The ANZ sports a $150.5 billion non-housing loan book but it is unclear how much it currently lends to small business.

Access to finance remains a key business challenge for small businesses, which contribute about 20 per cent of Australia’s GDP and are together responsible for almost half of the country’s private sector employment.

About 32 per cent of small businesses responding to a CPA Australia survey last year said finance was easy to find, down from 36 per cent the previous year.

This put Australian businesses ahead of their Hong Kong counterparts (22 per cent) but behind New Zealand small businesses (42 per cent).

ANZ’s general manager of small business, Nick Reade, said the commitment was aimed at easing cash flow for new starters,supra falconhttp://www.suprashoessalecheap.co.uk/supra-falcon.

“We know the first few years of funning a small business can be challenging so today we are pledging to lend $1 billion over the next year to help Australians realise their business dreams,supra s1whttp://www.suprashoes4salecheap.com/supra-s1w,” he said.

&ldquo,supra falcon blackhttp://www.justinbiebersuprashoes.co.uk/supra-falcon-black-suede-shoe;A lot of new small business owners thing that it’s only big businesses that get loans from the banks but that’s not the case.

“In the last year, we approved more than seven out of every 10 lending applications from new small businesses.”

Australian banks advanced $78.6 billion in new lending to businesses in the December quarter, Reserve Bank data shows, still below the peak of $111.9 million in December 2007.

This would mean ANZ’s commitment would boost available finance – but more importantly, boost small business confidence.

Reserve Bank research last year said the big banks had aggressively targeted the small business sector since 2005 to move into a space previously dominated by financial intermediaries.

That same research underscored the higher costs borne by small business – a margin that peaked at 3 per cent above home loan rates after the global financial crisis and is once again returning to that level.