better understand the nature and scale...

This report examines international policy experiences in designing and implementing online business diagnostic tools for SME and entrepreneurship development. These tools offer entrepreneurs and small business managers an individual online assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their...

This policy brief discusses recent international policy experiences in developing e-learning and digital business diagnostic tools for entrepreneurs. E-learning tools can develop entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competences among users and increase their confidence and success in business...

This paper takes stock of one year of policy responses to the 2022/2023 energy crisis triggered by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this paper, "SME policy responses" are defined as all government policies, whether...

This test guideline describes a test procedure to gain information on dispersion stability of manufactured nanomaterials in simulated environmental media. The main purpose of this guideline is to assess the ability of a nanomaterial to attain a colloidal dispersion and to conserve this...