News
Alternative Financing
Digital Financial Services
May 23, 2024
Washington D.C, May 23, 2024 – AgriAnalytica , a leading digital platform for MSMEs in Ukraine has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
May 20, 2024
Washington D.C, May 20, 2024 – Amret Microfinance Institution , a Cambodia leading microfinance institution and one of the top 10 financial institutions in the country has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who...
May 15, 2024
Washington D.C, May 15, 2024 – Caja Huancayo , a leading financial institution in Peru has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses...
May 14, 2024
Washington D.C, May 14, 2024 – Bank of Punjab , a leading SME focused bank from Pakistan has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses...
Digital Transformation
May 07, 2024
Global SME Finance Awards 2024 - INFORMATION SESSIONS The SME Finance Forum organizes the Global SME Finance Awards ( The Awards ) as a core part of its mission to create a unique platform for peer connections, knowledge dissemination, and innovations in SME Finance. The Forum’s extensive 240+ global network, crowds in financial institutions,...
Digital Transformation
Apr 18, 2024
Washington D.C, April 18th, 2024 – Singapore-based fintech Boost Capital has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge...
Apr 18, 2024
Washington D.C, April 18, 2024 - Singapore-based fintech Digi Ally has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Apr 15, 2024
The launch event for isybank, Intesa Sanpaolo's digital bank, was held on 15 June at the "Shard of Glass" tower in Milan. The bank is primarily intended to serve the four million Intesa Sanpaolo customers interested in using innovative services exclusively online and on their smartphones. isybank is among the most important initiatives in the 2022...
Equity
Apr 15, 2024
Intesa Sanpaolo acquires Romania’s First Bank from US-based private investment fund J.C. Flowers & Co., strengthening its presence in the CEE region and doubling the Group’s presence in the country. More in detail , Intesa Sanpaolo and JCF Tiger Holdings S.A.R.L., the controlling shareholder of First Bank S.A., have signed a share purchase...
Sustainable Finance
Apr 15, 2024
Under the guidance of Niti Aayog, government primer think thank, and RMI as a knowledge partner, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has developed a book titled “De-risking lending for a Brisk EV Uptake: A practical guide on de-risking measures for Electric two- and three-wheelers in India" The report was released in Washington DC...
Financial Inclusion
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Apr 15, 2024
Karandaaz Pakistan, a development finance platform at the forefront of promoting financial inclusion and driving digital transformation across the country, announced the launch of GreenFin Innovations (GFI), a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to scaling innovative and sustainable solutions aimed at promoting a green economy and addressing the...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Payments
Apr 15, 2024
Bespoke tech solutions providers team up to empower digital transactions of small- and medium-sized business enterprises across MENA with cloud-based software Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 5th, 2023 – TRAY, a global leader in cloud-native enterprise-class POS systems, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Alraedah Digital Solutions...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Alternative Financing
Gender Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Mar 08, 2024
The Forum established the Women’s Entrepreneurship Finance CoP (WEF CoP) Practice for groups of practitioners from member institutions to meet and share experiences, seek solutions to challenges that they face in financing women-SMEs. Since launching in 2022, the WEF CoP has evolved into a powerful example of how to empower women entrepreneurs...
Alternative Financing
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Feb 28, 2024
Johannesburg, 6 February 2024 – MTN’s Mobile Money Platform, MoMo, and banking technology company JUMO have partnered to launch Qwikloan, which offers affordable, short-term loans in South Africa and will drive financial inclusion across the country. Qwikloan enables MoMo users to obtain small, short-term loans on their mobile phones, ranging from...
Financial Inclusion
Jan 31, 2024
Washington D.C, January 31, 2024 – Nigeria’s Zenith Bank has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and...
Jan 31, 2024
The SME Finance Forum membership network consists of more than 240 member institutions active in 190 countries . The network is a unique community of SME-oriented commercial banks, non-bank financial institutions, fintech companies, and development finance institutions. UPCOMING EVENTS - Q1 and Q2 2024
Financial Inclusion
Jan 18, 2024
Washington D.C, January 18, 2024 – AccèsBanque Madagascar has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and...
Payments
Dec 21, 2023
Former SVP and Managing Director of Marqeta takes on new role at leading global issuer-processor to propel its growth journey across the globe 12 th Dec Paymentology , a leading global issuer-processor, today announces the appointment of its new CEO Jeff Parker, who will be succeeding the interim Co-CEOs Abe Smith and Angy Watson. Jeff is a leader...
Islamic Banking
Dec 18, 2023
In the latest episode of Couchonomics, Arjun was joined by Paul Melotto, Executive Board Member at Alraedah Finance . Paul has played a key part in Arjun’s journey to understand the Saudi ecosystem, especially regarding fintech and financial services. In the episode, Arjun and Paul discussed: The state of Non-Banked Financial Institutions in KSA...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 13, 2023
Former CEO of TransUnion Europe – Satrajit Saha – brings his expertise to Creditinfo, planning to drive growth across its credit bureaus globally. London – 29 th November 2023: Creditinfo, a global service provider for credit information and risk management solutions, has today announced the appointment of Satrajit Saha as its Global Chief...
Financial Inclusion
Non Financial Services
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Dec 06, 2023
Washington D.C, December 6, 2023 – Leading agri-services company SE Holdings has joined the SME Finance Forum as its global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Nov 28, 2023
FCI, an SME Finance Forum Industry Partner, held its 55th annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco from October 29 to November 3 2023. More than 250 attendees joined to network and discuss current issues within the Factoring and Receivables Finance Industry. With over EUR 300 billion financed to SMEs as well as to larger corporates, the global...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Nov 21, 2023
Washington D.C, November 21, 2023 – Ethiopia’s Dashen Bank has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and...
Financial Inclusion
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Nov 14, 2023
Washington D.C, November 14, 2023 – Maldivian non-banking finance institution SDFC has joined the SME Finance Forum as its global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Nov 01, 2023
During FCI 55th Annual Meeting , Qamar Saleem, CEO of the SME Finance Forum, launched the ‘ Knowledge Guide on Factoring Regulation and Supervision ’. This guide complements UNIDROIT's model law and provides guidance on law reforms seeking to support receivables finance. It indicates options and recommendations to establish a cohesive regulatory...
Policy & Regulation
Oct 12, 2023
New Delhi, September 15, 2023 – IFC Vice President for Industries, Mohamed Gouled, currently on a two-day official visit to India, has commended India's leadership at the G20 for its strong emphasis on the significance of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in achieving financial inclusion. "This formal recognition that technology must be used for...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Sep 16, 2023
Day 3 of the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 saw panel discussions and keynote addresses by thought leaders like Shri Chanchal Chand Sarkar, Economic Adviser, DEA, Ministry of Finance, India, Shri T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor, RBI, Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, DEA, Ministry of Finance, India, Ashwini Kumar Tewari, Managing Director, SBI, Ms. Nisha...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Sep 16, 2023
Mumbai, India, September 14, 2023 - The 2023 Global SME Finance Award winners were announced during the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 in Mumbai, India. Across all categories, a record 165 applications were submitted from 120 different institutions. 30 applications were identified by an independent, expert panel of 85 judges as winners. The award...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Sep 16, 2023
Day 2 of the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 saw panel discussions and keynote addresses by thought leaders like A K Goel, Chairman, Indian Banks’ Association, KV Kamath, Chairman, NaBFID, Alok Kumar Choudhary, MD, SBI, Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Rajiv Anand, DMD, Axis Bank, Chanchal Sarkar, Economic...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Sep 16, 2023
SME Finance Forum 2023 commence their 9th edition of the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 in Mumbai The Day 1 of the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 saw panel discussions and key note address by some of the renown names as speakers like Mr. Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, International Finance Corporation (recorded speech), Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Co-...
Financial Inclusion
Sep 04, 2023
Newly released financial survey from our member Karandazz! The report delves deep into financial service access and demand, with a special focus on digital financial services. To support financial inclusion in Pakistan, it is important to have clear definitions, metrics, and estimates for planning and intervention designs. Karandaaz notes that...
Financial Inclusion
Payments
Aug 28, 2023
The partnership will enable a more robust financial ecosystem in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, granting underserved and unbanked segments of the population access to the digital economy. Guatemala, August 2023 : Paymentology , the leading global issuer-processor, today announces an expanded partnership with Mastercard to bolster financial...
Fintech
Payments
Aug 16, 2023
Paymentology’s card issuing platform and analytics capabilities support DolarApp with several industry firsts in Mexico Paymentology , the leading global issuer-processor, today announces its partnership with DolarApp , the Mexican startup which provides digital dollar accounts to consumers across Latin America. Established in 2021, DolarApp has...
Aug 03, 2023
Washington D.C. August 1st, 2023 - Matt Gamser, having reached the mandatory retirement age for World Bank Group employees, will step down as the CEO of SME Finance Forum, effective September 30th, 2023. This will bring to a close Matt’s 18+ years of service to the IFC, including the creation of the SME Finance Forum. Under his leadership, the SME...
Equity
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Aug 01, 2023
Washington D.C, August 1st, 2023 – Leading impact fund manager C4D Partners has joined the SME Finance Forum as its global membership network’s latest member. The members of the Forum are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and...
Financial Inclusion
Operational Risk
Jul 27, 2023
Washington D.C July 2023 – Consolidated Bank Ghana LTD (CBG) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Financial Services
Jun 15, 2023
Washington D.C June 2023 – Vayana joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Fintech
Jun 13, 2023
Our Industry Partner, CFTE, has just launched the Online Certificate for Fintech in Africa. This is a great opportunity for those who want to learn about Fintech in Africa. The Online Certificate for Fintech in Africa is a foundational programme in Fintech. Learners will go through the building blocks of the future of finance: Fintech, AI,...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Non Financial Services
Jun 01, 2023
Washington D.C. June 1 st , 2023 - The SME Finance Forum is proud to announce its recent victory at the KNOWbel Awards, a World Bank Group program that recognizes teams and individuals who utilize knowledge to drive better business outcomes and foster a productive knowledge culture. This esteemed accolade underscores the power of collaboration and...
May 11, 2023
3rd May 2023: Nairobi, Kenya: 4G Capital, the market-leading neobank powering micro and small business growth in Kenya and Uganda, has been ranked as one of Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies by the Financial Times. The Financial Times compiled the ranking with data company Statista and based findings on compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in...
May 02, 2023
360ᵗᶠ Spreading Far and Wide: As a Knowledge Partner of FCI (Factoring Chain International), 360ᵗᶠ conducted a pan-India Export Finance Survey for Indian Corporates. the initial findings of this survey were presented at the FCI IFSCA GIFT-City conference and will be shared with Regulators and the Ministry of Commerce, India. Our engagement with...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Apr 20, 2023
29 March, London: Paymentology , the leading global issuer-processor, has joined forces with Wio Bank PJSC , the region’s first platform bank, to power its innovative banking model with customer-centric card payment services. Wio Bank PJSC is leveraging Paymentology’s industry leading in-cloud card issuing platform and data analytics capabilities...
Financial Inclusion
Guarantees
Apr 19, 2023
Washington D.C April 2023 – Credit Guarantee Corporation of Papua New Guinea joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Apr 13, 2023
Washington D.C April 2023 – arara joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Payments
Apr 11, 2023
Washington D.C April 2023 – Paymentology joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing...
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Digital Financial Services
Apr 06, 2023
The Global SME Finance Awards 2023 recognize financial institutions and fintech companies for their outstanding achievements in delivering exceptional products and services to their SME clients. Endorsed by the GPFI, the Global SME Finance Awards provide an opportunity for institutions to showcase and share their good practices and knowledge and...
Financial Inclusion
Apr 04, 2023
Washington D.C April 2023 – Altus Financial Services joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 30, 2023
Small and medium sized businesses in the SME Climate Hub community are committed to taking authentic climate action. This includes reporting annually on greenhouse gas emissions - ensuring transparency and accountability throughout their journeys towards net zero. Thanks to its new reporting tool, businesses part of the SME Climate Hub will now be...
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Mar 28, 2023
Washington D.C March 2023 – MEDA joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Mar 22, 2023
Washington D.C March 2023 – ShopUp joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Mar 21, 2023
Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum, participated in the “Financial Technology Development and Innovative Applications” panel at the 2023 APFF Asia-Pacific Financial Forum on 17 March 2023 in Beijing, China. “It was a great pleasure to speak on this panel at the APFF Asia-Pacific Financial Forum in Beijing,” Gamser said. “My panel, which...
Trade Finance
Data Analytics
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Mar 21, 2023
Washington D.C March 2023 – CredAble joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Financial Inclusion
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Mar 13, 2023
In a recent blog post, CGAP authors Joep Roest and Bongani Maponya wrote about the transformative power of open government-to-person (G2P) systems to connect G2P recipients with different Payment Service Providers (PSPs) in order to make the best choice, thereby incentivizing improved services from PSPs. The post was also a case study on how South...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 09, 2023
Washington D.C, March 9, 2023 – Standard Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been...
Sustainable Finance
Digital Financial Services
Mar 02, 2023
Fyndoo, the end-to-end SaaS Lending platform developed and owned by our member Topicus , has launched a new podcast called The Lending Bean – Powered by Fyndoo . Each episode, host Mike Cooper talks with experts about lending to inspire listeners to join Fyndoo in their mission to make lending effortless and accessible. In Episode 1 , Cooper talks...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 01, 2023
Washington D.C, March 1st, 2023 – Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016,...
Alternative Financing
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Feb 28, 2023
Partnership Aimed at Expanding Access to Finance for Small and Medium Businesses Across the Globe WASHINGTON, D.C., and TORONTO, February 28, 2023 – Uplinq , the first global credit assessment and scoring platform for SMB lenders, today announced a partnership with the SME Finance Forum , a global network aimed at expanding finance to small and...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Feb 22, 2023
Washington D.C February 22nd, 2023 – Air8 joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing...
Financial Inclusion
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Feb 16, 2023
Washington D.C, February 16, 2023 – One of the Philippines‘ leading banks, Security Bank Corporation joined the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge...
Financial Inclusion
Feb 15, 2023
The Karandaaz Financial Inclusion Survey (K-FIS) responds to the need identified by multiple stakeholders for timely demand-side data and practical insights into the state of financial inclusion in Pakistan, including traditional banking, mobile money, and the potential for their expanded use among the poor. The aim is to: Track access to and...
Dec 30, 2022
Dear Members, Partners, and Friends, Working together during 2022 has been a pleasure, and we're proud to have you all with us. 2022 was a turbulent year in global markets, and SMEs all over the world have been dealing with soaring inflation, disrupted supply chains and volatile foreign currency markets. And yet, we have been inspired by how our...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Dec 26, 2022
Washington D.C., December 26th, 2022 – Koltiva joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we...
Non Financial Services
Dec 19, 2022
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for members who are interested in working more directly with the Forum and helping shape our Global Event. Sponsors can improve brand recognition, develop partnerships and demonstrate leadership via the growing outreach and networks of the Forum. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Trade Finance
Dec 06, 2022
Washington D.C., December 7 th , 2022 – ACLEDA Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “ When we started in 2012,...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Fintech
Nov 21, 2022
Washington D.C., November 21 2022 – Progcap joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were...
Sustainable Finance
Nov 05, 2022
HEALRWORLD, a social impact, for profit ESG Fintech, unveils its new corporate debit card at CC Forum - an investment conference which is 100% dedicated to investment in sustainability. In collaboration with Mastercard and its Priceless Planet initiative, Railsr, Toqio, and Penrose Digital, the HealRWorld corporate debit card will be the first of...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 26, 2022
Lending is one of the main elements of the modern financial system. In one way or another, most people rely on loans from banks – whether these are credits, mortgages, installments, credit cards to pay for critical goods and services. An important role in this process is played by credit bureaus that collect, store, process and transmit...
Sustainable Finance
Oct 20, 2022
LONDON, 4 October 2022 – JUMO, a technology company advancing next-generation financial inclusion in emerging markets, today released VELA, a pioneering asset management engine built to give investors access to real social impact investments at the highest standards of governance and control. VELA is a powerful asset management tool underpinned by...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Oct 17, 2022
Washington D.C., October 17th, 2022 – The Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBİA) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses...
Trade Finance
Digital Financial Services
Oct 04, 2022
Washington D.C., September 2022 – 360tf joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were in an...
Sustainable Finance
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Sep 29, 2022
Washington DC, September 29 2022 - The future of delivering inclusive and effective banking support for the world’s small and medium sized enterprises will be driven by digital transformation, according to the lead organizers behind this year’s Global SME Finance Forum 2022 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. More than 350 leaders and senior executives from...
Sep 28, 2022
Washington DC, September 28, 2022 - The 2022 Global SME Finance Awards winners were announced during the Global SME Finance Forum 2022. To learn who the winners are, please visit https://www.smefinanceforum.org/awards-2022 Organized by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the SME Finance Forum and endorsed by the G20’s Global Partnership for...
Fintech
Sep 08, 2022
London, 06.09.2022: Funding Options , the leading marketplace for business finance, has launched Funding Cloud: Insights to bring unparalleled data to SME lenders with a breadth of market insight capable of driving new product innovation. The intuitive and user-friendly platform provides near real-time knowledge and intelligence that has scarcely...
Alternative Financing
Fintech
Aug 12, 2022
Washington D.C., August 4, 2022 – Credit Bureau Cambodia (CBC) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started...
Financial Inclusion
Jul 29, 2022
Washington D.C., July 28, 2022 – Awash Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. Awash Bank becomes the first bank...
Alternative Financing
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Jul 19, 2022
Washington D.C., July 19, 2022 – Mambu joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our...
Non Financial Services
Fintech
Jul 13, 2022
Washington D.C., July 12, 2022 – SME Bank of Cambodia joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012...
