Event Highlights

Key Takeaways from Akbank Immersion Program

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Sustainable Finance

Apr 01, 2025

The two days program offers great insights into AKBANK’s remarkable efforts and achievements in digital design and innovation especially how the bank integrates digital technology including AI to deliver customer experiences. Serving almost one third of the SMEs market in Turkey, some of the key factors driving the bank’s significant growth in...

AI in SME Finance: Opportunities and Threats

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Digital Financial Services

Fintech

Payments

Mar 27, 2025

AI technology plays a pivotal role in revolutionizing SME finance by offering many benefits and transforming traditional practices. It brings new opportunities for the financial and non-financial institutions by automating operational workflows, harnessing alternative data sources, and building new forecasting and credit models to serve previously...

Is the rise of alternative data making credit bureaus obsolete? Not quite…

Tianxiao Fang

Credit Risk & Scoring

Mar 13, 2025

As digitalization accelerates, the use of alternative data should be seen as a complement rather than a threat to the traditional global credit bureau industry. A new blog by IFC - International Finance Corporation ’s Collen Masunda - (FCCA, CDFA, RPAC, Fulbright Fellow) explains that leveraging alternative data can significantly enhance access to...

Insurance Opportunities to Support Small Business Growth

Geethanjali Jagannathan

SME Insurance

Mar 20, 2025

During our webinar on March 19th - organized in partnership with Berne Union - our guest speakers discussed the critical role of i nsurance for SMEs . Insurance acts as a shock absorber of adverse events, provides critical risk mitigation services, encourages saving, improves access to credit, and helps attract private capital to economies. They...

SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - Digital Lenders for Small Entrepreneurs

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Digital Financial Services

Mar 13, 2025

During our latest Marketplace on March 12 th , the fintech invited highlighted how they serve small businesses in emerging markets to address the needs of underserved segments . Either through direct lending operations or partnering with financial institutions, Prestamype , Validus Q- lana , Vexi and Kaleidofin are strategically targeting small...

Scaling MSME Finance in Creative Industries

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Alternative Financing

Mar 04, 2025

During our webinar on February 26th , our guest speakers highlight ed the immense potential of creative industries in driving economic growth, creating employment, and fostering innovation. They underscore d the financing challenges faced by this sector despite its potential and the need for tailored financial products, de-risking mechanisms, and...

Round Table - Leading Innovations in SME Finance: A Leadership Perspective

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Digital Financial Services

Feb 10, 2025

Key Takeaways from the Round Table on Leading Innovations in SME Finance On December 16th, 2024, industry leaders convened for a round table session to discuss the latest trends and innovations in SME finance. This high-level gathering brought together experts who shared their insights on various innovative approaches in SME finance. Below are the...

Increasing SME Access to Working Capital: E-invoicing and Digital Credit Infrastructure

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Digital Financial Services

Jan 29, 2025

Welcome to our latest blog post where we delve into the fascinating world of SME banking. The adoption of e-invoicing is increasing rapidly, driven by the digitization of business processes and, in some markets, by government mandates.  Digital invoice repositories, whether third-party platforms or government-operated systems, are forming part of...

SME Finance Marketplace - Focus on Non-Financial Services Platforms

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Non Financial Services

Jan 22, 2025

How Non-Financial Services are Empowering SMEs NFS platforms and Commercial Bank Partnership Welcome to our latest blog post where we delve into the fascinating world of SME banking. During our latest SME Finance Marketplace on January 22, we invited three NFS platforms: International Trade Center, Strands, and Silver Lining to talk about the...

Impact Stories: Cascade Develops Asset-Based Lending Platform to Increase Accuracy, Efficiency, and Transparency

Geethanjali Jagannathan

Sustainable Finance

Jan 09, 2025

In today’s fast-paced financial landscape, loan originators need asset-based financing from institutional investors to grow their portfolios. However, the traditional fundraising process and ongoing tasks associated with managing debt facilities are operationally intensive, error-prone, and slow. Cascade set out to change that by developing an...

Spotlight on Innovation: SME Finance Leaders 2024

Marie-Sarah Chataing

Digital Financial Services

Dec 06, 2024

Featuring Global SME Finance Awards Platinum Winners G ain I nsights from Three Awardees and G et R eady to A pply fo r the 2025 Awards ***************** The Global SME Finance Awards Since its launch in 2018, t he Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of financial service providers in delivering exceptional products and...

