SINGAPORE - Seven in 10 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the pandemic are confident of meeting repayment obligations for government-backed loans next year without impacting their business operations, a survey has found. The survey by DBS Bank covered close to 250 SMEs in three sectors that are most affected by Covid-19 - retail, food and beverage, as well as building and construction. The bank conducted the survey early last month, after the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced extended credit relief support measures for SMEs to partially defer the principal repayment of secured loans and Enterprise Singapore loans. Overall, some three-quarters of SME owners said that they continue to be "optimistic" and "determined". However, they also acknowledged the toll the outbreak has taken, with one in five indicating that they were "exhausted" from dealing with the ongoing economic fallout. DBS group head of SME banking Joyce Tee noted that while the survey shows that SMEs are wounded, they are "certainly not out for the count". "In fact, many SMEs are quietly preparing for a rebound and even those in the hardest-hit sectors have been busy reinventing themselves a...