While significant progress has been made in driving the growth of green finance, little of this has touched SMEs. This is despite the fact that SMEs, just as they contribute substantially to jobs creation and economies, also cumulatively account for significant amounts of environmental and social problems.
This year’s Global SME Finance Forum focused not only on the importance of greening SME finance and its role in promoting a more resilient and sustainable growth of the SMEs post-COVID-19 but also addressed some of the key issues and challenges especially on greenwashing, data benchmarking, and verification and misalignment between supply and demand.
The conference took place from October 18th to 21st, and convened global thought leaders, climate finance advocates, leading experts, and practitioners in the field of SME finance to share their visions, insights, and experiences in promoting green finance for SMEs.
All times are expressed in EDT time zone
Welcome
MC - Georja Calvin-Smith, Writer, TV Journalist
Opening Keynote: Facilitating Green and Inclusive Solutions through Technology
Speaker:
Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
Tamara Singh, Board Member, People-Centered Internet
Justin Rice, Vice President of Ecosystem, Stellar Development Foundation
This session will focus on providing a fundamental understanding of what green bonds are, how they are a good instrument to mitigate climate change and how they can be used to bridge the gap in financing for SMEs for green projects and to spur innovation in the sector.
Moderator: Kaikham Onedamdy, Operations Officer, Climate Finance, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speakers:
Francisco Avendano, Operations Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Claire Hobbs, Chief Treasurer, Bank Windhoek
Dirk Dijksma, Head of Innovation Investments, Symbiotics
Hari Rajagopal, Vice President, Capital Markets and Strategic Initiatives, Samunnati
DFIs play an important role in providing knowledge, expertise, and funding to accelerate green finance portfolio growth. This panel will elaborate on what have been the successes and challenges and what more can be done to support green finance.
Moderator: Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Financer Forum
Speakers:
Gema Sacristan, CIO, IDB Invest
Elina Kamenitzer, Head of the Climate Office, European Investment Bank (EIB)
Vivek Pathak, Director and Global Head of Climate Business, International Finance Company (IFC)
Jean Claude Iliboneye, Head of Business, Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD)
Global SME Finance 2021 Awards Ceremony
Winners of the 2021 Global SME Finance Awards will be announced.
MC: Jessica Schnabel, Global Head, Banking on Women, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Keynote
Green Economy: A great business and investment opportunity to build a better and more equitable world
Speaker:
Juan Verde, Policy Expert, Corporate Strategist and Advocate for the Green Economy
Closing Remarks
Paulo de Bolle, Senior Director, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Welcome
MC - Georja Calvin-Smith, Writer, TV Journalist
Opening Keynote
Speaker:
Clare Shine, Director and CEO, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Leader Dialogue I: Views from the Middle East
Host:
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
Speaker:
H.E. Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, President, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
Leader Dialogue II: Views from the Middle East
Host:
Momina Aijazuddin, Global Head Microfinance, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speaker:
Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson, Karandaaz Board and Chairperson, Pakistan Stock Exchange
Climate change introduces dramatic short-, medium-, and long-term physical risks. These risks are particularly significant for SMEs and is a systemic risk to the financial sector. This panel will highlight the unique opportunity to invest in, and scale, climate adaptive businesses and practices.
Moderator: Vladimir Stenek, Senior Climate Change Specialist, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speakers:
Ayodele Olojede, Group Head, Emerging Business, Access Bank
Karel Nierop, Fund Manager, Triodos Investment Management
Simon Schwall, Co-founder & CEO, Oko
Fireside chat with senior private sector leader
Sérgio Pimenta, Regional Vice President, Africa, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Host:
Georja Calvin-Smith, Writer, TV Journalist
Speaker:
Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Concurrent Panel 1: Financing Green Agriculture and Agribusinesses
This session will explore models for financing green agricultural investments in emerging markets, with a particular focus on the role of digital technologies in promoting green finance flows.
Speakers:
George Mburu, Head of Agriculture Credit, Equity Bank
Rahul Gupta, CEO, Avanti Finance
Christine Negra, Principal, Versant Vision
In this session, we will bring together one small business in conversation with a global payment technology company, one sustainability consultancy and one pioneer initiative to address comprehensive support of SMEs in the transition to net zero. Join us to discuss the business and financial incentives motivating SMEs to take climate action, and how together we can support small businesses pushing for near-term change and long-term business viability.
Moderator: Lydia Elliot, Supply Chains Manager - We Mean Business Coalition Secretariat, SME Climate Hub
Speakers:
Liliane Ndananeze, Co-Founder and CEO, WidEnergy Africa Ltd
Giulio Berruti, Director, Climate, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
Doug Sabo, Chief Sustainability Officer, Visa
Welcome
MC - Georja Calvin-Smith, Writer, TV Journalist
Opening Remarks
Speaker:
Martin Holtmann, Manager, Financial Institutions Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Leader Dialogue: Views from Europe
Host:
Wiebke Schloemer, Regional Director for Europe, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speaker:
Rodion Morozov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, UKRGASBANK
Integrating Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) into supply chain finance provides an opportunity to scale-up and promote circular business models, and this panel will feature sustainable practices both upstream and down the supply chain that can improve business longevity and growth opportunities.