Exploring the Future of SME Banking: Insights from IBM's Latest Research

Marie-Sarah Chataing

Digital Financial Services

Dec 03, 2024

Welcome to our latest blog post where we delve into the fascinating world of SME banking. During our latest webinar on November 25, we invited Paolo Sironi to share some of the key findings from IBM's Institute for Business Value (IBV)’s recent study, which features contributions from the SME Finance Forum. Together with four banking executives...

Balancing the demand of SME lending while managing credit risk & regulatory compliance

Abhishek Bhasin

Credit Risk & Scoring

Jan 18, 2024

This blog is brought to you by UPLINQ, a Member of the SME Finance Forum. The first part of that blog series is available here. -------------- In the first article of this series, we talked about the challenges faced by banks and lenders in providing financing to SMEs and enumerated the potential solution areas. In this second article, we are...

Scaling Finance, Creating Livelihoods, Achieving Impact - Powering SMEs and Economies!

Qamar Saleem

Financial Inclusion

Jan 11, 2024

The SME Finance Forum team and I would like to wish you a happy new year! At the outset, I would like to acknowledge how proud we are to have all of you as members and partners. We thank you for your valuable efforts in scaling SME finance within your own institutions and partnering with the SME Finance Forum. As the headline implies, we are...

Sustainability in Supply Chain Finance – Need, Challenges and Opportunities

Khrystyna Kushnir

Kyle Krym

Karla Espinoza Arguello

Supply & Value Chain Finance

Dec 19, 2023

Summary of the webinar discussion “Sustainability in Supply Chain Finance – Need, Challenges and Opportunities.” October 25, 8 AM – 9:30 AM EDT Panelists: Host: Qamar Saleem, CEO of the SME Finance Forum; Moderator: Rajesh Mehra, Practice Lead for Trade & Supply Chain Finance, Financial Institutions Group covering the Asia-Pacific region at...

Transforming MSME lending in India by leveraging advancements in credit decision support technology and contextual data

Abhishek Bhasin

Credit Risk & Scoring

Nov 17, 2023

Access to finance is a significant challenge for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) in India like other emerging and developing economies. Despite the Indian central banks policies and guidelines requiring banks to allocate a portion of their credit for the priority sector, which includes MSMEs, information asymmetry and lack of risk...

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE FUTURE OF SME FINANCING

Matt Gamser

Qamar Saleem

Non Financial Services

Sustainable Finance

Digital Financial Services

Fintech

Aug 15, 2023

For some time, the SME Finance Forum has demonstrated how state-of-the-art SME financing must go beyond credit and use digital technology to enhance customer experience. It’s becoming evident that today’s SMEs expect even more—they expect that their access to finance, markets and management support/skills building can all come in one space, in a...

The role of credit guarantee schemes in the sustainability of MSMEs ecosystem during the period of conflicts: Evidence from Yemen

Rami Al-Sabri

Sustainable Finance

Operational Risk

Aug 14, 2023

Introduction The ecosystem of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has been recognized as a critical driver of economic growth and development in many countries worldwide. These enterprises play a crucial role in creating employment opportunities, generating income, reducing poverty, and improving the standard of living for people globally...

Data and AI driving diversity in SME Lending

Abhishek Bhasin

Financial Inclusion

Non Financial Services

Alternative Financing

Gender Finance

Youth Entrepreneurship

May 15, 2023

Summary of our webinar on Data and AI driving diversity in SME Lending . A recording of the session is available here . A deck is available for Members of the SME Finance Forum on our Member Portal On April 19, 2023 the SME Finance Forum and Uplinq co-hosted a webinar on the topic of Data and AI driving diversity in SME lending. This topic...

SME Finance Forum Members Visit DBS and Tyme in Singapore

Mohan Chen

Digital Transformation

Fintech

Apr 03, 2023

On March 22-23, 2023, the SME Finance Forum successfully organized an immersion program in Singapore to DBS and Tyme, both members of the Forum. 39 senior executives from 19 financial institutions and 15 countries attended the event. The presentations shown during the immersion program are visible to Members of the SME Finance Forum who are logged...

