Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Crowdfunding has emerged as a critical factor shaping business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) across organizations operating in and around Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how crowdfunding relates to business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on crowdfunding, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes), particularly within Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about crowdfunding without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes). This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Crowdfunding on business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) in Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which crowdfunding influences business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with crowdfunding in relation to business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes).
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing crowdfunding in order to improve business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes).

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of crowdfunding on business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) in Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does crowdfunding influence business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with crowdfunding in relation to business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes)?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize crowdfunding in order to improve business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes)?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of entrepreneurship, this study has practical value for management teams within Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria seeking to understand how crowdfunding translates into measurable outcomes around business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes). It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Crowdfunding and its relationship with business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the context of Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. It reflects a MSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.