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Jul 06, 2022
APPLY BEFORE 15 JULY Deadline extended to July 15th! We’ve extended the deadline of our 2022 Global SME Finance Awards. Share your leadership experience with the SME community and show how your institution can become a winner of the next Global SME Finance Forum Awards. Welcome to the fifth Annual Global SME Finance Awards! We invite all types of...
Non Financial Services
Jun 21, 2022
Sidian Bank provides a range of financial products and services that support the growth of micro, small and medium-sized businesses in Kenya. With this focus, the bank plays a crucial role in boosting entrepreneurship, creating jobs, and building a strong local economy. In 2021, Sidian Bank received a USD 10 million loan from Triodos Microfinance...
Non Financial Services
Fintech
Jun 16, 2022
Washington D.C., june 16, 2022 – The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When...
Policy & Regulation
Jun 08, 2022
Central banks of many emerging markets are overshooting their inflation goals, as prices of essential goods and services - from flour to cooking oil, energy, and gasoline – continue to rise. Supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine are all compounding inflationary pressures. It is increasingly feared that the 1970s will...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Jun 07, 2022
Washington D.C. June, 7th 2022 – Asante Financial Services Group joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
May 31, 2022
Caravela, a green coffee firm focused only on responsible sourcing and marketing high-quality Latin American coffees, has received a USD 1.5 million value chain loan from Hivos-Triodos Fund. The financing would allow the company to pay about 600 smallholder coffee producers in Mexico and Peru when their harvest is delivered. Throughout the past 20...
Operational Risk
May 19, 2022
Triodos Microfinance Fund has made a USD 7 million loan to Mi Banco in El Salvador, a cooperative bank that provides payroll deduction loans to low and lower-middle-income government employees. Mi Banco is one of El Salvador's fastest-growing cooperative banks, serving over 10,000 borrowers and 25,000 depositors through a network of ten branches...
Islamic Banking
May 13, 2022
Washington D.C., May 13th – Ghazanfar Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were in...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
May 11, 2022
JSC MFO Crystal (Crystal), Georgia's largest microfinance institution, has received a USD 5 million debt facility from Triodos Microfinance Fund and Triodos Fair Share Fund. The facility will support Crystal expand its outreach to micro and small firms and strengthen its liquidity position at a time when the region's macroeconomic instability is...
Islamic Banking
May 04, 2022
Washington D.C., May 4th, 2022 – Yanal Finance joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we...
Alternative Financing
Apr 27, 2022
Washington D.C., April 27, 2022 – Wing Bank (Cambodia) Plc joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in...
Fintech
Apr 08, 2022
Washington D.C., April 8th 2022 – Yemen Loan Guarantee Program joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started...
Fintech
Apr 06, 2022
Washington D.C., April 6, 2022 – Amartha joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were in...
Financial Inclusion
Apr 05, 2022
Washington D.C., April 5 2022 – The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 28, 2022
Triodos Emerging Markets Renewable Energy Fund and Triodos Groenfonds have invested USD 5 million and USD 10 million respectively in the final close of India’s largest and first of its kind climate-focused impact fund, Green Growth Equity Fund, managed by EverSource Capital. Building green infrastructure in India Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF)...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 25, 2022
Hivos-Triodos Fund has provided USD 1 million in senior debt to Apollo Agriculture, a Kenyan ag-tech company that uses machine learning and automated operations technology to help small-scale farmers maximise their profitability. Apollo Agriculture (Apollo) provides an optimised bundle for farmers that includes financing, farming inputs, advice,...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 22, 2022
Triodos Microfinance Fund and Triodos Fair Share Fund have provided a EUR 15 million subordinated debt facility to Ameriabank in Armenia to support the bank’s mission to increase its outreach to small-scale entrepreneurs and green initiatives. Artak Hanesyan, CEO of Ameriabank : “This facility further improves our capital position under the Basel...
Digital Financial Services
Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday 16 March 2022 – Nairobi, Kenya : 4G Capital, the award-winning African neobank, has completed its Series C funding round with Lightrock, the leading global private equity fund, investing $18.5 million dollars. Since its inception in 2013, 4G Capital has loaned over 1,750,000 small business working capital loans valued at over $230...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Mar 15, 2022
Triodos Microfinance Fund has provided the first USD 2 million loan of a USD 4 million facility to Aspiria, a digital platform in Mexico that serves businesses that aren’t bankable in the traditional financial system. Aspiria is truly a fintech with an automated credit process, combined with the human touch during the onboarding process and...
Non Financial Services
Mar 10, 2022
Funding Cloud: Connect enables accountants and advisors to manage and track finance offers for SME clients via a real-time fully integrated lending platform London, 10.02.2022: Business finance marketplace, Funding Options has launched Funding Cloud: Connect , an extension of its Funding CloudTM platform, expanding its offering for intermediaries...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 08, 2022
Triodos Emerging Markets Renewable Energy Fund and Triodos Groenfonds have provided a KGS 212 million (USD 2.5 million) loan to microcredit institution Bailyk Finance in Kyrgyzstan for the expansion of its green loan offering. Bailyk Finance provides affordable financial solutions to around 43,000 small businesses and households, predominantly in...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 03, 2022
Washington D.C., March 3rd 2022 – G5 Innonet joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were...
Sustainable Finance
Feb 24, 2022
First of its kind survey of businesses from UN-backed SME Climate Hub shows that small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) need additional resources and guidance to reduce carbon emissions. New survey reveals half of small businesses calculate emissions, and 60% have plans to reduce carbon impact. However, two-thirds of small business owners worried...
Sustainable Finance
Feb 15, 2022
Amsterdam, 9 February 2022 – The Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), an international movement of frontrunner banks and leaders in sustainable and inclusive finance, asks the European Commission for a more ambitious and comprehensive approach to the development of a Social Taxonomy. The network wants the Commission to go further than...
Trade Finance
Feb 11, 2022
KYIV. Feb 10 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The portfolio of trade finance contracts of the state-owned Ukrgasbank (Kyiv) in 2021 expanded to UAH 23 billion, which is 35% more than last year (UAH 17 billion), the bank's press service reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the growth of the portfolio is due to the support of trade finance contracts...
Gender Finance
Feb 08, 2022
An African gender-lens equity fund proves that traditional investors are leaving money on the table, because investing in women brings superior performance. Chika Russell left her home in Nigeria for the United Kingdom at the age of six. But those early years of family cooking and traditional recipes inspired her career, because she fell in love...
Data Analytics
Feb 07, 2022
The global trend of loan availability at one's fingertips is gaining grounds in Bangladesh, this time with Prime Bank preparing to launch PrimeAgrim app, an AI-based instant digital nano loan platform. Customers whose salaries are of a specific range can avail up to 30 per cent of that as a loan within a few seconds through the app, which makes...
Fintech
Jan 28, 2022
Washington D.C., January 28th, 2022- Ontology joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we were...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jan 18, 2022
Nairobi, Kenya (January 12, 2022) – 4G CAPITAL GROUP Limited (“4G CAPITAL”), a market leader in technology-driven financial inclusion in Kenya and Uganda, is honoured to receive a Real Leaders Impact Award yet again as we push on with our key role in bridging the finance gap to advance micro, small and medium businesses (MSMEs). Real Leaders is...
Financial Inclusion
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jan 13, 2022
Washington D.C., January 13, 2021 - Buffalo Commercial Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of...
Financial Inclusion
Sustainable Finance
Dec 21, 2021
Washington D.C., December 21, 2021 - Karandaaz joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we...
Fintech
Payments
Dec 20, 2021
London, 15th December 2021: Business finance marketplace Funding Options has joined forces with Wise to offer Wise Business, the business account for going global, in its marketplace to further expand its offering for SMEs as they recover from the pandemic. Wise, the global technology company building the best way to move and manage money across...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 17, 2021
The operation consists of a USD 35 million loan and a EURIZ portfolio guarantee of NGN 5 billion (EUR 10 million equivalent) to support First City Monument Bank Ltd (FCMB) strategy to serve high-impact SMEs and for climate finance. Proparco and FCMB have already had the opportunity to collaborate through two FMO-arranged operations in 2014 and...
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Dec 16, 2021
Medical Credit Fund, the only debt fund fully dedicated to African small and medium-sized health enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, today announced the completion of a EUR 32.5 million fundraise. With the launch of its second fund more healthcare providers can access loans to grow their businesses, purchase medical equipment, improve quality, and...
Dec 16, 2021
Dear Members, Partners, and Friends, As 2021 draws to an end, let me take this opportunity to thank you for your continued engagement and supports. 2021 has undoubtedly been another challenging year for all of us, including the MSMEs which we are trying to serve. We are proud that so many of our members reported, in our surveys and check-in calls...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Dec 13, 2021
The open competition will offer the opportunity to FinTech and RegTech innovators to showcase transformative solutions which are enhancing access, usage, and quality of formal financial services for low-income populations in developing countries and emerging markets. Finalists will be provided with a dedicated time slot during the second half of...
Non Financial Services
Covid-19
Dec 10, 2021
December 6th, 2021 - Successfully holding the Investree Conference (i-Con) for 2 (two) years with the main topics being the empowerment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and economic recovery through collaboration in the digital financial ecosystem. This year, fintech lending pioneer Investree will again hold i-Con 2021 with “Revitalizing...
Non Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Dec 09, 2021
Sameer Vakil (Co-Founder of GlobalLinker ) first met Syed Abdul Momen (DMD and Head of SME Banking at Brac Bank ), in Beijing at the 2016 SME Finance Forum Annual Event. That was the first time Sameer got the opportunity to introduce the GlobalLinker platform to Brac Bank. A more specific discussion followed in Amsterdam during the SMEFF Annual...
Fintech
Dec 08, 2021
Washington D.C., December 12 2021 - Yoda joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “The SME Finance Forum is a global...
Financial Education
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Dec 06, 2021
December 1, 2021 – Nairobi, Kenya: 4G CAPITAL GROUP Limited (“4G Capital”), a market leader in technology-driven financial inclusion for MSMEs across Kenya and Uganda, has partnered with the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (“CGAP”) on developing a new tool that identifies financial stress and helps protect low-income consumers against over-...
Oct 21, 2021
Washington D.C., October 21, 2021 — The 2021 Global SME Finance Forum Awards winners were announced today on during the virtual conference 2021 Global SME Finance Forum. To learn who the winners are, please visit https://www.smefinanceforum.org/awards-2021 Organized by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the SME Finance Forum and endorsed...
Guarantees
Sep 06, 2021
Credit Guarantees in MENA: Rebuilding SMEs post COVID - Virtual Event 5th International MENA Guarantee Conference 2021 – September 6 th to 7 th , 2021 - 2PM (Saudi Arabia) GMT+3 The COVID-19 pandemic hit Middle Eastern small business hard: survey data collected by the Rand Corporation during the first wave of the pandemic in June 2020 found that...
Sustainable Finance
Aug 23, 2021
Theme: Greening SME Finance Date: October 18 th to 21st Visit the event website here> www.globalsmefinanceforum.org/2021/ The Global SME Finance Forum is the largest, most technically in-depth, and geographically diverse conference on SME financing hosted around the world each year. Last year, as COVID-19 ushered the world unexpectedly, we...
Fintech
Jul 09, 2021
Innovation is crucial, especially in tumultuous times like these. Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) knows this very well – proof of that is Elevator Lab, the largest fintech and startup partnership in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), powered by RBI. This year, among a record number of submissions, the Elevator Lab made it to Global Finance’s...
Fintech
Jul 08, 2021
Washington D.C., July 8th, 2021 - C2FO , the largest global platform for working capital, today announced it is joining the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Members consist of SME Financing experts from over 80 countries, all of whom share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses...
Governance
Jul 05, 2021
Bahrain Development Bank joins the SME Finance Forum to promote the growth of SMEs in the Kingdom of Bahrain and boost the local economy. Washington D.C., July 5ht, 2021 - Bahrain Development Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share...
Financial Inclusion
Fintech
Jul 01, 2021
YSys joins the SME Finance Forum to provide sustainable FinTech and smart humanitarian solutions across regions. Washington D.C., July 1st, 2021. YSys joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance...
Jun 29, 2021
Washington D.C., June 29th, 2021- FintechOS , the global financial technology provider for banks, insurers and other financial services companies, joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to...
Jun 25, 2021
Last chance to finalize your Entries! The SME Finance Forum, organizer of Global SME Finance Awards, announced today that the Global SME Finance Awards 2021 deadline for has been extended to JULY 2nd! “As we look to recover from the impact of COVID-19, we are cognizant of the challenges posed to business and activities, therefore we decided to...
Jun 24, 2021
Washington D.C., June 24th, 2021 - Grupo CAPEM joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we...
Fintech
Jun 22, 2021
HACKFund Global FinTech joins the SME Finance Forum to bring Silicon Valley Capital Raising Tools to Global SMEs Washington D.C., June 22nd, 2021- HACKFund Global FinTech is the newest member of the SME Finance Forum. Members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to capital through knowledge...
Financial Inclusion
Jun 17, 2021
Washington D.C., June 17th, 2021 - Gojo joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “The SME Finance Forum is a global body...
SME Insurance
Jun 15, 2021
Washington D.C., June 15th, 2021 - SecureNow joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “The SME Finance Forum is a global...
Jun 01, 2021
The SME Finance Forum, organizer of Global SME Finance Awards, announced today that the final entry deadline for the Global SME Finance Awards 2021 has been extended to June 25th. “As we look to recover from the impact of COVID-19, we are cognizant of the challenges posed to business and activities, therefore we decided to extend the deadline to...
May 26, 2021
Washington D.C., May 26, 2021 - Banco Solidario joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we started in 2012, we...
Sustainable Finance
May 19, 2021
Global SME Finance Forum 2021 – Greening SME Finance – October 18 th to 21st As the governments around the world are wrestling to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its unprecedented impacts on people’s lives and the economies around the globe, this crisis also provides a unique opportunity to build a greener, more sustainable and more resilient...
Financial Inclusion
Sustainable Finance
May 04, 2021
Opportunity International joins the SME Finance Forum, which offers a new pathway to help more families who are living in poverty to build sustainable livelihoods and access quality education for their children. Washington D.C., May 4th, 2021 - Opportunity International joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership...
Apr 16, 2021
Global SME Finance Awards Deadline Extended to June 25 Welcome to the Fourth Annual Global SME Finance Awards! We look forward to hearing from financial intermediaries from across the spectrum and globe, as the need to learn from each other is even greater as we look to recover from the impact of Covid-19. We invite all types of financial...
Apr 16, 2021
Washington D.C., April 16th, 2021- BanQu joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and medium...
Apr 13, 2021
Washington D.C., April 13th 2021 - CAF – Development Bank of Latin America joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “...
Sustainable Finance
Apr 01, 2021
Washington D.C., April 1st, 2021 - Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 29, 2021
Washington D.C., 29 March 2021- We are pleased to announce that the International Trade Centre (ITC) is joining the SME Financing Forum. ITC , with Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations with responsibility for sustainable trade and enterprise development. ITC has a...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 25, 2021
Washington D.C., March 25th, 2021 - National Cash Transfer Co. (YCASH) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “When we...
Trade Finance
Mar 24, 2021
Washington D.C., March 24th- FIMBank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 01, 2021
10x1000 Tech for Inclusion is an open fintech learning platform sponsored by member Ant Financial Group and IFC that enables learners to become drivers of digital economic growth. Our mission is to train 1,000 emerging talents and tech leaders each year for the next ten years. Some quick highlights of 10x1000 online platform: A structured and...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Feb 26, 2021
BAI Global Innovation Awards, the financial service industry’s most prestigious awards program, has recently recognized UBX, the fintech spinoff and venture capital unit of Union Bank of the Philippines, for its high-impact innovation especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now on its tenth year, the BAI celebrates new and innovative solutions in...
Fintech
Feb 24, 2021
Member HPD Lendscape, a leading international secured lending platform vendor, today announces ambitious expansion plans for its global workforce, building on 12% growth in personnel in 2020. The recruitment drive follows sustained global demand for HPD Lendscape’s technology, with the company winning 35 new clients and increasing revenue by 36%...
Feb 16, 2021
Washington D.C., February 16th, 2020.- Zalgroup joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and...
Feb 16, 2021
2021 is a year full of new initiatives! At the SME Finance Forum, we are eager to introduce you to the largest community of SME practitioners and C-Suite leaders in SME Banking. We know that organizing events is a time-consuming task. However, sponsoring one of our events may be the easiest way to be present and be heard by your target audience...
Covid-19
Feb 08, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the beginning of 2020 brought a significant impact to the society and especially for Indonesian SMEs, which is said to be the backbone of the country’s economy. Looking at the important role of SMEs in Indonesia, Investree, as a pioneer in fintech lending which is now becoming into an integrated digital...
Equity
Gender Finance
Jan 28, 2021
The devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is amplifying existing inequalities, which may be felt for years to come. Entrepreneurship is no exception. Even before the pandemic, there was a stark gap between access to capital for female-led entrepreneurs and their male counterparts. It’s only gotten worse in the past year. A recent...
Digital Transformation
Payments
Jan 27, 2021
PPRO , the global provider of local payments infrastructure, is working with Banking Circle, the ground-breaking financial infrastructure provider, to enhance the PPRO service offering, supporting PSPs working with cross border e-commerce merchants. The partnership underlines the effectiveness of Banking Circle as a next-generation provider of...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 26, 2021
Unified registration mechanism to use movable property, rights as collateral China has established a unified national financing registration system that uses movable property and rights as pledges, which is expected to increase loans for small and medium-sized enterprises and improve the overall business environment. The unified system has been...
