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Blog: Catalyzing Growth in the Female SME Economy

Blog: Catalyzing Growth in the Female SME Economy

by 
Kat Pardoe
Minerva Kotei
Sep 30, 2019

Women are underrepresented in the global economy, particularly in the SME space. SMEs account for half of global GDP and two-thirds of jobs worldwide, yet just 23% are women-owned and represent a disproportionate amount of the SME finance gap amounting to nearly $1.5 trillion. Financial services providers (FSPs) are, however, starting to recognize the enormous upside to supporting female entrepreneurs. We heard from three such FSPs – NatWest...

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Blog

Study Visit to Trefi and the next generation of SME ease of doing business and access to finance

Study Visit to Trefi and the next generation of SME ease of doing business and access to finance

by 

Rob Grimberg

by 

Carina Carrasco

Oct 16, 2019
During the annual flagship event Global SME Finance Forum 2019 held last October, the SME Finance Forum organized ten study visits. The Forum's study visits are an integral part of the peer learning opportunities. During these visits, organized in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, visitors had the opportunity to learn about the latest fintech...
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Arab woman and family-Shutterstock

SME Finance Forum members have opportunities to influence policy outcomes under Saudi G20 Presidency

by 

Hemant Baijal

Oct 03, 2019
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 90% of all operational businesses, two thirds of employment worldwide, and half of world’s GDP. Despite their important role as the engine of growth, the enabling policy environment in many countries is not well suited to their growth and they very often lack access to financing to grow their...
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Blog: Catalyzing Growth in the Female SME Economy

Blog: Catalyzing Growth in the Female SME Economy

by 

Kat Pardoe

by 

Minerva Kotei

Sep 30, 2019
Women are underrepresented in the global economy, particularly in the SME space. SMEs account for half of global GDP and two-thirds of jobs worldwide, yet just 23% are women-owned and represent a disproportionate amount of the SME finance gap amounting to nearly $1.5 trillion. Financial services providers (FSPs) are, however, starting to recognize...
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Fintech is helping accelerate financial inclusion 

Fintech is helping accelerate financial inclusion 

by 

Lechi Zhang

Aug 13, 2019
Fintech and digital financial inclusion were the main topics of a SME Finance Forum’s presentation at University of Toronto , held on August 13th, during the 5th Annual FinTech Canada Conference , organized by the Digital Finance Institute in Toronto, Canada. The presentation focused on how fintech is changing the nature of banking, and how...
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SME Finance Forum's immersion program: Visit to Yillion Bank, a new digital-first bank in the West

SME Finance Forum's immersion program: Visit to Yillion Bank, a new digital-first bank in the West

by 

Lechi Zhang

Jul 24, 2019
China's banking industry has traditionally been dominated by state-owned financial institutions. Even the smaller banks have roots going back to provincial or municipal governments. In recent years, however, Beijing has started to issue banking licences to private players. A new kind of digital-first bank, sometimes referred to as a 'neobank' in...
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ICBC Gives 17 SME Finance Experts an Inside Look at their Operations

ICBC Gives 17 SME Finance Experts an Inside Look at their Operations

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Carmen Smith

Jun 25, 2019
The largest bank in the world, ICBC has never stopped its innovations. SME Finance Forum members had an opportunity to learn about the company during the Forum's second immersion program on June 10. During the visit, 17 members gathered in depth knowledge about an innovative aspect of the company’s operations. Since the inception of its e-ICBC 3.0...
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JD Finance Gives 17 SME Finance Experts an Inside Look at their Operations

JD Finance Gives 17 SME Finance Experts an Inside Look at their Operations

by 

Carmen Smith

Jun 21, 2019
From agribusiness to capital markets, JD Digits has been a leading ecosystem player to bring automation, robotics and artificial intelligence to a wide range of industries. SME Finance Forum members had an opportunity to learn about JD Digits during the Forum's second immersion program to JD Finance, the company that manages the service, on June...
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Out with Old. New Ecosystem of Digital Financial Services Support SMEs Growth for SDGs

Out with Old. New Ecosystem of Digital Financial Services Support SMEs Growth for SDGs

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Carmen Smith

May 01, 2019
Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum, was the keynote speaker at the United Nations Secretary-General's Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Gamser led a policy discussion on innovative mechanisms to finance MSMEs at the UN's headquarters alongside experts from Visa, Milken Institute and KIVA. SMEs...
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Complementing Finance with Know-How for Women in Business

Complementing Finance with Know-How for Women in Business

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Ines Rocha

Mar 08, 2019
At the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), we believe that complex inequalities need wide-ranging responses. This is why in 2014, the EBRD launched an ambitious new approach to support the financial and economic inclusion of women. Since then, the Women in Business programme has reached more than 50,000 women entrepreneurs...
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Commercial Bank of Africa: From Corporate Banker to Digital Pioneer

Commercial Bank of Africa: From Corporate Banker to Digital Pioneer

by 

Nadia Afrin

Oct 24, 2018
Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), the largest privately-owned bank in East Africa has transformed its offering in the last six years, acquiring over 26 million customers. As Kenya’s most popular bank, SMEs account for 50 percent CBA’s customers and 30 percent of the bank’s overall revenues. With three out of every four people employed in Kenya...
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