DFIs present new funding opportunities for MSMEs

Kyle Krym

Financial Inclusion

Equity

Gender Finance

Supply & Value Chain Finance

Sustainable Finance

Operational Risk

Digital Financial Services

Mar 23, 2023

Summary of SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - 2023 March Session - LEADING DFIs A recording of the session is available here: https://vimeo.com/804283237 Presentations are available for Members of the SME Finance Forum on our Member Portal The “SME Finance Virtual Marketplace” is an online match-making platform that promotes partnership and...

Member Pulse Survey Q4 2022 – SME Finance in the Post-Pandemic Era

Mohan Chen

Khrystyna Kushnir

Financial Inclusion

Digital Transformation

Mar 13, 2023

In December 2022, we launched our 11th pulse survey. We received responses from 119 member institutions operating in 194 economies. Among the respondents, 81 are lenders and 38 are non-lenders. Level of Operation The feedback from member institutions continues to be positive. 46 percent of respondents say their level of operation has already...

Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion, on today’s challenges for SMEs Financing

Kyle Krym

Rural & Agriculture Finance

Data Analytics

Fintech

Feb 16, 2023

In a wide-ranging interview, Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion , spoke to how the world can emerge from the pandemic to build a more inclusive, resilient global society through the transformative power of innovation. “The innovation we're seeing worldwide is allowing us to consider and find new ways of financing small and medium...

Accelerating trade, financing, and growth opportunities for MSMEs

Britt Mayers

Non Financial Services

Trade Finance

Credit Risk & Scoring

Fintech

Payments

Feb 13, 2023

Summary of the SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – January Live Session . On January 11th, the SME Finance Forum Marketplace session gathered four fintechs, offering services ranging from growth partnerships and mobile money float financing to ‘trust’ scoring and trade financing support. Building a Trust-Driven SME Lending Ecosystem DigiAlly,...

SME Finance Innovative Solutions of the Month: Digitalization, AI-based Business Insights and Alternative Credit Scoring

Marie-Sarah Chataing

Adam Karadsheh

Fintech

Jan 09, 2023

Summary of  SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – December Live Session . The SME Finance Forum, since its inception in 2015, has been featuring innovative fintechs to help connect its members with different technologies and partnership opportunities. Our virtual marketplace is a unique online match-making platform promoting partnership and...

How fintechs are providing financing opportunities to SMEs without formal credit profiles

Britt Mayers

Credit Risk & Scoring

Fintech

Dec 08, 2022

Summary of SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – November Live Session . The SME Finance Forum, since its inception in 2015, has been featuring innovative fintech, helping connect members to different technologies and partnership opportunities. Through our virtual SME marketplace, we offer a monthly pitch session. The SME virtual marketplace is a...

Digitalization is vital to helping the world’s small and medium sized enterprises

Marie-Sarah Chataing

Gillette Conner

Digital Transformation

Nov 01, 2022

At the Global SME Finance Forum 2022  Harnessing Digitalization for Sustainable and Inclusive SME Finance, more than 350 leaders and senior executives from 60 countries and over 180 banks, Fintechs and regulatory agencies gathered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Co-hosted by the National Bank of Cambodia and the SME Finance Forum, top-tier experts...

Financial inclusion: How fintech expand access to underserved communities and sectors

Mohan Chen

Fintech

Nov 15, 2022

Summary of SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – October Live Session . The SME Finance Forum, since its inception in 2015, has been featuring innovative fintechs to help connect its members with different technologies and partnership opportunities. The monthly virtual marketplace is a unique online match-making platform promoting partnership and...

Virtual Workshop: Digitalizing Supply Chain Finance Summary

Anastasia Thano

Digital Transformation

Aug 20, 2022

The SME Finance Forum hosted this event featuring three Asian-Pacific banking associations to explore ways for digitalization to unlock the potential of supply chain finance (SCF) and bring meaningful changes in its access to and availability for SMEs. In this online session, Dr. Matthew Gamser ( SME Finance Forum ), and Matthew Saal (...

Someone writting on a Lap Top external Data

How fintech innovations are changing the world

Shaiza Chaudhry

Karla Espinoza Arguello

Digital Financial Services

Digital Transformation

Fintech

Aug 23, 2022

Summary of the SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - August Live Session The SME Finance Forum since its inception in 2015 has been featuring innovative fintech, helping connect members to different technologies and partnership opportunities. Through our virtual SME marketplace, we offer, in particular, a monthly pitch session. The SME virtual...