Gender Finance
Jan 26, 2021
First City Monument Bank, a foremost financial services provider in Nigeria, has continued her aggressive drive and support for the Small and Medium Enterprises sector in the country. The bank, which was recently voted as the Best SME Bank in Africa, thereby consolidating its position as the dominant financial institution in the segment, has made...
Guarantees
Jan 25, 2021
Triodos Fair Share Fund and Triodos Microfinance Fund have provided a EUR 5 million debt facility to Lovćen banka in Montenegro, which largely targets small and family businesses. Rosanna Sarkeyeva, Regional Manager for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia: “This transaction supports Lovćen banka’s strategy to increase its outreach to...
Financial Inclusion
Jan 20, 2021
Medical Credit Fund reached a disbursement milestone of $100 million in capital. As the only fund fully dedicated to the African health sector, its support has been critical for the continuation and improvement of care in many sub-Saharan regions, especially in the past crisis year. The Corona pandemic has put private facilities under increased...
Guarantees
Jan 19, 2021
Triodos Fair Share Fund and Triodos Microfinance Fund have provided a EUR 3 million debt facility to AraratBank, one of the leading financial institutions in the Armenian banking sector. This facility will enable AraratBank to further expand its outreach to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Rosanna Sarkeyeva, Regional Manager for Europe,...
Financial Inclusion
Jan 14, 2021
Fellow member Ant Financial has a very exciting program (cosponsored by IFC ) called 10x1000, intended to develop new fintech leaders for financial inclusion across emerging markets. The “ 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion Program ” is an open platform that encourages technology innovation and communication for future digital leaders. The program will...
Policy & Regulation
Jan 13, 2021
Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) joins the SME Finance Forum global network to enhance coordination with international institutions for more impactful interventions benefiting its member countries and the Muslim communities worldwide . Washington D.C., January 13th, 2021 - Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) , including ICIEC, IRTI, ISFD...
Fintech
Dec 18, 2020
Washington D.C. December 18th, 2020 - Business finance marketplace Funding Options has joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Small and mid-sized businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy and will play a pivotal role in driving economic recovery with access to capital central to that. As the UK adapts to a tiered system of...
Dec 17, 2020
Washington D.C., December 18th, 2020 - SunTrust Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 17, 2020
Washington D.C., December 17th, 2020 - We are excited to share that Investree joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in 2012...
Dec 08, 2020
Washington D.C., December 8th, 2020 - First Bank Nigeria Limited ( FirstBank ) joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 30, 2020
Washington D.C., November 30th, 2020 - We are pleased to welcome SMERA to the SME Finance Forum. Our global membership network consists of leading financial institutions, innovative financial technologies companies, and development finance institutions who come together to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of small and...
Islamic Banking
Nov 20, 2020
Washington D.C., November 20, 2020 - We are excited to share that the Islamic Corporation for the Development of The Private Sector ( ICD ), the private sector development arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group , has joined the SME Finance Forum (Forum) global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial...
Nov 03, 2020
Washington D.C., November 3rd, 2020- vcita joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and medium...
Nov 02, 2020
Washington D.C. 28 de octubre de 2020 . El Banco BHD León se unió a la red global de miembros del SME Finance Forum (Foro de Financiamiento para Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas, en español) para seguir apoyando a las pymes de República Dominicana. El Foro agrupa grandes empresas a nivel mundial con el propósito de promover servicios multibancarios...
Financial Education
Oct 24, 2020
Washington DC, October October 27th, 2020 — The SME Finance Forum announced the winners of the 2 020 Global SME Finance Forum Award s today during the Global SME Finance Forum 2020 Virtual Conference . Check the list of winners here> https://www.smefinanceforum.org/awards-2020 Organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) , a member...
Covid-19
Oct 24, 2020
SME Finance Forum presents the 2020 Global SME Finance Forum Virtual Conference on October 26-28, with more than 1800+ senior executives from commercial banks, development finance institutions, fintech companies, regulators, and featuring exhibition booths, fireside chats, fintech pitches, virtual tours, and much more. The Global SME Finance...
Digital Financial Services
Oct 23, 2020
Washington D.C., October 23rd, 2020 - We welcome Polymath Ventures to the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Our network consists of SME financing leaders from around the world who come together to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of small and underserved businesses. “At SME Finance Forum we are committed to...
Oct 19, 2020
Washington D.C., October 19th,2020 - We’re excited to share that BHD Leon joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in 2012, we...
Oct 16, 2020
Washington D.C., October 16, 2020- Beehive joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and medium...
Oct 01, 2020
Washington D.C., October 1st, 2020 - Banco Atlántida joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and...
Sep 29, 2020
Washington D.C., September 29th, 2020 - We welcome RootAnt to the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Our network consists of SME financing leaders from around the world who come together to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of small and underserved businesses. “At SME Finance Forum we are committed to helping small...
Covid-19
Sep 28, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage economies around the world, our member FSD Kenya is steering forward to measure the economic impact of the situation on low-income Kenyans and smaller businesses. As a significant institution in the region, their efforts play a pivotal role in helping the financial sector develop policies and solutions...
Sep 23, 2020
The SME Finance Forum's "Fireside Chat" is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector regulators. The series focuses on a wide range of critical issues that matter to development and growth of MSMEs around the world. The invited guests will share...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 21, 2020
On the 5th Anniversary of our network, we thank our founding members for their invaluable support SMEs play a pivotal role in building economies and supporting job creation and innovation – yet most struggle to get the financing they require to grow. This is why the G20 countries, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, decided to create...
Digital Transformation
Sep 18, 2020
Member Banking Circle announced on September 9th, 2020 that it is tackling the compliance and reconciliation issues often faced in global B2B payments with its new Payments on Behalf of (POBO) and Collections on Behalf of (COBO) solutions. Available globally through SWIFT, Faster Payments, CHAPS, SEPA and local clearing, the Banking Circle POBO...
Sep 17, 2020
Washington D.C., September 17th, 2020 - We welcome Rong360 Jianpu Technology (NYSE:JT) to the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Our network consists of SME financing leaders from around the world who come together to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of small and underserved businesses. “At SME Finance Forum we...
Sep 15, 2020
Washington D.C., September 15th - AfreximBank joins the SME Finance Forum as the 200th member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 190+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and medium...
Sep 14, 2020
Washington D.C., September 14th - We’re excited to share that MIB Network Limited , a subsidiary of Mobvista, joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 11, 2020
Washington D.C., September 11th, 2020 - We welcome TrueMoney to the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Our network consists of SME financing leaders from around the world who come together to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of small and underserved businesses. “At SME Finance Forum we are committed to helping...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 03, 2020
Washington D.C., September 3rd, 2020 - We’re excited to share that Prime Bank joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. We bring together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in 2012, we...
Aug 27, 2020
Washington D.C., August 27th, 2020 - We’re excited to share that AGFUND is the newest member of the SME Finance Forum. We bring together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 25, 2020
Washington D.C., August 25th, 2020 - We’re excited to share that HPD LendScape has joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in...
Covid-19
Digital Financial Services
Aug 19, 2020
We are thrilled to announce that the nomination committee of the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) , an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), chaired by Baybars Altuntas, has unanimously selected the SME Finance Forum CEO, Matt Gamser, to join the Executive Committee of the Ethical Governance...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 17, 2020
American Express today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of Kabbage , a leading financial technology company providing cash flow management solutions to small businesses in the U.S. The transaction represents an important step toward American Express’ goal of being an essential partner to small businesses...
Aug 10, 2020
Washington D.C., August 10th, 2020 - We’re excited to share that Salt Edge is the newest member of the SME Finance Forum. We bring together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Aug 04, 2020
Washington, D.C., August 4th, 2020 – Retail Capital became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Jul 31, 2020
Washington, D.C., July 31st, 2020 – FNB became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum , a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses worldwide...
Policy & Regulation
Jul 29, 2020
Each year, our member BDC (Canada’s Business Development Bank) submits its annual report to the Parliament of Canada. It outlines BDC’s activities and achievements and includes its Consolidated Financial Statements as well as messages from the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and from the President and CEO. Some numbers: 62,000 entrepreneurs...
Jul 28, 2020
Washington D.C., July 28th, 2020 - We’re excited to share that Lucy joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in 2012, we were...
Digital Financial Services
Jul 09, 2020
Washington D.C., July 9th, 2020 - We’re happy to announce that Baobab Group joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “At SME Finance Forum we...
Financial Education
Jul 07, 2020
Eight members of the SME Finance Forum won the IFC's 9th-Annual Trade Awards , which recognize the most successful partner banks that have been active under IFC’s Trade Finance Program in 2019. 47 winners were selected based on a competitive process amidst a total network of over 500 banks. “ We’re proud of the contributions our members make each...
Jul 06, 2020
2020 Global SME Finance Forum – First Ever Virtual Edition The Global SME Finance Forum Conference is the largest, most technically in-depth, and geographically diverse conference on SME financing hosted around the world each year. Our events attract over 700 leaders from commercial banks, development finance institutions, fintech companies, as...
Financial Education
Jul 01, 2020
Washington D.C., July 1st, 2020 - We’re excited to share that Funding Societies joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in...
![[Member News] PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses](https://smefinanceforum.org/sites/default/files/styles/720x486/public/PayPal-India-Expansion-Ecommerce.jpg?itok=7mHx0aw8 "[Member News] PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses")
Jun 17, 2020
Member PayPal Holdings Inc said on Thursday it was pledging $530 million to support black and minority-owned businesses in the United States and foster diversity, amid worldwide protests over racial injustice. $500 million will be devoted to the creation of an economic opportunity fund that will invest in black and under-represented minority...
Jun 08, 2020
Washington, D.C., June 8th, 2020 – Farmerline became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum , a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Covid-19
Jun 01, 2020
A group of more than 25 development finance institutions (DFIs) including IFC - International Finance Corporation is scaling up cooperation in response to COVID-19. They have committed to provide and mobilize billions of dollars of funding to help the private sector deliver critical healthcare supplies, ensure micro, small, and medium businesses...
Digital Financial Services
May 19, 2020
Washington, D.C., May 19th, 2020 – nanopay Corporation became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum , a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium...
Covid-19
May 07, 2020
Member Proparco and IFC have agreed to collaborate more closely to create markets, mobilize private sector investment, and support economic recovery in developing countries in the wake of the COVID-19 global crisis. The agreement addresses a full range of collaboration activities with an emphasis on three key areas. First, it details the approach...
Covid-19
May 01, 2020
Member CreditEnable launched the “We Move Forward” initiative designed to help SMEs keep their businesses safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Offering free financial health checks and access to working capital loans, CreditEnable plans to provide 600,000 SMEs with this free service over the next month. Speaking about the initiative, CreditEnable CEO...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 31, 2020
Washington, D.C., March 31th, 2020 – AB Bank Zambia became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Fintech
Mar 30, 2020
CRIF signs agreement for the acquisition of 100% of Strands Inc. to create a worldwide digital solutions provider for Open Banking business. Already partners for financial management solutions, both companies have invested in advanced Open Banking and Digital Economy solutions. The combination between Strands and CRIF will create a strong...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 27, 2020
Washington, D.C., March 27th, 2020 – SimpleCredit became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Mar 26, 2020
In the spirit of #stayathome for COVID-19 response, member CashDirector has developed a very simple and pragmatic solution for MSMs, based on their Platform. DocTransfer is a platform for customers to enable a remote, secure exchange of invoices and documents with their accountant. Business owners do not need to endanger their own or the...
Mar 17, 2020
Dear Members and Friends, We stand with our global community to support good public health practices and while we ourselves work remotely, per world bank group policy, we will continue to serve our membership through virtual means. We are still proceeding with the preparation for our annual conference and immersion programs, as planned. We are...
Mar 11, 2020
The SME Finance Forum is proud to announce the launch of the third annual competition of the Global SME Finance Awards 2020 , an initiative that recognizes financial institutions and Fintech companies for their outstanding achievements in serving SME clients with exceptional products and services. Endorsed by the G20 Global Partnership for...
Mar 11, 2020
Washington, D.C., March 12th, 2020 – FCMB Group , First City Monument Bank Limited, became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent...
Gender Finance
Mar 09, 2020
In 2019, the SME Finance Forum launched its second annual competition of the Global SME Finance Awards competition. The Global SME Finance Awards were created by IFC and the SME Finance Forum to celebrate the exceptional achievements of financial institutions and fintech companies in client delivery for SMEs. The awards are endorsed by the G20...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 04, 2020
Washington, D.C., March 5th, 2020 – Lidya became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses worldwide...
Digital Transformation
Mar 03, 2020
Washington, D.C., March 3rd, 2020 – Banking Circle has become the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Feb 25, 2020
Join us on on October 26-28, 2020 for our 2020 Global SME Finance Forum Conference , this year on our Virtual Edition . The theme of this year's Global SME Finance Forum is "SME Finance Outlook 2030" . To celebrate the new decade, we will look much further forward to imagine where we might be in SME financing a decade from now. Over 700 senior...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 25, 2020
Two SME Finance Forum Industry Partners, ACCIS (Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers), and FEBIS (Federation of Business Information Services), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a framework for co-operation to work on joint policy positions, outreach and joint promotions. Read more>
Digital Financial Services
Feb 20, 2020
Washington, D.C., February 20th, 2020 – WeBank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Feb 12, 2020
To celebrate the new decade, this year’s Global SME Finance Forum will look much farther forward, to imagine where we might be in SME financing a decade from now. We will test the limits of our prescience by predicting how products, delivery channels, institutions and enabling environments might look 10 years from now. Following our practice of...
Feb 10, 2020
Washington, D.C., February 10th, 2020 – FinDev Canada became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Financial Education
Feb 05, 2020
Queen’s University is offering its cutting-edge program on Financial Institutions for Private Enterprise Growth (FIPEG) for professionals who wish to learn about the latest innovations and strategies in the area of small and medium enterprise (SME) finance. Based on international best practices, this two-week program provides professionals with...
Digital Transformation
Feb 05, 2020
Washington, D.C., February 5rd, 2020 – Tyme Global became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 03, 2020
Member AlRaedah Finance and Geidea Solutions team up to provide POS financing across the Kingdom 31st January 2020 -- Riyadh -- AlRaedah Finance and Geidea Solutions today signed a collaboration agreement for providing Point of Sale (POS) financing to SME’s across the Kingdom. Representing AlRaedah Finance, Paul Melotto, AlRaedah CEO and Abdulaziz...
Digital Financial Services
Jan 29, 2020
The SME Finance Forum’s immersion visit to Wells Fargo , a member of the Forum, was successfully organized and held on January 22-23, 2020 in San Francisco, California with the participation of 12 representatives from seven institutions and five countries, namely BRAC Bank, Equity Bank, PhilipBank, PPCBank, Accion, Acremac, and Experian. I was...
Digital Financial Services
Jan 28, 2020
Washington, D.C., January 28th, 2020 – Fintech Group became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 13, 2020
Washington, D.C., January 13th, 2020 – Ipoteka Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 07, 2020
Washington, D.C., January 7th, 2020 – Creditinfo became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 06, 2020
Washington, D.C., January 6, 2020 – Phongsavanh Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 12, 2019
Washington, D.C., December 12th, 2019 – ACREMAC became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Nov 13, 2019
Washington, D.C., November 13, 2019 – Fractal Labs has joined the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small and medium businesses worldwide struggle...
Digital Transformation
Nov 12, 2019
The ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) announced today that Experian has joined its Strategic Advisory Council. AFIN is established by the ASEAN Bankers Association, the International Finance Corporation and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. AMTD Foundation and Mastercard are its Corporate Founding Members. About AFIN AFIN is a non-...
Guarantees
Nov 12, 2019
Washington, D.C., November 12th, 2019 – Fundo de Garantia de Crédito (FGC) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “40 percent of small...
Digital Financial Services
Nov 11, 2019
Member Standard Chartered has partnered with Sage to launch a cashflow solution with loan prequalification for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore, aimed to help them better anticipate and address funding needs. The solution, Sage CashView , combines cashflow reporting tools with a prequalification to apply for Standard...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 07, 2019
Washington, D.C., November 7th, 2019 – UBX became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 06, 2019
Washington, D.C., November 6th, 2019 – IFD became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 01, 2019
Washington, D.C., November 1st, 2019 – FSD Kenya became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Digital Financial Services
Oct 31, 2019
Member Bitbond, a Berlin-based Fintech company that leverages blockchain technology, announced that they successfully paid out Germany's first bond coupon on-chain by sending funds to their token holders' stellar accounts . Earlier this year they pioneered European debt capital markets by issuing Germany’s first compliant security token. Read more...
Policy & Regulation
Oct 31, 2019
Backed by Fintech Entrepreneurs and VCs, Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) Launches at Money20/20 Washington DC – Tuesday, October 29, 2019 – To help regulators embrace technology and integrate innovation into their organizational DNA, Jo Ann Barefoot, former Deputy Comptroller of the Currency, and David Ehrich, co-founder of fintech credit...
Digital Transformation
Oct 28, 2019
Eneo , a Cameroonian utility company, launched a prepaid service, a solution that “allows clients to tailor their consumption to their budget. The clients control their consumption thanks to an extended reloading offer available 24 hours a day". Eneo partnered with member Ecobank Cameroon , Orange Money, and AfrikPay, who are already operational...
Digital Transformation
Oct 28, 2019
Eneo , a Cameroonian utility company, launched a prepaid service, a solution that “allows clients to tailor their consumption to their budget. The clients control their consumption thanks to an extended reloading offer available 24 hours a day". Eneo partnered with member Ecobank Cameroon , Orange Money, and AfrikPay, who are already operational...
