A new pan-European stock exchange for entrepreneurs is being planned by NYSE Euro-next to plug the gap in funding for small companies and help them raise money from investors more easily.

The exchange – dubbed the “Entrepreneurs’ Exchange” by NYSE Euronext – will facilitate fundraising through new issues of bonds as well as equity. Companies would carry out both initial public offerings of shares and initial bond offerings, and even a “pre-IPO” of convertibles – that is, investments that would in time convert from bonds into equities.

The new exchange, which will be carved out of existing Euro-next and Alternext markets, is the latest attempt by policy makers and exchange operators to boost corporate growth following the financial crisis. It comes amid increasing concerns that curbs on bank lending are squeezing small companies.