Such work may provide evidence-based inputs into lender views of w'hat constitutes a “good” asset. This work would be of particular relevance for SMEs which are less likely to use formal intellectual property rights than large companies. Many of these assets are rendered in software, which enjoys automatic copyright protection, but may not be patentable. A difficulty w ith the use of copyright-protected assets is that they do not require registration, and only a few countries (such as the United States) offer an “official” voluntary service to record them. Providing effective ways to confirm the existence and ownership of these assets could be a significant finance enabler, especially for SMEs which face more challenges in managing their intangible assets and are more reliant on these assets to secure external financing at the same time.