Gender Finance
Oct 23, 2019
Gender lens investing is on the rise, with bold initiatives such as the G7’s 2X Challenge led by development finance institutions (DFIs) which has committed to investing $3 billion in businesses that advance gender equality by December 2020. SME Finance Forum member CDC Group is among the DFIs that have signed up to the 2X Challenge and gender...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 21, 2019
Washington, D.C., October 21st, 2019 – Euler Hermes Digital Agency became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 16, 2019
Washington, D.C., October 16th, 2019 – The Development Bank of Rwanda became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Financial Education
Oct 08, 2019
Originally posted on IFC website . Amsterdam, October 8, 2019 —SME Finance Forum and IFC announced the winners of the second edition of the Global SME Finance Awards last night during the Global SME Finance Forum 2019, the annual flagship event of the SME Finance Forum. Sixteen award winners were selected from a global pool of 144 entrants for...
Financial Education
Oct 07, 2019
The Global SME Finance Forum 2019 welcomed over 650 attendees from more than 280 institutions in 75 countries. On the 5-year anniversary of the annual Forum, Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), delivered the keynote address. Read Queen's Máxima full...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 02, 2019
The Global SME Finance Forum 2019 is proud and honored to welcome the participation of H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). Since 2009, Queen Máxima has been working worldwide in her capacity as the UNSGSA to make financial services available to all,...
Gender Finance
Oct 01, 2019
Mastercard launched a global effort to pay garment factory workers digitally, a pivot the industry is making from traditional cash payroll to ensure workers receive their hard-earned wages securely and consistently. With industry partners including clothing giants Levi Strauss & Co ., Marks & Spencer and VF Corporation ; and global...
Financial Education
Sep 26, 2019
Members IDB Invest and Overseas Private Investment Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to invest a combined $3 billion in development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next five years, with the option of increasing the investment to $5 billion. IDB Invest and OPIC aim to match this investment by catalyzing...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 25, 2019
Member Mastercard and Rabobank announced a strategic partnership to give one million farmers in emerging markets access to a digital platform that makes it easier for them to sell their produce for a fair price. The platform builds on the current Mastercard Farmer Network and will be enriched by Rabobank’s expertise and reach in the food and...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 23, 2019
Kabbage founders raise $11M for Drum, an SMB marketplace for sourcing salespeople, goods and services. Two serial entrepreneurs who have already built one big startup catering to SMBs — loans platform Kabbage — are launching another effort to help fill that gap. Drum, billed as a marketplace for businesses both to source sales people and sell...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 23, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 23rd, 2019 – Infini became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Digital Transformation
Sep 20, 2019
BFA is about to conclude our FIBR (Financial Inclusion on Business Runways) Project, an innovative R&D initiative which sought to demonstrate how smartphones can accelerate and deepen financial inclusion in developing countries. When we launched the FIBR Project in 2015, we outlined a set of assumptions about how increased connectivity and...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 19, 2019
Buhle Goslar, the newly appointed CEO of JUMO, on how this South African fintech has to date raised over $100 million from investors and also managed to successfully expand into Asia. Read more here . Article via iAfrikan.com
Sep 18, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 18, 2019 – Virtusa became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “Two hundred million businesses worldwide need...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 17, 2019
DBS Bank is to offer multi-tier financing on a logistics blockchain platform named Rong-E Lian, to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China get faster access to trade financing. Article via Finextra.
Sep 16, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 16th, 2019 – Camko became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 13, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 13th, 2019 – Equity Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 13, 2019
Ecobank has partnered with Kazang Zambia to offer affordable banking services outside the normal business hours. Introducing the Ecobank Xpress Point in partnership with Kazang, the bank’s managing director for Zambia, Kola Adeleke, said the service will avail customers with convenient and efficient banking channels in their localities. Article...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 12, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 12th, 2019 – ESAF Small Finance Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 12, 2019
SoftBank-backed ride hailer Grab is in talks to merge OVO, an Indonesian digital payments firm in which it owns shares, with an Ant Financial-backed local peer to build heft and power ahead of archrival Gojek, people familiar with the matter said. Grab and Gojek are the top-two startup brands in Southeast Asia, valued at $14 billion and $10...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Sep 12, 2019
SME Finance Forum presents the Global SME Finance Forum 2019, taking place at Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on October 7-9th, attended by 500+ senior executives from commercial banks, development finance institutions, fintech companies, regulators, and featuring study visits, a B2B marketplace, fintech expos, and much more. Washington D.C.,...
Gender Finance
Sep 10, 2019
The Indian School of Business (ISB) and Goldman Sachs on Monday announced the launch of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Ambassadors Programme to help fuel the continued growth of India’s economy through the acceleration of women-owned businesses. Article via The Tribune India. Read more here .
Digital Financial Services
Sep 10, 2019
Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC), a division of Qatar Development Bank (QDB), is now accepting applications for the 13th wave of the centre's redesigned LeanStartup Programme (LSP). The LSP is one of the most successful programmes of its kind within the Mena region. By leveraging the 'lean-startup methodology, the trainers place significant...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Sep 09, 2019
Member CreditEase, a Beijing-based leading FinTech conglomerate in China, announced today that its CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF), participated in the recent $10 million Series A funding round of Railsbank, a London-based Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform that promises to give technology companies access to financial services using...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Sep 09, 2019
REGISTRATION OPEN NOW! Under the theme “The Convergence of the Real and Financial Sectors in SME Finance” , the Global SME Finance Forum 2019 will examine the different ways in which the real sector has entered the SME finance space, and the various ways in which financiers and regulators are coping with the “new kids on the block.” This year we...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 09, 2019
Bank lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea surged nearly 30 trillion won ($25 billion) over a year on new regulations aimed to increase funding for the smaller business sector and contain household loans. Market analysts attributed the surge in banks’ SME loans to the country’s new loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) rule,...
Digital Transformation
Sep 06, 2019
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is making another bet on a Latin American financial-technology startup, providing a secured credit facility of as much as $100 million to Mexico’s Konfio Ltd . The transaction will help Konfio, which provides unsecured working capital to small and midsize companies, lend about $250 million in the next 12 months, according...
Digital Transformation
Sep 06, 2019
Southeast Asian ride-hailing startup Grab Holdings Inc. intends to invest $150 million into artificial intelligence research over the next year, accelerating its expanding business that now includes food delivery, digital payments and digital content. News via Deal Street Asia
Digital Financial Services
Sep 06, 2019
In one of largest seed rounds in Mexico´s history, Fintech minu has raised $6.5 million from investors like Village Global as well as multiple angel investors. Village Global is the impact fund backed by big names like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. News via Crowdfundinsider .
Digital Financial Services
Sep 05, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 5th, 2019 – MIZA became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 05, 2019
FINCA Azerbaijan has opened new branches in Agdash and Barda regions on the same day within its network expansion plans. Agdash branch of FINCA Azerbaijan is located next to the building of Agdash executive authority. FINCA also organized the opening of another branch in Barda region. Country Director Timothy Tarrant mentioned in his speech: "...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 04, 2019
Member Kabbage — a fintech startup backed by SoftBank that has built a business around lending up to $250,000 to small and medium enterprises, using AI-based algorithms to help determine the terms of the loan —has acquired Radius Intelligence, the marketing technology firm that has built a database of information on some 20 million small and...
Financial Education
Sep 04, 2019
Washington, D.C., September 4th, 2019 – Proparco became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Digital Financial Services
Sep 03, 2019
According to a fintech holding company, Robocash Group , the popularity of “P2P lending” in Asia has grown tremendously. Robocash Group analysed search queries related to P2P lending using statistics on Google Trends and Google AdWords Article via Entrepreneur.com
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 03, 2019
Folk2Folk, a peer-to-peer lender for local, rural and SME businesses, has now surpassed £300 million in lending, according to a company release. Folk2Folk notes that it is the 3rd largest P2P Lender to UK businesses in terms of money lent. News via CrowdFundInsider.com #smefinance #smelending #p2p
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 30, 2019
John Brisco has an extensive background and experience in the FinTech space. Read more here !
Digital Financial Services
Aug 30, 2019
Robo.cash, a consumer lender that operates in several European countries as well as Southeast Asia, reports that interest in peer to peer lending in Eastern Europe is increasing. The online lender states that growing volumes of the East European market confirm the indicators as from 2015 to 2017 they increased by 153%. Robo.cash posits that the...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 29, 2019
Washington, D.C., August 29th, 2019 – Kabbage has joined the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to invest, grow and...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 29, 2019
Mexico-based fintech Credijusto, which offers asset-backed loans and equipment leases to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced today that it has raised a $42 million Series B financing round led by Goldman Sachs PSI. News via Reuters .
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 29, 2019
“Beyond the orthodox banking system, we need to help diversify the financing ecosystem in order to help SMEs obtain funds for growth purposes,”said Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng at the Securities Commission Malaysia on Monday. SMEs comprise about 98.5% of total business establishments in the country, and employ two-thirds of all workers...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 28, 2019
The program involves two free tools: a personalised energy advice service and a small business energy check online benchmarking tool. AlphaBeta and Xero developed the online benchmarking tool after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found remaining on a contract for an extended period significantly increased the risk that a...
Gender Finance
Aug 28, 2019
Vietnam, an emerging market in Southeast Asia is making progress in addressing the issue of gender equality. An International Finance Corporation (IFC) 2017 report on ‘Women-owned enterprises in Vietnam: Perceptions and Potential,’ showed that 57 percent of women-owned businesses in Vietnam are microenterprises, 42 percent are small-medium...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Aug 27, 2019
Payroll and HR services provider OnPay has partnered with Xero to bring a full suite of back-office services to Xero’s customers in the agricultural industry – and the accountants who work with them. Article via CPA Practice Advisor .
Gender Finance
Aug 26, 2019
The first private-sector “gender” bond in the Asia Pacific region to be issued by Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), with the support of IFC and the GoldmanSachs 10,000 Women initiative , to expand access to capital for women entrepreneurs globally. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and DEG (Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft) have...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 23, 2019
Tala , a Santa Monica-based provider of micro-loans to individuals in the emerging markets, announced a $110 million Series D raise led by RPS Ventures— a firm backed by SoftBank Group, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang, and Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai's Blue Pool Capital. Read more here . News via Fortune .
Digital Financial Services
Aug 23, 2019
MEKAR, an online platform for funding Indonesian MSME loans, was recognised as the Best P2P Platform in Indonesia at the Global Wealth and Society Awards 2019. MEKAR’s CEO Pandu Aditya Kristy received the award on behalf of the company in a glittering ceremony at the JW Marriott Hotel, Jakarta, yesterday (22/08/19). “As per Based on our impact in...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 22, 2019
China’s central bank will issue a three-year development plan for the country’s financial technology (fintech) sector, in a move to support the fast-growing industry while fending off risks. News via Reuters .
Fintech
Aug 22, 2019
A Zurich-based fintech firm whose investors include Josef Ackermann has raised additional money to value the company at more than $1 billion as it prepares to expand outside its main market of Germany. Numbrs Personal Finance raised $40 million to bring the total capital invested to almost $200 million, Chief Executive Officer Martin Saidler said...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 21, 2019
Standard Chartered Bank and SAP Ariba today announced a strategic collaboration to make the Bank’s financial supply chain solutions easily accessible to businesses in the Asia Pacific region through Ariba Network, the world’s largest digital business network connecting more than 4.2 million companies in 190 countries. News via Finextra
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 20, 2019
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is working with the Japanese government to develop a database that will measure the creditworthiness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. News via Manila Times .
Digital Transformation
Aug 20, 2019
Binance To Launch Regional “Libra-Like” Currency; Coinbase Left 3K User Passwords Unprotected. The company announced its plans to initiate an open blockchain project, Venus, an initiative to develop localized stablecoins and digital assets pegged to fiat currencies across the globe. News via Pymnts.com
Digital Financial Services
Aug 19, 2019
Revolut has also announced a partnership with small business cloud accounting company Xero, enabling joint customers to integrate expense data between the two platforms for seamless reconciliation in the UK. News via Pymnts .
Digital Financial Services
Aug 19, 2019
An increasing number of fintech startups are looking to fund small businesses in South Africa using online platforms and apps to service the massive demand for such finance. Know five of them in this article. News via Venture Burn .
Digital Transformation
Aug 16, 2019
As PayPal reaches saturation points in Western markets, it wants to continue to expand internationally, especially in India, where the country’s 450 million mobile users make it an attractive target for retailers. The Financial Times is reporting that PayPal launched a domestic business in India in 2017, which allows for local and global payments...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 16, 2019
Ridesharing giant DiDi Chuxing will expand its presence in the Chinese financial and fintech sectors with the launch of its own private bank in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, according to a report from Xinliu Caijing . First launched in 2012 in Beijing, DiDi has emerged as China’s leading ridesharing service following a merger with Kuaidi...
Trade Finance
Aug 16, 2019
Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank is a collaborative venture between AGTB Holdings Limited, a Rowland family-controlled company, and Mubadala Investment Company. It’s headquartered in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and facilitates trade between the Middle East, Asia, and the UK. AGTB partnered with Publicis Sapient and Microsoft to design a digital...
Fintech
Aug 15, 2019
Four fintechs have been awarded £40m between them to address the £10bn funding gap caused by the lack of small business finance in the UK. The £40m is part of a £775m programme funded by Royal Bank of Scotland as a condition of its bailout during the financial crisis.A total of £425m will be given in cash grants to rival business banks and...
Aug 13, 2019
Fintech firms in Latin America are having a moment with the equity investing titans of the world, and debt investors are taking note. Venture capital heavyweights including Softbank, Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital have boosted their equity investments in the region over the past six to 12 months, according to multiple industry sources...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 12, 2019
The mobile banking units of e-commerce giant Alibaba and internet conglomerate Tencent Holdings are changing the landscape of financial services in China, lending to more than 100 million people so far, including those in rural areas and microbusiness owners. Farmers and microbusinesses -- which employ no more than nine people -- that previously...
Guarantees
Aug 09, 2019
FinTech investments targeting B2B and corporate services, with particular concentration in SMB lending across India and Europe, totaled about $396 million in VC funding. News via Pymnts.
Digital Transformation
Aug 09, 2019
EnKash, a two year old card focused fintech startup, has announced the launch of Corporate Credit Card for SMEs/MSMEs and startup, called the Freedom card. The Freedom card would give the SME’s and startups the freedom to avail credit facility for immediate needs and to manage their financial liquidity. News via India Times
Digital Financial Services
Aug 08, 2019
Financial services giant Standard Chartered has successfully completed its first blockchain-based deep-tier supply chain financing transaction with China-based supply finance firm Linklogis . The financing was intended for upstream suppliers of Digital Guangdong, according to a press release . News via TokenPost.
Digital Financial Services
Aug 08, 2019
Raiffeisen Bank International has joined a funding round in business verification and KYC RegTech kompany. RBI is investing in kompany via its corporate venture capital unit Elevator Ventures. Kompany was one of the first participants in Elevator Lab;s fintech partnership programme. The programme helps scale-ups collaborate with leading bank...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 07, 2019
EBID and Fidelis Finance Strengthen their partnership with the signature of a € 6,100 million SMEs loans agreement. The President of the Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Mr. Bashir M. IFO and the CEO of Fidelis Finance Mr. Kouafilann A. Sory, signied a loan agreement of Xof 4,000 million. This convention is the fourth of its kind signed...
Guarantees
Aug 07, 2019
Australian challenger, Judo Bank , has completed the biggest single funding round in the country’s history by raising $400 million. StartupSmart reports that the finance – which is double Judo’s original target for the round – came from new institutional investors, including Bain Capital Credit and Tikehau Capital, along with existing investors...
Aug 07, 2019
One of the final steps required before the opening of the new U.S. International Development Finance Corporation is now complete. The administration has submitted a coordination report to Congress outlining how the new institution will work with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other government agencies. Read more on the link.
Aug 06, 2019
Washington, D.C., August 6th, 2019 – Alpha Bank Romania became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 06, 2019
With the purchase of the Denmark-based payments platform, Mastercard is picking up an electronic billing platform that offers clearing and instant payment services, according to a statement on August 6. Mastercard also confirmed that the purchase will take a bite out of its profits for up to two years after the deal closes, which is expected to...
Digital Financial Services
Aug 06, 2019
Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission is said to have issued it virtual banking licences to three consortiums, according to a report by Reuters. The licenses were granted to Line Financial Taiwan, Next Commercial Banking (led by local telco Chunghwa Telecom) and Rakuten International Commercial Bank.
Fintech
Aug 05, 2019
Investors backed three India-based FinTechs and one Singapore-based FinTech, all targeting small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with their solutions designed to expand access to capital. More than $75 million in fresh funding hit the B2B FinTech community. News via PYMNTS .
Gender Finance
Aug 05, 2019
IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, and Banistmo, a subsidiary of the Bancolombia Group, announce the issuance of the first social gender bond in Latin America, totaling $50 million with a five-year term. Banistmo issues the bond and IDB Invest structures it and buys 100 percent of it.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 05, 2019
Aspire, a Singapore-based startup that helps SMEs secure working capital , has raised $32.5 million in a new financing round to expand its presence in several Southeast Asian markets.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 02, 2019
Barclays Bank Ghana says it has lined up plans to become the country's number one lead financial enabler for business activities of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana when it transitions fully to Absa in 2020.
Gender Finance
Aug 01, 2019
Daniel Fah, the co-founder and chair of the Virangana Project, aims to connect disruptive Indian women entrepreneurs seeking to establish themselves in the startup economy with mentors, business services and potential investors in Australia. Questions were answered during a session that was part of the Future Asia Business Summit, which the City...
Aug 01, 2019
NextTech announces a total of US$10 million injected into Next100, a fund dedicated for backing early-stage startups. The main purpose that the fund aims is to provide coaching for startup founders so they can raise larger rounds of capital from other local and international investors as part of scale-up plans. News via e27: Asia tech news.