GPFI Workshop New Approaches to Closing Finance & Data Gaps for Women-led Businesses Summary of Proceedings

The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi)

Gender Finance

Aug 04, 2022

Access to finance has always been a significant constraint for women entrepreneurs, hindering their growth prospects. Lack of sex-disaggregated data has made it difficult to close the $1.7 trillion gap in financing faced globally by over 400 million women-owned businesses. A GPFI Workshop on “New Approaches to Closing Finance & Data Gaps for...

How To Secure Funding That Is Adaptable, Creative, And Solution-Focused

Shaiza Chaudhry

Digital Financial Services

Digital Transformation

Aug 02, 2022

Summary of the SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - July Live Session The SME Finance Forum since its inception in 2015 has been featuring innovative fintech, helping connect members to different technologies and partnership opportunities. Through our virtual SME marketplace, we offer, in particular, a monthly pitch session. The SME virtual...

Covid+Fintech: Finally a Game Changer for SME Financing?

Matt Gamser

Financial Education

Aug 01, 2022

Just six years ago, more than half of SME retailers’ transactions were paper based – in the form of cash or cheques. That world is long gone. Why? A large part is because Covid-19 gave digital payments a huge boost. The pandemic made many physical transactions impossible over a significant period, and made digital alternative payments, whether by...

Supporting SMEs in Africa through Innovative Payment Solution, Fintech Banking and Data Management

Sustainable Finance

Jul 20, 2022

Summary of SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – May Live Session The SME Finance Forum, since its inception in 2015, has been featuring innovative fintechs, helping to connect its members to different technologies and partnership opportunities. Through our virtual SME marketplace, we offer, in particular, a monthly pitch session.  The SME virtual...

The Case for Impact Investing: Addressing Capital Lending & Social Reach in India

Anastasia Thano

Sustainable Finance

Operational Risk

Jul 14, 2022

This blog is a summary of our “SME Lending & Social Impact in India” webinar with U GRO Capital. Small businesses in India employ over 100 million people or 40% of India’s workforce and account for 29% of India’s GDP and 49% of its exports [1] . The current SME finance gap in the Indian context amounts to $221 billion or 10% of the country’s...

The Benefits of Incorporating Creative Digital Solutions into Your Small Business Strategy

Shaiza Chaudhry

Financial Inclusion

Digital Financial Services

Digital Transformation

Jul 13, 2022

Summary of the SME Finance Virtual Marketplace – June Live Session The SME Finance Forum, since its inception in 2015, has been featuring innovative fintechs, helping to connect its members to different technologies and partnership opportunities. Through our virtual SME marketplace, we offer, in particular, a monthly pitch session. The SME virtual...

The Evolution of Lending and Risk Management: How Technology is Making it Easier

Shaiza Chaudhry

Operational Risk

Digital Financial Services

Jul 08, 2022

Summary of SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - Seventh Session with Fintechs The SME Finance Forum since its inception in 2015 has been featuring innovative fintechs, helping connecting members to different technologies and opportunities. Through our virtual marketplace, we offer in particular a monthly pitch session. On February 16th, the seventh...

Member Survey drawing, woman and man pointing to a board with checkmarks

Member Pulse Survey 2022 – SME Finance in the New Normal

Matt Gamser

Khrystyna Kushnir

Mohan Chen

Jun 07, 2022

In March 2022, we launched our 10th pulse survey with more targeted questions to understand how our members and their SME clients are adjusting to the new normal. We received responses from 118 member institutions operating in 181 economies. Among the respondents, 83 are lenders and 35 are non-lenders. Level of Operation The overall story here is...

What comes next in the MENA region? SME Recovery and the Role of Credit Guarantees

Marcus Chenevix

Guarantees

Jun 01, 2022

If the unofficial theme of last year’s MENA Credit Guarantee Conference was how to move past the Covid emergency, this year it was about preparing for what comes next. Adulrahman Hesham al-Suwaidi, CEO of Qatar Development Bank (this year’s co-host) set the tone in his opening remarks, encouraging speakers to look ahead at how guarantee...

Partnerships to Grow SME Finance

Antony Costantin

Fintech

May 18, 2022

This blog is the summary of the virtual marketplace from March 9th, the SME Finance Forum hosted this event featuring three fintech and one DFI (Development Finance Institution) to share their experiences and different products and services in SME Finance. In this online session, Robert Scheunpflug ( Shanghai F-Road Commercial Services Co. Ltd ),...