This article aims to assess the impact of access to formal financial systems on the emergence and growth of small and medium-sized companies in the city of Chibuto from 2016 to 2017. The city of Chibuto was selected because it is an easily accessible location and the consequent guarantee dynamics in the information collection process. The research is descriptive, with a mixed approach (qualitative-quantitative), using non-probabilistic methods, based on intentional sampling. Interviews were conducted with the Tax Authority of Chibuto, 2 commercial banks (Millenium BIM and BCI) and 47 small and medium-sized companies were surveyed. Regarding the services offered by traditional banking, most of the interviewed entrepreneurs revealed that they do not adhere to them due to factors related to the cost of capital (high interest rates) and the required requirements. The majority of small and medium enterprises, or about 72% of them, use their own capital to finance their businesses while 28% use alternative sources of financing such as credit unions, Micro-finance, district development fund (FDD) and other unspecified sources as an alternative to traditional banking.