Digital Financial Services
Jul 31, 2019
FinTech startup Open is partnering with global payments tech leader Visa to offer better banking options for SMEs in India. The collaboration gives Open the power to co-create new products with Visa, like real-time payments and business credit cards for startups, the companies announced in a press release.
Digital Transformation
Jul 31, 2019
GSMA reports that investment in African fintechs nearly quadrupled in 2018 to $357 million, with startups in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa accounting for the largest share.
Jul 31, 2019
Responsability in ground breaking microfinance securitization: Impact investor responsAbility Investments AG sold a $175 million so-called microfinance collateralized loan obligation earlier this month with the help of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Digital Transformation
Jul 31, 2019
Dana, the fintech startup backed by Ant Financial in Indonesia, is scouting for another strategic investor to help it snag more of the nation’s 150 million smartphone users. Dana is one of several digital wallets outside of China that Ant’s backed, as the funds-to-finance titan tries to forge a global payments network.
Non Financial Services
Jul 30, 2019
Ecobank Nigeria said it has successfully removed over two million plastic bottles in exchange for cash from the streets of Lagos. The campaign which started in May targeted to remove at least four million PET bottles from the environment was part of the bank’s environmental sustainability campaign.
Digital Financial Services
Jul 30, 2019
Kakao and Naver have begun competing in the financial services sector as Naver plans to set up a new company, to evolve into a comprehensive financial company beyond offering simple payment and remittance services.
Digital Financial Services
Jul 30, 2019
Payoneer has partnered with PayTabs, a payment processing company, to offer customers, selling through their own websites, a payment gateway to seamlessly help receiving funds into Indian accounts.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 30, 2019
Washington, D.C., July 29th, 2019 – INBONIS RATING became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 30, 2019
ACCESS Bank Plc granted about N37 billion loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the immediate past business year as the commercial bank concludes arrangements to launch an innovative portal that allows customers to process their loan application online. The bank engaged more than 11,000 MSMEs customers in 2018 and has so far this year...
Digital Transformation
Jul 30, 2019
African telecom firm Africell plans to spend part of a $100 million U.S. credit line on expanding its infrastructure and fintech services. Africell founder and chief executive Ziad Dalloul told Reuters the money would help fund infrastructure investments for its operations in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia and Sierra Leone.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 29, 2019
Over the next five years, Mastercard and SumUp will bring electronic payment acceptance to several million small and medium-sized companies across Europe. This partnership is yet another significant step in displacing cash and driving financial inclusion for small European businesses and supporting their entry into the formal economy.
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 29, 2019
Using real-time payments data and a risk-management system that analyzes more than 3,000 variables, Ma’s four-year-old MYbank has lent 2 trillion yuan ($290 billion) to nearly 16 million small companies.
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 29, 2019
BDC supports 60,000 business owners across Canada. BDC highlights for 2018-19 include: $35 billion in capital committed to small and medium-sized businesses. This is up over 45% since 2015. Lent nearly $570 million to majority women-owned businesses . Opened up two of captive funds – IT and Health – to outside investors, which led to the creation...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 26, 2019
State-controlled Banque du Caire (Bank of Cairo) is earmarking $180.5 million (EGP3 billion) to support 800 small and mid-sized businesses across the country. The information was revealed by Nader Saad, the head of SME banking services division.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Jul 25, 2019
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd will allow small U.S. businesses to sell on Alibaba.com, the company said on Tuesday, as it seeks to tap into the business-to-business e-commerce market and fend off rivals like Amazon.com Inc.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Jul 23, 2019
SME Finance Forum member CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, has today announced its investment in Frontiir, the leading internet service provider in Myanmar. The investment will help fund Frontiir’s ambitious expansion throughout Myanmar, connecting over 2 million people to the internet. Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 23, 2019
IFC announced a 200 million Zambian Kwacha (approximately $15 million) loan to Stanbic Bank Zambia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Bank Group. The investment will help Stanbic Bank expand its lending to small and medium enterprises, with at least 25% of the loan earmarked for women-owned businesses in Zambia.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 23, 2019
The loan, which has a five-year maturity with a two-year grace period, marks the first proposal under the Bank’s new initiative to prop-up SMEs in Africa.
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Jul 23, 2019
Traditional players like Visa Inc are racing to create strategic commercial partnerships with rising and potential Fintech companies. Sunday Times’ Julius Bizimungu talked to Otto Williams, the Head of Partnerships, Fintech and Ventures at Visa to discuss the company’s position when it comes to financial technology and their latest work in Africa...
Financial Education
Jul 23, 2019
“The Dutch Alternative Finance market has reached a tipping point and is now widely being accepted as an added value to the SME financing landscape by companies, banks and policy makers. Because of the many different AltFin providers the biggest challenge in the next couple of years will be to educate financial advisors to find the most reliable...
Digital Transformation
Jul 22, 2019
Launched last week, the platform has been designed for MSMEs and self-employed customers to help them undertake their business banking transactions digitally. The app enables customers in the export trade to settle inward remittances with greater ease and convenience as opposed to previous processes.
Gender Finance
Jul 22, 2019
S’exprimant lors d’une conférence organisée conjointement par la CGEM et la SFI, membre du Groupe de la Banque mondiale, Qadiri a souligné que l’égalité des sexes contribuera à réduire les disparités hommes-femmes qui existent actuellement et à promouvoir la croissance de l’économie marocaine. Il a, de même, fait observer qu’il a été démontré que...
Digital Financial Services
Jul 18, 2019
The agreement will enable Unicaja to offer international payments and cash management services through Ebury’s global transaction banking platform to its 400,000 SME customers and 3 million retail customers. Using Ebury’s regulated and future-proofed capabilities, Unicaja will significantly enhance its offering, particularly to its SME customer-...
Digital Transformation
Jul 18, 2019
OneConnect announced their partnership with Union Bank’s wholly-owned fintech subsidiary UBX to build what they claim to be the country’s first blockchain enabled platform geared towards meeting the banking needs of MSMEs in the Philippines. According to their press release, the blockchain enabled platform will be operational by 2019 and will be...
Digital Financial Services
Jul 17, 2019
The expansion of the partnership between Mastercard and Zoho will benefit smes. According to Mastercard, small businesses around the world will have access to a comprehensive array of products and services. The goal of this initiative is to enable simpler business operations for SMBs globally. When fully integrated, businesses can run their...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jul 17, 2019
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry today announced that the Department of Energy will award 113 grants totaling $121 million to 103 small businesses in 29 states. Funded through DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, small businesses that demonstrated technical feasibility for...
Digital Transformation
Jul 15, 2019
Bitbond, a Fintech Lender and Security Token Issuer, Looks to Partner with Gibraltar Stock Exchange. Bitbond said the two companies are “in discussions regarding a future cooperation.” Recently, GSX announced it would list digital debt as well as derivatives, thus enabling what could become the largest sector of their business as debt markets are...
Financial Education
Jul 11, 2019
Member News: Access Bank, in partnership with She Leads Africa, has concluded the first phase of a Facebook programme aimed at empowering women in SMEs on how to leverage digital platforms to drive growth in their businesses. The training, aimed at scaling up the skills of small business owners to take advantage of the captive market on social...
Fintech
Jul 11, 2019
Member News: Ant Financial/MyBank, third in the ranking of the Top Chinese Internet Players as per China Internet Report 2019 just released. Read the full report https://lnkd.in/dV5bQZz
Jul 10, 2019
IFC will provide a $65 million loan to SME Finance Forum Member XacBank to support the expansion of access to finance for more than 44,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to create jobs and promote economic diversification in Mongolia. “Mongolia’s micro, small and medium sized enterprises now account for about 50 percent of the...
Jul 09, 2019
With 35 startups and platforms, payments is the most populated fintech segment. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is the second largest fintech segment in Vietnam with over 20 startups. Blockchain and cryptocurrency is another area mentioned in this article that witnessed significant traction in the past years. See the map in this article >>
Jul 09, 2019
Member Mastercard and ING Turkey have partnered to allow MSMEs to use their android smart phones as POS devices. In order to accept card payments through their mobile devices, merchants have to be ING customers and will need to download ING application.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 03, 2019
Astana International Financial Centre Authority (AIFCA) and Fidor Solutions today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch fintech programmes in Kazakhstan and promote economic development across Central Asia. This MoU was signed in Nur-Sultan, during the launch of the Fintech Summit of the Astana Finance Days. This MoU foresees AIFC...
Jul 03, 2019
According to a recent Mastercard study titled the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2018, 31.3% of businesses in Vietnam are owned by women. The figure places the nation sixth out of 53 surveyed economies, ahead most of Europe, the US, China and all other Asian nations (if we consider Russia part of Europe). Ghana tops the list worldwide at...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 27, 2019
Washington, D.C. June 26, 2019 – AlRaedah Finance became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 14, 2019
Kenya lags behind sub-Saharan Africa in credit provision to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), highlighting the funding challenges facing local entrepreneurs, a new report shows. The report, ‘The Mobile: Deeping Financial Inclusion But at a High Cost’ shows that the total credit as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) stands at...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Jun 12, 2019
Dropee, a Malaysian B2B eCommerce marketplace that digitises supply chain to better connect businesses, announced a partnership with Grab Financial in launching SME Business Financing. The initiative seeks to provide business financing to Dropee’s merchants and retailers who have successfully applied to procure inventories on Dropee’s B2B platform...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Jun 11, 2019
SME lending growth has resumed in recent years, and access to external finance for SMEs appears to have improved, particularly in advanced economies. The FSB (Financial Stability Board) has delivered a report to the G20 examining the effects of the post-crisis regulatory reforms on SME financing. The evaluation is part of a broader FSB examination...
Fintech
Jun 10, 2019
Warsaw (Poland), 06 June 2019 - On the 30th and 31st of May 2019, the Microfinance Centre (MFC) held its 22nd Annual Conference to explore the implications of the digital revolution on financial and social inclusion. The event welcomed 409 delegates to Istanbul (Turkey) representing EU bodies, MFIs, NGOs, investors and FinTechs from 46 countries...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Jun 07, 2019
Washington, D.C. June 4, 2019 – FMO Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million...
Non Financial Services
Jun 03, 2019
The members of the SME Finance Forum now have access to a member-only portal available through our main website! On that new space, members can explore exclusive content such as event proceedings, webinar write-ups, publications and blogs. The intranet is the perfect space to explore more in-depth all the knowledge products we have compiled for...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
May 29, 2019
Washington, D.C. May 28, 2019 – Banco BNI Europa became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Equity
Digital Transformation
May 21, 2019
Washington, D.C. May 21, 2019 – PME Investimentos became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
May 16, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, Ecobank Ghana, has unveiled Ecobank Pay - a multi-featured digital payment solution, to boost digital payment in the country. According to the bank, the product delivers a unified and instant self-service payment solution to more than 15,000 merchants – a product that allows anyone to buy a product or service without...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 14, 2019
Washington, D.C. May 14, 2019 – Medical Credit Fund (MCF) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 10, 2019
Mastercard is helping share the stories of the women across the U.S. who are contributing over $3 trillion to today’s economy and opening over eighteen hundred businesses every single day. Today the company announced the launch of a national advertising campaign that puts the spotlight on women business owners who are driving impact. Mastercard is...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
May 08, 2019
Nairobi/Singapore, 7 May 2019 - The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) today announced the inaugural Afro-Asia FinTech Festival , to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 to 16 July 2019. Jointly organised by the two central banks, the Festival – the first of its kind globally – will provide a platform for...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
May 08, 2019
Through the partnership with Khan Bank - a SME Finance Forum member, IFC aims to strengthen the capital base of the bank and to promote financing support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The financing package entails subscription to a five-year US dollar-denominated green bond of up to $30 million, and provision of five-year sub-...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 08, 2019
Washington, D.C. May 7, 2019 – Banco Amazonas became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 03, 2019
Washington, D.C. May 3, 2019 – GRAB Financial Services Asia (GRAB) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 29, 2019
As part of its strategy to expand across the African continent, 4G Capital is delighted to announce the opening of offices in Kampala and launch of award winning financial services designed to empower micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) across Uganda. 4G Capital has supported the sustainable growth of MSMEs in Kenya since 2013 by providing...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Financial Services
Apr 25, 2019
SME Finane Forum member Basware, the global leader in networked source-to-pay solutions, e-invoicing and innovative financing services, has further enhanced its industry-leading Analytics solution and can now provide actionable insights to manage KPIs and workloads in AP departments and financial shared service centers. With the updated version...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 23, 2019
Washington, D.C. April 23, 2019 – Shenzhen Zhongxin CredEx Fintech became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Apr 17, 2019
This year Money20/20 is helping you to navigate their epic Money20/20 Europe agenda with the introduction of their Money20/20 Stories – the five breaking trends they have identified that will be appearing across the agenda. If you’re thinking about how your company can deliver more meaningful innovation, you won’t want to miss this.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Apr 16, 2019
SME Finance Forum member Fidor has been recognised by Celent as a winner of a “Model Bank of the Year” for its novel marketplace, Efficient Scale. The award was presented at a formal awards ceremony during the annual Innovation and Insight Day in New York. Celent, the global research and advisory firm for the financial services industry, was...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 16, 2019
Washington, D.C. April 16, 2019 – Sathapana Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 15, 2019
IFC has announced a $100 million (Sh10 billion) subordinated loan to SME Finance Forum member Equity Bank Kenya to grow its lending operations Kenya. IFC’s loan facility will assist Equity Bank increase its capital base and expand its lending program to small and medium enterprises and climate finance operations that support renewable energy,...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 12, 2019
Caple, an alternative credit specialist and BTG Advisory are partnering to help SMEs obtain unsecured lending. According to the article, the loans Caple facilitates are part of BNP Paribas Asset Management’s SME Alternative Financing direct lending platform. BNP Paribas is a SME Finance Forum member. SMEs will benefit from unsecured debt finance...
Apr 10, 2019
SME Finance Forum member OPIC has provided a $5 million loan to BRAC Myanmar Microfinance Company Limited, also a member, to support lending to poor and underserved borrowers. “One of the most effective ways to empower the people of Myanmar is to help them access financial services so they can start and grow businesses, increase their earnings and...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Governance
Policy & Regulation
Apr 09, 2019
Washington, D.C. April 9, 2019 – Social Development Bank (SDB) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Apr 08, 2019
SME Finance Forum CEO, Matthew Gamser, recently explained why the G20 cares about financial inclusion (and has since its inception), and why SME access to finance always has been included in its work on inclusion. Gamser offered these insights at a plenary talk at the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) Ministerial Roundtable. "I spoke...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Apr 08, 2019
The Executive Directors of the World Bank today unanimously selected David R. Malpass as President of the World Bank Group for a five-year term beginning on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. The Board expressed its deep gratitude to Interim President Kristalina Georgieva for her dedication and leadership in recent months. The Executive Directors followed...
Alternative Financing
Guarantees
Apr 02, 2019
CreditEase, a SME Finance Forum member, announced that its direct investment arm, CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF), led the investment of Qupital's Series A capital raise of USD 15 million, with additional capital injections from the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and MindWorks Ventures following their initial investments in the seed round...
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Apr 02, 2019
Washington, D.C. April 2, 2019 – Advans Group became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Apr 01, 2019
Financial inclusion and its role in economic development was highlighted at the G20 meetings in 2017 and again in 2018. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been shown to account for the creation of significant numbers of new jobs, but an estimated two billion people around the world lack access to an account for even the most basic...
Policy & Regulation
Payments
Mar 27, 2019
Washington, D.C. March 26, 2019 – MadfooatCom became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Mar 26, 2019
March 25, 2019, London : The Board of 4G Capital announces the appointment of Lord David Currie, former chairman of the UK Competition and Markets Authority and current chair of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, as Non-Executive Director, with effect from 31 March. Lord Currie is a long standing government economic advisor and an advocate...
Non Financial Services
Islamic Banking
Governance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 21, 2019
In keeping up its momentum of providing immense opportunities to Qatari entrepreneurs, Qatar Development Bank (QDB), a SME Finance Forum member, successfully hosted the 4th edition of its Retirees Entrepreneurship Program ‘Khutwa’, which was organized in collaboration with the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority. The event was held...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 19, 2019
SME Finance Forum member Ecobank recently shared information about their Female Entrepreneurs Initiative. Managing Director Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan said, “Increasingly, we are seeing the change in the attitudes of women, and their economic viability as individuals and leaders in their fields. Their banking and financial services as a...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 19, 2019
Washington, D.C. March 19, 2019 – Q-Lana became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Mar 15, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, Spartan SME Finance, has secured a R100-million investment from The SA SME Fund to anchor its R600-million debt financing fund, with half of the investment or R50-million, to be channelled to black African owned businesses, Ventureburn reports. The funding will be immediately available to Spartan SME Finance to boost its...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Mar 14, 2019
Washington, D.C. March 13, 2019 – JUMO became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to invest...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Mar 11, 2019
SME Finance Forum member Grab, secures $1.46 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund. As Southeast Asia’s “leading super app” the company will use the funds to advance in areas such as, financial services, food delivery, parcel delivery, content and digital payments, according to the release. “We have been blessed with overwhelming shareholder support...
Non Financial Services
Mar 04, 2019
SME Finance Forum member Xero, will be providing Kiwi small businesses with crucial mental health support through a new pilot programme called XAP. XAP or the Xero Assistance Programme will be available free of charge through Xero’s global provider, Benestar, and initially offered to 5,000 small business owners, their employees and their families...