Moderator: Shona Tatchell, CEO and Founder, Halotrade
Speakers:
Derrick Loi, General Manager, International Business, Intelligent Technology, Ant Financial
Stuart Lendrum, Head of packaging quality and food safety, Iceland Company
Ashish Gadnis, Co-Founder & CEO, BanQu
This panel will provide insights into how to foster access to finance for SMEs operating in the renewable energy sectors in Rwanda and Mozambique. A special focus will be put on how the work with the demand side (SMEs) is linked to the work with the supply side (financiers).
Moderator: Sebastian von Wolf, Head of Finance Advisory, GET.invest GIZ
Speakers:
Jeannetta Craigwell-Graham, Finance Catalyst Advisor, GET.invest
Tony Francis Ntore, CEO, Rwanda Bankers Association
Ancha Omar, Head of Business Development, Banco Nacional de Investimento (BNI)
Fireside chat with senior private sector leaders
Panelists will discuss new and emerging products and financial approaches that can drive and support growth and liquidity in green and sustainable markets to mobilize financing for sustainable development.
Moderator: Marisela Alvarenga, Chief Financial Intermediaries Division, IDB Invest
Speakers:
Miriam Koreen, Senior Counsellor on SME, OECD
Annabel Ross, Senior Program Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Manuel Davila Lazarus, Executive VP, Banco Atlántida
A long-standing hurdle for SMEs has been the lack of appropriate forms of finance, with the severity of financing constraints varying across countries and sectors. These financing constraints and barriers to private capital have an even more decisive impact on innovative low-carbon SMEs who have developed solutions to mitigate GHG emissions as well as SMEs looking to deploy solutions to reduce their operations’ carbon intensity. This panel will explore the role of credit guarantee institutions in promoting green finance for SMEs and addressing this particular finance gap.
Moderator: Bill Briggs, Former Acting Associate Administrator, US Small Business Administration
Speakers:
Simon Cureton, CEO, Funding Options
Nagla Bahr, Managing Director, Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC), Egypt
Syed Abdul Momen, Deputy Managing Director & Head of SME Banking, BRAC Bank
Welcome
MC - Georja Calvin-Smith, Writer, TV Journalist
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
Opening Remarks
Makhtar Diop, Managing Director and EVP, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Keynote
Vivek Pathak, Director and Global Head of Climate Business, International Finance Company (IFC)
Keynote: Green Finance and SMEs – The same path to resilience and sustainability
Speaker:
Dr. Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative
The finance gaps and finance barriers for SMEs share much with green finance. In this keynote, Dr. Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director of Climate Policy Initiative, will provide an overview of where the world stands on overall global climate finance and why there aren’t more green finance activities. She will also outline where the policy and finance communities can focus their collaborative efforts to scale SME finance that is sustainable and resilient and share concrete opportunities to support and scale green SME efforts.
What role can SME Financiers play in limiting global warming and its impact? This panel will explore the opportunities and challenges for financiers in financing the critical SME sector while supporting greater mitigation activities and practices.
In this session, participants will discuss ways in which FI’s could assess SME environmental sustainability without burdening their SME clients with unreasonable bureaucratic demands. They will then explore how this could help to de-risk portfolios in a world of rapidly changing environmental legislation, rising “green” sentiment among shareholders, and increasing real environmental risk.
Moderator:
Louise Gardiner, Africa Coordinator, Sustainable Banking Network, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speakers:
Esra Kivrak, SME Banking Consultant
Gabby Tomas, Chief Risk Officer and Risk Management Group Head, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC)
Mariuz Calvet Roquero, Director of Sustainability and Responsible Investment, Grupo Financiero Banorte
Closing
Evening Session
Welcome Remarks
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Financer Forum
Alfonso Garcia Mora, Vice President for Asia and Pacific, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Leader Dialogue I: Views from Asia
Host:
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
Speaker:
Eugene Acevedo, CEO, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC)
This session will present tools and solutions that support SMEs to respond to climate change threats and opportunities while simultaneously addressing the survival of SMEs.
Moderator:
Arnaud Ventura, Managing Partner, Gojo & Company, Inc.
Speakers:
Jugnu Pati, Investment Specialist, ADB Ventures
Deyi WU, Head of AI Asset Management Business, WeBank
Lincoln Yin, Founder and CEO, RootAnt Group
Host:
Hector Gomez Ang, Regional Director- South Asia, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Speaker:
Jamal Uddin, CEO, IDLC Finance Limited
Closing
Gold
Bronze
"Congratulations on the perfect organization, both in terms of contents and for the efficient technology used for online delivery, with a virtual conference environment so realistic. A very deserved success..."
Giuseppe Argirò, Intesa Sanpaolo
"Thank you for a very insightful and interesting conference! My team and I attended different sessions and it was very interesting..."
Ali Gokhan Cengiz, SME Banking Assistant General Manager at TEB
"Excellent organization and quality event - very user-friendly platform, always on time, with the usual diversity of players from across the globe. Congrats to you and your team!"
Paulina Gonzalez Pardo, Senior Investment Officer, PROPARCO
"This forum is an excellent platform to know the unknown and make new friends all over the world. It helps to share our knowledge and new ideas so that it helps to do better in the organization and develop our personal skills..."
Dulal Chandra Pattak
Executive Officer & RM-MSME
Prime Bank Limited
"Congratulations on the great success of the SMEFF 2021 event! Although in virtual format, the event has well achieved its objective – networking and exchange of insights from leadership and market practitioners."
Mina Zhang
Senior Advisor, International and Institutional Relations, World Savings and Retail Banking Institute /European Savings and Retail Banking Group
