Canada leads the world in Milken Institute's "Capital Access Index"

Dateline: Los Angeles

If Canadian entrepreneurs think they’ve got it tough in the capital raising department, they should thank their lucky stars that they didn’t decide to base their firm somewhere else in the world.

The folks at the Milken Institute track something called the “Capital Access Index”. The index scores the ability of entrepreneurs to gain access to financial capital. It measures the breadth, depth and vitality of a country’s capital markets as well as its openess in providing access without discrimination.

“For the second year in a row, Canada ranked first in the Capital Access Index. In 2008, Canada benefited from growth in the bond market and increased access to international capital. It also maintained a stable macroeconomic performance and an excellent institutional environment. A relatively stable housing market and banking sector both contributed to Canada’s No. 1 ranking in 2008.”

Select 2009 rankings

1 – Canada
2 – Hong Kong
3 – UK
4 – Singapore
5 – USA
6 – Switzerland
7 – Sweden
8 – Australia
9 – Netherlands
10 – Finland
16 – France
20 – Germany
22 – UAE
23 – Japan
25 – Israel
32 – China
33 – Italy
39 – Lebanon
41 – Greece
44 – India
49 – Brazil

MRM