Equity
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Feb 27, 2019
Washington, D.C. February 26, 2019 – Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Feb 25, 2019
SME Finance Forum member Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, has provided initial financing to SunFunder’s $85 million Solar Energy Transformation Fund which supports businesses providing solar solutions to some of the millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa and India who lack...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Feb 25, 2019
SME Finance Forum member BRAC Bank won the “Most Innovative SME Bank” award from International Finance Publications Ltd. BRAC Bank’s head of SME banking, Syed Abdul Momen, formally received the award from Sunil Bhat, director, International Finance, at the International Finance Awards 2018, held at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Trade Finance
Governance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 21, 2019
SME Finance mMember, IDB Invest, the private sector institution of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group signed a loan of up to $29.25 million with Metrobank of Panama to increase financing to SMEs. The loan will improve the access of Panamanian SMEs to financial products and services. Furthermore, IDB Invest will facilitate a training...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Feb 21, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, Fidor, announced a new banking chatbot, designed in collaboration with Finn AI, the world’s leading AI-powered conversational banking technology provider. With this development, Fidor has distinguished themself as one of the first digital banking service providers to embed a virtual assistant within their technology stack...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 21, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, The EIB Group, is committing resources from the Baltic Innovation Fund, a Fund-of-Fund initiative launched with the Governments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in order to boost equity investments made into Baltic small and medium businesses with high growth potential. “We are pleased with the successful completion of...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Feb 21, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, Strands, launched a new generation of Engager, an implementation that transforms every interaction into a guided and meaningful conversation, transforming complex data into relevant customer insights and added-value solutions in real time. Engager 2.0. offers a novel way to engage with users on a new level –benefiting...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Feb 21, 2019
SME Finance Forum CEO, Matthew Gamser, moderated a panel at Finovate Europe 2019 called "The 20/20 Hindsight Sessions: Routes to digitisation and transformation, from technical and cultural standpoints." The discussion was about translating strategy into results, putting new systems into place, shifting company culture, and the various roadblocks...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Feb 13, 2019
Washington, D.C. February 12, 2019 – CashDirector became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 12, 2019
Reports say the IFC is offering technical advisory services to Equity Bank, an SME Finance Forum member, with the aim of helping the lender to better serve its base of small and medium-sized (SME) customers. “This is a banking advisory services project with Equity Bank Kenya Ltd and is designed to increase Equity Bank efficiency to serve its SME...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 05, 2019
Washington, D.C. February 5, 2019 – Ukrgasbank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Transformation
Jan 29, 2019
Washington, D.C. January 29, 2019 – 4G Capital became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Fintech
Jan 28, 2019
Proshare shared results of the Development Bank of Nigeria, that hosted a year-to-date business presentation on its activities since inception. Those results include N31.364bn Spent in 2018 on MSMEs and 35,000 MSMEs End-Borrowers Benefitted in 2018, among other accomplishments. Established in 2017 the Development Bank of Nigeria is regulated by...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Jan 24, 2019
Washington, D.C. January 24, 2019 – BASIX – Sub-K (Sub-K) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 22, 2019
CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, has announced a new investment designed to support high-growth SMEs in Nigeria. CDC has made a US$15 million commitment to CardinalStone Capital Advisors Growth Fund (“CCA”). CCA is a first-time, Nigeria-focused fund that targets SMEs across six sectors: agriculture, industrials, FMCG, healthcare,...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 17, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, The European Investment Bank (EIB), is lending EUR 22.3m to Garanti Bank Romania to support businesses in Romania. EUR 5m of the loan amount is devoted to female entrepreneurs, matched by another EUR 5m from Garanti Bank. This transaction is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the financial...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 17, 2019
SME Finance Forum member The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an agency of the U.S. government that facilitates investment by U.S.-based firms in developing countries, recently loaned Banco Regional SAECA USD $138 million for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in Paraguay. A portion of the loan proceeds are intended to...
Guarantees
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 16, 2019
Washington, D.C. January 29, 2019 – Morocco Credit Guarantee Corporation (CCG) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 10, 2019
Washington, D.C. January 8, 2019 – Nova Credit Limited (Nova Credit) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 07, 2019
Aiming to further support the development of the real economy, optimize the liquidity structure and lower financing costs, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) has decided to lower the required reserve ratio for financial institutions by 1 percentage point, 0.5 percentage point of which will be cut on January 15, 2019 and a further 0.5 percentage...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Jan 02, 2019
SME Finance Forum member, the European Investment Bank (EIB), signed a new loan with the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation “to further boost female economic inclusion and empowerment across the country.” Accordingly, the EIB will provide a €30 million long term loan to the Ethiopia Women Entrepreneurship Development Project (...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Dec 26, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Gulf African Bank has signed a deal to finance women in the mining industry. The lender is partnering with the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives Kenya (AWEIK). Under the partnership, women who are interested in supplying items to mining industry players will submit their invoices to the mining, oil and gas...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 19, 2018
Washington, D.C. December 18, 2018 – Federación de Cajas de Crédito y de Bancos de Los Trabajadores (Fedecrédito) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Dec 12, 2018
Washington, D.C. December 11, 2018 – United Commercial Bank (UCB) Limited became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 11, 2018
SME Finance Forum member CreditEase Wealth Management received the Best Social Impact Project in Wealth and Society in China award at The Global Wealth and Society Awards 2018. The London-based Global Wealth and Society Awards Programme seeks to recognize high and ultra-high net-worth individuals who use their wealth to bring about positive...
Alternative Financing
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Governance
Fintech
Payments
Dec 05, 2018
Washington, D.C. December 3, 2018 – JD Finance became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 03, 2018
SME Finance Forum member MEKAR, has been listed by KPMG as one of the top 10 lenders changing market. MEKAR was the earliest of P2P lenders in Indonesia. MEKAR, though maybe not the largest total volume of loans, is unique in serving the small “unbanked” businesses in the farthest parts of Indonesia. It has some of the safest loans, and probably...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Nov 30, 2018
Fidor birthed its APIX platform, the first cross border sandbox and marketplace for fintechs and banks at the Singapore Fintech Festival. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the APIX platform during his keynote speech. APIX is an initiative by AFIN represented by IFC/ World Bank (International Finance Corporation), MAS (Monetary...
Non Financial Services
Governance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 29, 2018
Business Insider asked Forbes 30 Under 30 finance superstars to share their best career advice for young professionals. Loek Janssen, 29, cofounder and CTO of Nova Credit - a SME Finance Forum member - started for a Stanford graduate research project. It's gained rapid adoption since then. Now, the startup has raised $20 million to-date and is...
Financial Education
Payments
Nov 28, 2018
Washington, D.C. November 27, 2018 – HCM Capital (HCM) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Nov 26, 2018
WEConnect International, a global network of corporations committed to sourcing goods and services from women suppliers, signed an agreement to boost access to markets for women-owned small and medium enterprises in emerging markets. The agreement is IFC’s first active partnership supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative , or We-Fi...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Nov 21, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, European Investment Bank (EIB) loaned Belarusian Belagroprombank a €50 million loan to expand SMEs. Funds will be offered to SMEs that employ up to 250 people with the state share in their charter capital of at most 25 percent, according to the article. “We intend to offer loans to our clients for up to six years, with...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 21, 2018
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group is increasing access to SME finance in Lao PDR by fostering a business enabling environment and developing market solutions for serving SMEs. According to the release, SMEs make up 99 percent of total enterprises and over 80 percent of the workforce, however they are confronted with a financing gap of $1.2...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Nov 21, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Diamond Bank was awarded the Women’s Market Champion award from the Global Banking Alliance for Women. Diamond Bank was chosen for its outstanding impact on women development and for providing them with holistic solutions that meet their needs, according to the article. “This award lends credence to the work that Diamond...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 21, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Diamond Bank’s Head of Emerging Business Ayo Olojede, sits down with CNBC Africa to discuss the challenges SMEs face and how the SME Clinics in Nigeria are providing services to solve these issues. The most prominent issue SMEs are facing is access to finance, according to Olojede. There are challenges around interest...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 16, 2018
Washington, D.C. November 13, 2018 – Trefi became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 15, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) launched the ‘SME Definition’ in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in addition to a SportsTech Accelerator in the Middle East and Africa region. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and QDB worked together to provide a cohesive definition for SMEs. According to the...
Fintech
Payments
Nov 15, 2018
SME Finance Forum member DBS is working with Go-Jek to launch an app in the coming weeks focused on payment services. According to the article, DBS customers in Singapore will benefit from the upcoming beta-ride hailing services. “As Singapore’s leader in payments with over four million debit and credit cards in circulation and ‘DBS PayLah!’ being...
Guarantees
Payments
Nov 15, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) launched DBS MAX, a mobile-based QR code payment tool that allows SMEs to receive payments from consumers and business partners. According the article, the tool was created to encourage the implementation of ePayments among SMEs and solve SME-related issues managing cash flow and...
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
Nov 11, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) will work through its “investment arm” IDB Invest to target the private sector. According to the article, IDB will focus on tourism, agribusiness, renewable energy and general manufacturing with a goal of bringing in US$3.5 billion in direct private sector capital. “The IDB Group...
Guarantees
Policy & Regulation
Nov 08, 2018
The Finance Industry of Ukraine plans to introduce an exit capital tax for SMEs with an annual income of up to UAH 200 million. According to the article, replacing the profit tax by the exit capital tax for SMEs meeting the above criteria, is a way to cut the budget loss. With the support of the World Bank, the exit tax capital will avoid a threat...
Financial Education
Governance
Fintech
Nov 06, 2018
Washington, D.C. November 6, 2018 – Accion became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 06, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) impacted 298 Qatari SMEs by the disbursement of QR1.6bn from QDB through Al Dhameen. Al Dhameen, is an indirect loan facility programme that aims to motivate banks to offer financing to startups and SMEs that are unable to provide the necessary financing guarantees or collaterals, according to...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Nov 05, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, 4G Capital joins the Centre for Financial Inclusion’s Smart Campaign to define global standards for client protection across the digital financial services industry. According to the article, the Smart Campaign, creates an environment in which financial services are delivered safely and responsibly to low-income customers...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 01, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Brac Bank offers agent banking with plans to recruit 5,000 agents in the next five years. The idea was introduced 20-25 years ago, according to the article, however the service did not begin until five years ago. Customers who live in remote areas will now be able to access around the clock services at the agent banking...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Oct 31, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, DBS launched Startup Xchange, a new business-matching programme for startups. The programme will support DBS, and their corporate and SME clients find solutions for their business by utilizing expert startups. According to the article, the initiative aims to reverse the downward trend happening with accelerator programmes...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 31, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Diamond Bank released its Q3 financial report, which revealed their disbursement of N1 billion to small business owners under the lending scheme partnership with Women’s World Banking. Diamond Bank remains one of the leading retail banks in Nigeria. According to the article, Diamond Bank is among the first five SME...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 28, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, European Investment Bank (EIB) will supply €100 million loan to Crédito Agrícola (CA) to support access to credit for SMEs in Portugal. A total of €200 million will be available for SMEs due to CA matching EIB’s funds of €100 million. According to the release, EIB will finance up to 100 percent of the total project cost...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Oct 28, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, African Development Bank (AfDB) will provide US $100 million in loans to SA Taxi Development Finance Limited, a minibus taxi systems that supplies 69 percent of public transportation trips in South Africa. According to the article, the funds will provide support towards the cCompany’s goals and initiatives along with...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 28, 2018
NAV a key fintech investments of SME Finance Forum member CreditEase has entered into a multi-year partnership with Clover, to provide free business credit scores, custom-tailored business financing and credit card options to U.S. based Clover users. According to the article, this partnership will provide 75,000 Clover customers to: View Experian...
Financial Education
Oct 28, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will invest US $50 million a year towards, tourism, infrastructure, transportation, ports, roads, as well as in the financial sector projects in Jamaica. The investment is through IDB’s invest arm, according to the article, IDB Invest. “This latest expanded financial framework from...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 28, 2018
SME Finance Forum member European Investment Bank signed a €50 million loan agreement with the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) to finance SME projects in the areas of, exports, tourism, agriculture and processing of agricultural products. “The projects will push the local business towards competitive and sustainable development, at the same time...
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 24, 2018
SME Finance Forum member African Development Bank (AfDB) provided a $50 million credit to Fidelity Bank Plc. to support SMEs, with a minimum of 30 percent of the credit going towards women-owned enterprises in Nigeria. According to the article, the credit will benefit SMEs in manufacturing, health and education sectors. The loan is expected to...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Oct 23, 2018
Washington, D.C. October 23, 2018 – Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Oct 22, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, BBVA launched a full suite of Banking as a Service (BaaS) products in the U.S. through its open platform initiative. According to the article, the initiative enables third parties to integrate payments and complementary banking services into their own business models to create ideal user experiences. “The past six months...
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 22, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Diamond Bank is helping women plan for the future with its BETA savings account. According to the article, providing access to financial services can improve a women’s earning potential, depart from poverty and reduce inequality worldwide. Almost one billion women around the world, don’t have access to savings, credit or...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Oct 18, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Mastercard collaborated with cloud solution provider Zoho, to provide ‘SME in a Box.’ The solution provides easier payments, manage GST compliance and back-office operations. According to the article, the new solution will allow 73 million SMEs in the country to receive or make payments through all digital forms including...
Non Financial Services
Fintech
Oct 18, 2018
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank and SME Finance Forum member, Ant Financial Services Group (Ant Financial), operator of Alipay, have collaborated to offer 10X1000 Tech for Inclusion Programme. The initiative is aimed to increase support for tech leaders working to eliminate poverty and provide basic...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Oct 17, 2018
Washington, D.C. October 16, 2018 – The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Fintech
Oct 16, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Funding Circle partnered with top fintech reporting and analytics platform, dv01. According to the article, the partnership will allow institutional investors who use dv01 to conduct analysis on marketplace lending and mortgage loans and bonds to access Funding Circle's US SME loan performance data on dv01. Investors will...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Oct 11, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, European Investment Bank, signed four separate loan agreements totaling in €400 million that will benefit several projects. The loans are a part of the ‘Junker Plan’; one agreement worth €25 million will benefit Budapest Bank’s efforts towards increasing lending to Hungarian SMEs. “We are also pleased to sign the first...
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Oct 09, 2018
Under the new initiative, ‘Digital2Equal’ led by IFC, a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group, seventeen leading tech companies have joined together to support this initiative focused on increasing opportunities for women. The companies participating include: Airbnb, Inc., Google LLC, LinkedIn, Didi Chuxing...
Equity
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Oct 05, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has collaborated with the and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group to launch the first gender-focused fund for Latin America and the Caribbean. The investment, ‘Fund Mujer’ is for up to $200 million and will be made up of 30 percent debt and 70 percent equity,...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Oct 05, 2018
SME Finance Forum member DBS, is encouraging customers to use a newly launched mobile banking platform, PayFast, which is supported by Faster Payments System (FPS). The system allows customers to take on transactions instantly and around the clock. Customers are able to utilize phone numbers and email addresses to move funds without transaction...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Oct 05, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, European Investment Fund (EIF) and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) will support Polish SMEs with 525 million zloty (around 125 million euros) of loans over the next three years, according to the article. The new agreement will benefit almost 3,000 SMEs in the creative and cultural sectors. According to the article,...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Oct 02, 2018
Washington, D.C. October 9, 2018 – Access to Finance Rwanda became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 02, 2018
The Asean Financial Innovation Network (Afin) has launched API Exchange, a cross-border marketplace and sandbox for financial institutions and fintech firms to work together on financial inclusion projects. The organisation has put together a consortium led by IT firm Virtusa, and which includes German digital bank Fidor, which is a SME Finance...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Sep 27, 2018
The Global SME Finance Forum 2018 will explore how innovation in technology, regulation and partnerships can help overcome various informality problems, and open up a far larger market for profitable, sustainable, responsible financial services. The TechPitch will be held in the afternoon of November 6, and will provide an opportunity for...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Sep 27, 2018
The Global SME Finance Forum 2018 will explore how innovation in technology, regulation and partnerships can help overcome various informality problems, and open up a far larger market for profitable, sustainable, responsible financial services. The Marketplace, an exclusive opportunity for B2B introductory meetings, had over 100 participants at...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Sep 27, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Standard Chartered Bank is providing customers with a card-less withdrawal function at ATMs. According to the article, the bank spent over Sh200 million to upgrade its entire ATM network converting the machines to advanced Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs). According to David Idoru, Head of Retail Banking, a customer will be...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 26, 2018
Washington, D.C. September 25, 2018 – Shanghai Zhaoxi Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Zhaoxi) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Trade Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 26, 2018
Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) will receive $100 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to help export and import activity and on-lending for SMEs. According to the article, a $50-million credit line will support medium-term funding for SMEs and provide regional outreach. In addition, the funds will...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Sep 25, 2018
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will support SMEs in Serbia with a $20 million line to Addiko Bank. According to the article, SMEs account for over half of Serbia’s economic activity and supporting them is key. The funds will help to improve the competitiveness of Serbian SMEs by providing access to modern technology...
Financial Education
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
Sep 24, 2018
IFC expanded its investment commitments to throughout Europe and Central Asia with $2.9 billion in investments commitments to help promote access to finance for SMEs. European investments included: $336.4 million to Romania, $190.5 million to Serbia and $129.1 million to Ukraine. According to the article, funds went to benefit the agribusiness...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Sep 19, 2018
The funds backed by World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) will go towards supporting Highland Capital’s efforts towards increasing access to finance for SMEs in the Kyrgyzstan. Key areas include services, healthcare, education and media, according to the article. With a goal of raising $30 million, Highland Capital has raised $15...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Sep 19, 2018
Tyro is able to offer flexible, same-day settlement and payroll integration to benefit Australian SMEs, due to SME Finance Forum member Xero’s accounting software. Tyro has deleted an extra step of separately processing payroll, instead merchants can submit their information directly through Xero, which is linked to a Tyro Smart Account, according...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 19, 2018
In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, regional CEO of Africa and the Middle East for Standard Chartered Bank, Sunil Kaushal shared his plans and partnerships with India and UAE. Kaushal shared,“Mmy vision is to build up a business which delivers a solid result and generates the right returns for all our stakeholders – but on a sustainable...
