The 2008-2009 financial crisis in Eastern Europe mainly hurt firms due to a drop in demand for their products and services, not a lack of credit. A survey by the World Bank in six countries showed that firms suffered most from reduced demand, with issues like debt or credit access being less important. The study found that changes in firms' sales and capacity were closely linked to how sensitive their sector was to changes in demand. However, these changes were not strongly linked to firms' credit needs.