Sustainable Finance
Sep 19, 2018
SME Finance Forum member the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an agreement to provide DLL Financial Solutions with €100 million to support Dutch and Belgian SMEs. Over 200 businesses will be able to benefit from lower interest rates due to the funds that will be split from Belgium and the Netherlands, according to the article. Werner Hoyer,...
Sep 17, 2018
Asia’s fintech scene is poised to get a little larger after Jumo, a company that offers loans to the unbanked in Africa, revealed plans to expand into the continent. To get the ball rolling, Jumo has opened an office in Singapore to lead the way and landed a massive $52 million investment led by banking giant Goldman Sachs to fuel the growth...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Sep 17, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) approved approximately $895 million in financing and political risk insurance that will benefit Africa, Asia and Latin America in energy, healthcare, housing and financial services, according to a release by OPIC. The funds will contribute to the following OPIC...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Sep 14, 2018
Itaú Unibanco will provide a online course entitled, “Plano de crescimento: como transformar negócios em sucesso,” (Growth plan: how to turn business into success) to support women entrepreneurs. In partnership with the IFC and EDUK, a widely known learning platform in Brazil, Itaú Unibanco will develop and provide the course for free, according...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 14, 2018
A business forum in Lagos, conducted by Centre for Research in Enterprise and Action in Management (CREM) examined the journey of SME funding in Nigeria. Noel Ihebuzor, Phd, Dean of CREM shared the factors inhibiting SMEs from receiving funds to grow. They include: Unfavourable government policy Improper implementation Accessibility obstacles...
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 14, 2018
According to the Global Findex, India has improved financial inclusion; it’s reported that 80 percent of adults in 2017, have bank accounts and women owning accounts have increased by 30 percent. The Findex and the 2018 Financial Inclusion Insights (FII), show the Jan Dhan Yojana scheme (PMJDY) has contributed to helping the unbanked reach account...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Sep 11, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Mastercard and South India Bank will together launch ‘Merchant in a Box’ an integrated card accepting kit for merchants and SMEs. The kit includes a branded business debit card and the Bharat QR service, along with instant access to bank accounts and the acceptance of digital payments, according to the article. Rajeev...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 06, 2018
Washington, D.C., September 4, 2018 – Spartan became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Gender Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 30, 2018
A law was proposed by Tunisia’s President, Beji Caid Essebsi, that equal inheritance be available for men and women. Tunisia would be the first country in the Arab world, according to the article to implement equal inheritance, which would result in financial inclusion for Tunisia women. Right now, “The inheritance law is a significant barrier for...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 28, 2018
Washington, D.C., August 28, 2018 – CFPA Microfinance (CFPA MF) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 28, 2018
In an effort to lower the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to around 10 percent, the state-owned SME Development Bank of Thailand will remove 10 billion baht worth of bad loans. Currently, the bank stands at 16-17 percent in outstanding loans. In addition, the bank is lowering their NPL ratio to prepare for the International Financial Reporting...
Policy & Regulation
Payments
Aug 27, 2018
The SME Association of Malaysia states, funding, digitization knowledge and lack of manpower are negatively affecting rural SMEs aiming to implement digitization. Datuk Michael Kang Hua Keong, national president of the Association believes the government can do more to help SMEs. “The government can also assist SMEs in providing lower cost in e-...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 24, 2018
A packaged financial solution, launched by Co-operative (Co-op) Bank of Kenya, will go towards supporting MSMEs. Co-op Bank of Kenya has worked with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) over the past year, to understand the inner-workings of the MSME business segment to improve MSMEs. Co-op Bank will offer training programs, forums and...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Aug 24, 2018
The Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, the Honourable Minister Ng, met with business owners in British Columbia to learn about the trials and triumphs encountered by SMEs when doing business. While there, Minister Ng announced she will provide $3.5 million in funding to support British SMEs through the Canada Summer Jobs Program...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 23, 2018
The 99 Percent campaign is back to help SMEs go digital. The campaign, launched by DBS, a SME Finance Forum member, and Singtel will help strengthen SMEs online presence. In addition to digital support there will be a new business-to-business (B2B) marketplace available for SMEs, which is set to launch at the end of 2018, with the help of DBS...
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Aug 23, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, FINCA International will help social enterprises by providing patient capital, and pre and post investment support through its program, FINCA Ventures. The impact investing platform is focused on financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked. Ami Dalal, Vice President and Managing Director for FINCA Ventures shared...
Financial Education
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
Aug 21, 2018
IFC will provide $55 million to BIND Banco Industrial to increase the bank’s lending to SMEs in Argentina. The funds will allow BIND to offer SMEs longer-term financing options. According to the article, even though SMEs are essential to job creation and growth, “more than 70 percent of Argentina’s SMEs have difficulties accessing financing.” “...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
Aug 14, 2018
Washington, D.C., August 14, 2018 – Basware became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Aug 14, 2018
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth is using technology to help entrepreneurs grow their business. Micro-entrepreneurs are excluded from the traditional financial system due to their cash-based transaction system and are unable to build trust among financial institutions. According to the article, “As of 2017, 70 percent of women-owned...
Non Financial Services
Digital Financial Services
Aug 10, 2018
The Common Wealth Bank of Australia (CBA) teams up with Amazon, Google, Salesforce, Mastercard, Phoria and UsTwo, to provide a program that encourages the use of digital technologies. The program aimed at SMEs in Victoria is geared toward helping them embrace innovation. The announcement was revealed at the Small Business Festival, where CBA is...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Aug 07, 2018
Washington, D.C., August 7, 2018 – DBS became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to invest...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 03, 2018
The Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) now has the highest mobile phone loan, allowing their customers to borrow Sh3 million digitally. The Loop platform, received an upgrade and now allows customers to apply for loans. With default rates at less than ten percent, bank execs are more trusting to move in the direction of the mobile money movement.The...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Aug 02, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a financing agreement worth €375 million with the National Bank of Egypt to fund SME investments. According to a release by EIB, the agreement is in line with the Economic Resilience Initiative, which promotes financial inclusion and the creation of sustainable employment...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Aug 02, 2018
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending its reach, offering women-led SMEs in Morocco financial literacy, marketing, leadership skills and e-commerce through their Women in Business Programme. According to the article, the program funded by the EU Initiative for Financial Inclusion has a goal to impact 200,000...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Payments
Jul 31, 2018
Thinking of starting your own business? An interactive game allows for new business owners to test the waters by creating their own business in a virtual world. “Every year SMEs are constrained through a combination of external pressures, lack of business experience and commercial acumen,” shared Hon. Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Jul 25, 2018
SME Finance Forum member The European Investment Fund (EIF) signed the first InnovFin SME Guarantee Facility agreement in Montenegro with Erste Bank AD Podgorica to support innovative SMEs. The InnovFin Agreement will protect 50 percent of each loan distributed by Erste Bank and is expected to trigger a total loan portfolio of up to €30 million. “...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 25, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) (the investment side of BNP Paribas) will offer investors access to the lending market for UK SMEs. The funds will invest in senior loans, to SMEs that have an annual turnover of less than €50 million. Head of UK sales, Philip Dawes shared, “The launch of this fund is therefore...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 24, 2018
Washington, D.C., July 24, 2018 – Topicus Finance became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Jul 24, 2018
The SME Finance Forum is proud to announce the launch of the Global SME Finance Awards, a program celebrating outstanding achievements of financial institutions and fintech companies in serving MSME clients. Award Categories Product Innovation of the Year SME Bank of the Year Responsible Digital Innovator of the Year Winners will be recognized on...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Jul 19, 2018
According to Reuters , Hong Kong’s banking regulator and seven banks, including SME Finance Forum member Standard Chartered PLC said they will jointly launch a trade finance platform in September using blockchain technology. Reuters says the platform will be one of the largest examples globally of a government-led, cross-bank effort to reform the...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Jul 17, 2018
MSMEs need loans and grants to thrive in emerging economies. Mastercard's and Unilever's CEOs have a solution. SME Finance Forum member Mastercard is working with Unilever on new lending models for micro merchants in Kenya. Ajay Banga is the president and CEO of Mastercard. Paul Polman is the CEO of Unilever. Their Fortune piece highlights they...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Jul 16, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) President and Chief Executive Officer Ray W. Washburne traveled to Zambia where he toured Zambia’s first utility scale solar power facility which is being supported by a $13 million OPIC loan and a $26 million loan from the International Finance Corporation to Neoen and...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Jul 11, 2018
Washington, D.C., July 11, 2018 – The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Jul 11, 2018
Fintech companies and tech providers working in the field of innovative solutions for financial institutions are invited to participate in the Fintech Marketplace during the MFC-EMN Annual Conference . The Fintech Marketplace will provide an opportunity to present its business and services and facilitate networking with financial institutions,...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 10, 2018
SME customers of Standard Chartered Bank, a SME Finance Forum member, will explore Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand on a 10-tour. The tour sponsored by StanChart in partnership with Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) and Strathmore Business School will target SMEs with a minimum annual turnover of Sh10...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
Jul 10, 2018
Mastercard is partnering with fintech startup, Strands Finance to offer issuing banks digital cash management tools aimed at SME customers. Strands will tap into Mastercard’s BFM (business financial management) offering, which helps small firms manage accounts payables, receivables, budges and provisions. “SMEs are the backbone of the global...
Non Financial Services
Youth Entrepreneurship
Policy & Regulation
Jun 29, 2018
Leading retail bank, Diamond Bank Plc has once again demonstrated its passion for supporting small businesses by rewarding finalists of the seventh season of the Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET) programme with N15million grant. Ikenna Ubah, Tope Alake, Jumoke Dada, Bayo Ojelabi and Osagie Azeta emerged winners of the grants having displayed...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Jun 27, 2018
Listed as an official resource by the United Nations, the SME Finance Forum celebrates the second annual Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day today, June 27. The Forum is explicitly associated with helping achieve the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 9 (industry, innovation and...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 26, 2018
Washington, D.C., June 26, 2018 – City Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Jun 22, 2018
Nvoicepay, the leader in intelligent payment automation for the enterprise, announced a deeper strategic partnership with SME Finance Forum member Mastercard. Mastercard will support Nvoicepay’s solution as a leading choice for enterprise customers and enhance Nvoicepay’s emerging partnerships with some of the country’s top banks through the use...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Jun 20, 2018
Join the Global SME Finance Forum 2018 on November 5 to access study visits to financial institutions and fintechs that have best in class, innovative ways of serving SMEs clients. The conference will showcase unique perspectives of industry leaders, rich experiences of successful practitioners, and the impactful financial innovations that...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 19, 2018
AltFi reports that SME Finance Forum member BNP Paribas Asset Management has completed its first UK loan on its new SME lending platform. The loan, a six year senior unsecured amortising loan, was made to a specialist recruitment services company based in the West of England. BNPP AM says investing in its SME alternative financing offers its...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Transformation
Payments
Jun 15, 2018
SME Finance Forum member CreditEase, a Beijing-based leading FinTech conglomerate in China, announced that its product ShangTongDai won “The Best API Product Initiative, Application or Programme” award and became the only non-bank financial services company winning The Asian Banker Transaction Award. The fellow winners of The Asian Banker Awards...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Trade Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Jun 13, 2018
Washington, D.C., June 13, 2018 – Khan Bank became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 11, 2018
During the Africa SME Finance Forum Conference held in Nairobi May 15-16, the IFC SME Banking Practice launched a short survey to hear from banks on how they navigate the world of SME Banking, what are some of the challenges that banks are facing and what will the future of SME Banking look like. Everyone who responds to the survey will receive a...
Trade Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Jun 07, 2018
SME Finance Forum member ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, announcee that it has successfully on-boarded over 250 corporates on its blockchain platform for domestic and international trade finance, the most by any bank in India. With this, leading Indian corporates, including ones from the ‘S&P BSE 100...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Jun 06, 2018
The Africa SME Finance Forum 2018 provided more than 140 participants access to seven study visits to financial institutions and fintechs that have best in class, innovative ways of serving SMEs clients. The study tour took place in Nairobi, Kenya on May 14. One of the visits was to the Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion, which is one of...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 04, 2018
SME Finance Forum BRAC Bank has celebrated the first anniversary of the launch of its comprehensive Women’s Banking solutions ‘TARA’. Selim RF Hussain, Managing Director and CEO, BRAC Bank, and senior officials were present at the programme to mark the occasion at the bank’s head office on May 8. BRAC Bank is the first bank to launch a women...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
May 25, 2018
On May 23, SME Finance Forum member Ant Financial Services Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Everbright Bank Co., Ltd and Everbright Technology Co., Ltd., a fintech subsidiary of China Everbright Group, to facilitate China Everbright Bank's digital transformation. Under the agreement, Ant Financial will share its financial-...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 21, 2018
SME Finance Forum member and leading Colombian bank Bancolombia, has unveiled a new platform designed to offer better services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. Called Negocios Pyme (or, in English, SME Business), the client portal was rolled out on May 15 to offer an overview of the available services offered to SMEs by...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
May 17, 2018
The African Development Bank has approved US$ 20 million facility to boost lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in Liberia. The loan, approved by the Board of Directors of the Bank on May 16, is a trade finance package for three Liberian commercial banks: Liberian Bank for Development and Investment; International Bank of Limited and...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
May 11, 2018
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a €2 million loan to microfinance institution KEP Trust (KEP), to increase lending to smaller businesses and farmers in Kosovo, fostering growth and job creation. Medium to long-term funding is critical to developing Kosovo's private sector and creating jobs but remains scarce across much of the...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
May 10, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Turkey’s Kredi Garanti Fonu (KGF), a credit guarantee institution, and the EBRD are joining forces to expand financing for small and medium-sized businesses led by women. The partnership will enable the EBRD to unlock €300 million in new financing to support women’s entrepreneurship in a country where only 34 percent of...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
May 03, 2018
Mastercard and IFC bolstered their partnership to drive financial inclusion, updating a $250 million global risk-sharing facility to expand access to electronic payments in emerging markets. Electronic payments help underserved people and small businesses more fully participate in the formal economy. Yet, financial institutions in emerging markets...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Payments
Apr 20, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, FINCA has announced a strategic partnership with Karandaaz Pakistan, a non-profit finance generating organization for small businesses and individual’s financial inclusion. The first of its kind initiative between Karandaaz and a DFSP (Digital Financial Services Provider) – SimSim, will enable a new way of digital...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Apr 16, 2018
Both members of the SME Finance Forum, CDC Group (“CDC”), the UK’s development finance institution, and Standard Chartered Bank (“Standard Chartered”) have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a supply chain finance programme that will increase financing for SME suppliers in Africa and South Asia, thereby boosting economic...
Apr 12, 2018
The Marketplace will provide an opportunity for financial institutions and other Africa SME Finance Forum participants to have 15-minute one-on-one introductory meetings with investors, advisory service providers and financial technology companies. Follow those four simple steps to request a meeting: Download the ‘SME Finance' App for free from...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Apr 11, 2018
Washington, D.C., April 11, 2018 – Qatar Development Bank (QDB) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide...
Governance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Apr 11, 2018
Fidor, an innovative provider of digital banking services and member of the SME Finance Forum, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group and mangaging organization of the Forum, to identify opportunities to expand digital banking services in Africa and Latin...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 09, 2018
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private sector (ICD) and Afriland First Group - a SME Finance Forum member - Banque Islamique du Senegal, EBID, BSIC Mali and Coris Bank Mali signed a Line of financing agreements for a Euro 45 million, Euro 50 Million, Euro 25 Million, Euro 9 Million and Euro 6 Million respectively. The Euro 135...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Apr 05, 2018
The Africa SME Finance Forum 2018 will examine the key challenges faced by MSMEs in Africa, and explore innovative local and global best practice solutions to promote youth entrepreneurship and enhance access to financing for MSMEs. The TechPitch will be held in the afternoon of May 15, and will provide an opportunity for innovative fintechs to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Apr 03, 2018
Our member Strands' API Hub offers banks a single interface from which to connect to external services in an easy and secure way. Users can bring all their accounts together in one place, conveniently and securely. Product Overview: Allows users to see all their accounts in one place and banks to become a primary financial institution whilst...
Fintech
Payments
Apr 03, 2018
Once again the competition will look to find the very best fintech ideas from anywhere in the world before offering the winners the chance to grow their business with a leading global business. BBVA is looking for the fintech ideas that will shape the future of banking, that will support customers to make the most of their money and their data,...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Apr 01, 2018
The Africa SME Finance Forum 2018 will examine the key challenges faced by MSMEs in Africa, and explore innovative local and global best practice solutions to promote youth entrepreneurship and enhance access to financing for MSMEs. The Marketplace, an exclusive opportunity for B2B introductory meetings, had over 100 participants at the Global SME...
Non Financial Services
Digital Financial Services
Mar 30, 2018
VietinBank announced they are partnering with SME Finance Forum industry partner, Opportunity Network, to offer VietinBank's clients access to an innovative digital business matchmaking platform that promotes growth by connecting business owners to a network of more than 15,000 CEOs in over 113 countries. VietinBank is the first Southeast Asian...
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Mar 27, 2018
Ellevest, the digital investment startup founded by Wall Street veteran Sallie Krawcheck, is launching a new fund to invest in offerings that help advance women. Founded just over a year ago, New York-based Ellevest offers exchange-traded funds to help women save for retirement. The firm’s products account for different life variables, such as...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Mar 22, 2018
IFC committed to expand support for initiatives in South Africa that help address persistent challenges in job creation, especially for young people and women. In a speech to government officials and business leaders in Johannesburg, IFC CEO Philippe Le Houérou said IFC is ready to deliver expertise and new ideas that support policies aimed at...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Mar 19, 2018
Washington, D.C., March 19, 2018 – Fidor Group became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses worldwide need financing...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Mar 19, 2018
Telenor Group has reached a strategic partnership agreement with Ant Financial Services Group (“Ant Financial”) in Pakistan, where Ant Financial will invest USD 184.5m for a 45% stake in Telenor Microfinance Bank (“TMB”), a subsidiary of Telenor Group, to further develop TMB’s mobile payment and digital financial services. The strategic...
Financial Education
Mar 16, 2018
OraGroup, the holding company of the African banking group Orabank, has received EUR 40 million following the financing agreement signed with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) - a SME Finance Forum member - in December 2017. These funds will enable Oragroup, through its subsidiary and branches in Côte d'Ivoire...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Mar 15, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Standard Chartered Bank has announced that sporting legend and Ivorian icon, Didier Drogba, will be endorsing the Bank’s first digital bank in Africa as its ‘Digital Bank Ambassador’. Llaunched in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on March 14, 2018, Standard Chartered’s first and fully digital retail bank in West Africa marks an...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Digital Transformation
Mar 08, 2018
On International Women's Day this year, Experian is reaffirming its commitment to female financial literacy and inclusion through a series of innovative social initiatives across Asia. A growing body of research suggests that more female workforce participation in a country corresponds with higher GDP, as does greater gender equality overall. And...
Guarantees
Mar 06, 2018
Washington, D.C., March 6, 2018 – Credit Guarantee Company (CGC Egypt) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Payments
Mar 06, 2018
Join the Africa SME Finance Forum 2018 to access study visits to financial institutions and fintechs that have best in class, innovative ways of serving SMEs clients (priority access will be given to SME Finance Forum members and is on a first come first serve basis for non-members). The conference will feature global good practices and cutting-...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 28, 2018
Washington, D.C., February 28, 2018 – The Fondo de Garantías de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (FOGABA) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of...
Fintech
Feb 28, 2018
The World Economic Forum and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) selected 50 leading start-ups from Latin America, to be part of a special program during the annual regional meeting of said forum in Brazil. During the Forum, you will be able to take advantage of a wide network made up of investors and business leaders from all over the...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Feb 22, 2018
The SME Finance Forum will celebrate the second annual Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day on June 27 and has been listed as an official resource by the United Nations. In this way, the Forum is explicitly associated with helping achieve the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 9 (...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Feb 21, 2018
CEO Matthew Gamser Accepted the Award at the World Excellence Awards 2018 organized in Istanbul: by the World Business Angel Investors Forum. Istanbul, February 19, 2018 - The SME Finance Forum was one of nine global organizations awarded by the World Business Angel Investors Forum (WBAF) during its World Excellence Awards on February 19 in...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Feb 21, 2018
Washington, D.C., February 21, 2018 – Kredi Garanti Fonu JSC (KGF) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. “200 million businesses...
Financial Education
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Feb 15, 2018
The World Bank Group, in partnership with the Swiss and Ukrainian governments, is rolling out a new financial instrument – crop receipts – across Ukraine to expand access to finance for small farmers, boosting agricultural productivity and supporting economic growth. Crop receipts are a pre-harvest financial instrument, successfully used in a...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Feb 08, 2018
New Year starts strongly for small business lending as approval percentages and volume of loan requests increase. Business loan approval rates for big banks (25.3%) hit another new high last month, according to the latest Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index TM (January 2018 figures). The monthly analysis examined more than 1,000 small business...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
Feb 06, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Xero, announced the next phase of its partnership with Stripe, enabling Xero customers to accept Automated Clearing House (ACH) bank transfers via its integration with Stripe. With the availability of ACH payments, Xero’s more than 1.2 million subscribers have yet another way to get paid quickly, safely and securely. “Our...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Feb 05, 2018
IFC announced a $77 million senior loan facility to PT. Indosurya Inti Finance (Indosurya), a local multifinance company. The IFC-led financing package aims to bolster the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which serves as the engine of job creation and economic growth. With financial institutions focusing on the largest and the...
Alternative Financing
Equity
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Feb 01, 2018
Crowdfund Insider reports that the annual Alternative Finance & Crowdfunding Barometer compiled by KPMG for the French Crowdfunding Association (Financement Participatif France, FPF) shows that in 2017 the French Alternative Finance market grew by 50 percent, driven by SME lending growth, and came close to the billion euro mark, at €940...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Jan 31, 2018
1741 Fund Management and global SME marketplace lender Bitbond today announced the launch of a new Alternative Investment Fund (AIF). The fund gives professional investors access to the performance of a diversified portfolio of small business loans that are originated through the Bitbond SME lending platform. Direct debt investments into SME loans...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Jan 26, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Xero, along with DBS, have expanded their partnership to help SMEs simplify bill payments by launching an industry-first online payments solution to help start-ups and SMEs manage their cashflow needs better. The DBS-Xero payment solution addresses payment problems among SMEs caused by finance-related concerns such as cash...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Payments
Jan 19, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Standard Chartered has established a new business unit, SC Ventures, to lead digital innovation across the Group, invest in fintechs and other start-up companies, promote rapid testing and implementation of new business models. SC Ventures will be led by Alex Manson, most recently Global Head of Transaction Banking, and...
Financial Education
Payments
Jan 18, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said it looks to raise P50 billion through a stock rights offering to finance expansion. According to the Manila Times, BPI said in a disclosure that the proceeds from the stock rights offer would finance a plan to accelerate lending activities across the consumer, small and medium...
Non Financial Services
Equity
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 17, 2018
Incofin Investment Management, a Belgian fund management company, and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), a public-private development bank founded in 1970, recently signed the fourth capacity development agreement stemming from their partnership that was launched in 2008 to strengthen a total of 14 microfinance institutions (MFIs)...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Jan 16, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Diamond Bank has been appointed as a Forum Member Adviser to the World Economic Forum (“WEF”). The Forum aims to shape global, regional and industry agendas to deliver WEF’s mission of improving the state of the world. Diamond is the first Nigerian company and only the second African company to become a World Economic...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 12, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Mambu has signed a deal with Kreditech, the leading technology group for digital consumer lending using machine-learning based underwriting, to support the online lender’s entry into the Indian market. Kreditech currently operates in Europe and Latin America and will expand into India in early 2018, together with its...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Jan 11, 2018
SME Finance Forum member Ripple, provider of the leading enterprise blockchain solution for payments, has partnered with MoneyGram, one of the world's largest money transfer companies, to pilot XRP in their payment flows. As part of this agreement, both companies will also explore MoneyGram's integration into Ripple's ecosystem through xVia...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Jan 10, 2018
The EBRD and the EU are successfully implementing the programme “Supporting competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH-SME-CSF)”. After one and a half years of the two-year project €15.7 million in EBRD/EU small business loans have been provided and participants are also expected to receive more than €4 million...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jan 04, 2018
SME Finance Forum member, Funding Circle, the world’s leading lending platform for small businesses, and INTRUST Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Kansas, announced a strategic partnership to support the growth of U.S. small businesses. The partnership will be rolled out in various stages with the initial phase consisting of INTRUST funding U...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jan 03, 2018
IFC is providing a $150 million loan to Banco Santander Brasil to boost access to finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs represent 99 percent of all companies in Brazil. They are engines of job creation, generating 54 percent of formal jobs and accounting for 27 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. In the first three...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Jan 02, 2018
IFC announced a $40 million senior loan facility to PT Radana Bhaskara Finance Tbk (Radana). The IFC-led financing package aims to develop the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and increase financing for women-owned MSMEs. Financing MSMEs in emerging markets like Indonesia is crucial because they serve as an engine for growth...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Dec 28, 2017
Amazon says that small businesses and entrepreneurs had a record-breaking season with more than one billion items ordered worldwide. Over just five days, from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, nearly 140 million items were ordered from small businesses and entrepreneurs. Reports say that a big driver of this trend is Fulfillment by Amazon, the...
Gender Finance
Policy & Regulation
Dec 21, 2017
IFC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women announced a syndicated senior loan of $110 million to An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ABBANK) to boost lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This is the first phase of a up to $150 million financing package IFC is arranging for the bank. At least one third of the funding will support women-owned...
Financial Education
Payments
Dec 21, 2017
Raisin, Europe’s top financial marketplace that enables savers to access the best deposit rates across Europe, has closed another round of financing. Raisin’s most recent fundraise closed in mid- December is a strategic investment from digital payments platform PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL), and the investment is intended to accelerate the growth of...
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 19, 2017
Standard Chartered Bank and Ant Financial, both SME Finance Forum members, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Under the terms of the MOU, Standard Chartered Bank will combine its banking expertise and insights in emerging markets with Ant Financial’s industry leading TechFin capabilities, to increase access to financial...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Dec 18, 2017
The EBRD is providing Banque de Tunisie with a financing package that consists of a €50 million loan for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and a US$ 20 million trade finance line that is expected to be signed shortly. The SME market segment accounts for more than 90 per cent of all businesses in Tunisia. It is therefore a...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Dec 14, 2017
SME Finance Forum member the European Investment Bank (EIB), has signed a financing agreement of EUR 250 million with Banque Misr to finance investments by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps in the manufacturing and services sectors to improve their competitiveness in Egypt. The financing agreement is expected to sustain...
Financial Education
Islamic Banking
Dec 13, 2017
SME Finance Forum member The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) has entered into an agreement with BSIC Niger to finance SMEs in Niger. Khaled Al-Aboodi CEO of ICD and Abakar Adoum, Managing Director of BSIC, signed the Line of financing agreement for the amount of 9 million euro under the Wakala structure or...
Financial Education
Equity
Dec 06, 2017
IFC is investing €15 million in a new private equity fund by AfricInvest, a leading private equity fund manager, to help expand access to finance for small and medium enterprises in North Africa. The investment is part of a larger effort to support economic growth and create jobs. Globally, the Middle East and North Africa region ranks low in...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Dec 06, 2017
SME Finance Forum member Kabbage, Inc. announced that it has extended over $4 billion to more than 130,000 small businesses, serving the largest customer base than any online small business lender. These landmarks represent an approximate 30-percent increase in total funding and total customers served since the company’s last milestone...
Financial Education
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Payments
Dec 05, 2017
Mastercard jointly announced with Governor Andrew Cuomo that it will add to its New York state operations with the expansion of its New York City Technology Hub. The company will relocate its current tech hub operations to a new Flatiron location at 150 Fifth Avenue and nearly triple its work force through the creation of over 470 new jobs by 2024...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Transformation
Nov 27, 2017
Through Intuit’s small business lending product, called QuickBooks Capital, it will be a direct lender. Intuit is aiming at the 2.4 million business owners who use QuickBooks, who can apply for a loan from within the platform. Many of them can be approved within minutes, using what the company said is an artificial intelligence-powered algorithm...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Nov 24, 2017
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Deutsche Bank AG today announced an agreement to enter into a supply chain finance (SCF) transaction under ADB’s Supply Chain Finance Program (SCFP). The SCF will provide over $200 million in annual financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across developing Asia. The program will support SME...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Nov 22, 2017
In 2014, the EBRD made an ambitious commitment to promote women’s entrepreneurship in Turkey, pledging €300 million in dedicated credit lines to local banks for on-lending to companies run by women. Through their extensive branch networks, loans averaging €15,000 were provided to 14,400 companies in 79 out of 81 Turkish provinces. Two-thirds of...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 21, 2017
The EBRD is providing fresh funds to develop local currency lending and SME support mechanisms in Ukraine. The use of local currency gives greater comfort to potential borrowers, who will not be exposed to foreign exchange risks. The EBRD is providing a four-year local currency loan in Hryvnia (UAH) worth US$ 25 million equivalent to PJSC...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Nov 20, 2017
The EBRD is providing UniCredit Leasing Croatia with a €20 million loan for the expansion of leasing finance especially to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The availability of additional funds is expected to strengthen the growth of Croatia’s economy. Leasing is the second most widely used financing instrument following bank...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 17, 2017
BNP Paribas Asset Management entered into a strategic alliance with European alternative SME credit specialist Caple. Through a strategic alliance and the acquisition of a 10 percent stake in Caple, BNP Paribas Asset Management is providing an innovative platform to offer alternative credit to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)...
Equity
Sustainable Finance
Nov 14, 2017
The EBRD is supporting small and medium-sized businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia with a €15 million equity investment in the first close of Mediterrania Capital III LP (MC III), which could increase up to €35 million in subsequent closings. This is the third fund of Mediterrania Capital Partners, a regional private equity firm focused on...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Nov 10, 2017
According to Reuters, China will exempt banks’ interest income from loans to small firms and rural households from value added tax, authorities said, in the latest step to address a long-standing issue of lack of financing to small firms. The policy will be in effect from December 1, 2017 to the end of 2019, the finance ministry and tax...
Digital Transformation
Payments
Nov 07, 2017
Este año BBVA se alió para la entrega de este premio con el SME Finance Forum, iniciativa global de más de 140 miembros de los sectores público y privado, fundado en 2015 para incentivar el desarrollo del financiamiento a pymes. El evento global anual del organismo se llevó a cabo este año en Berlín, Alemania, y fue el escenario para hacer entrega...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 07, 2017
The Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) presented a paper titled “Impact of some financing on Banks probability: an enquiry across banks in Bangladesh” on November 5, 2017. According to BIBM report, default loans in the SME sector have increased by more than eight times in the last seven years. In 2016, Tk 22,494 crore out of the Tk 136...
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Nov 03, 2017
Japan has pledged US$50 million (S$67.9 million) to a global initiative that promotes female entrepreneurship, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday, Nov 3 to an audience that included Ivanka Trump, senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump. This will make the country the largest financial contributor in the Women's Entrepreneur Finance...
Financial Education
Governance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 03, 2017
Berlin, 3 November, 2017 -- IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, pays special attention to small businesses because they are the engines of job creation and economic growth. Nine out of ten new jobs worldwide are created by small businesses, and we need nearly 3,3 million jobs every month in emerging markets by 2030 to absorb the growing...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Oct 31, 2017
The Efma–Accenture Banking Innovation awards program is an initiative which aims to identify and award the most innovative projects in the retail banking sector at a global level. This program is in it’s fifth year, with the aim of sharing worldwide best practices in the retail banking distribution and marketing arena. Innovations in ten...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Oct 31, 2017
The Efma–Accenture Banking Innovation awards program is an initiative which aims to identify and award the most innovative projects in the retail banking sector at a global level. This program is in it’s fifth year, with the aim of sharing worldwide best practices in the retail banking distribution and marketing arena. Innovations in ten...
Non Financial Services
Digital Financial Services
Oct 31, 2017
The Efma–Accenture Banking Innovation awards program is an initiative which aims to identify and award the most innovative projects in the retail banking sector at a global level. This program is in it’s fifth year, with the aim of sharing worldwide best practices in the retail banking distribution and marketing arena. Innovations in ten...
Gender Finance
Governance
Digital Transformation
Oct 27, 2017
UNCDF SHIFT announced the four successful proposals of the Challenge Fund Third Window, one of which was SME Finance Forum member, Fern Software, working with TransferTo in receiving the award. TransferTo operates a B2B Cross-Border Mobile Payments Network, linking money transfer operators, digital financial services operators, mobile wallets...
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
Oct 26, 2017
Visa has launched the Visa Foundation, which has been established as part of Visa’s larger social impact strategy that will prioritize the growth of micro and small enterprises around the world, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. To mark its inception, the Visa Foundation is making its first financial commitment of up to $...
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Oct 19, 2017
The European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank Group, signed three additional SME Initiative guarantee transactions with BRD-Groupe Société Générale, with ING Bank (Bucharest Branch) and Libra Internet Bank acting as partners. The agreements with the three banks aim to facilitate access to finance for Romanian SMEs by...
Financial Education
Payments
Oct 16, 2017
The Financial Times features SME Finance Forum member Fawry. Ashraf Sabry, founder and chief executive officer of Fawry, the Egypt’s oldest and biggest electronic payments company, has ambitious plans that would see Egypt’s mostly unbanked population of 94 million people carry out a broad range of financial transactions on their mobile phones...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Oct 16, 2017
Just three months ago, at the G20 leaders’ summit in Hamburg, Germany,the creation of We-Fi, an innovative new facility to advance women’s entrepreneurship and help women in developing countries increase their access to the finance, markets, technology, and networks necessary to start and grow a business, was announced. We-Fi aims to leverage...
Guarantees
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Oct 12, 2017
SME Finance Forum member, State Bank of India announced its the launch of SME Assist, an initiative that will start offering short term loans to its MSME customers. It will render working capital loans to MSMEs according to their input credit tax. Chief General Manager (SME), V Ramling in a press interview said that the product will help stabilize...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Oct 12, 2017
A survey by Enterprise Nation says a fifth of small British companies say they still don't know how to protect themselves from potential online business risks. Released on behalf of domain firm Go Daddy, a quarter said they had experienced phishing emails and yet less than half (47%) said their website was on a secure platform. Retail was the...
Oct 11, 2017
AMP Credit Technologies announced today the unveiling of the latest version of its proprietary Credit Analysis Information & Risk Operations System (“CAIROS™”) loan origination and portfolio servicing platform. CAIROS version 5.0 will be officially released to the public at the G-20’s Global SME Finance Forum 2017 in Berlin, 1st November 2017...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Transformation
Payments
Oct 10, 2017
In three years, online lender Spotcap has issued more than €120 million in credit lines to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The fintech also raised an additional €22 million of funding from its existing investor network. It has now raised €100 million of investment since its launch in September 2014. Jens Woloszczak, Spotcap Founder and...
Gender Finance
Fintech
Oct 10, 2017
SME Finance Forum member Standard Chartered Bank has launched an Incubation program that seeks to finance women entrepreneurs in the ICT sector. According to reports, the program is a part of a joint partnership with iLab Africa, a division of Strathmore University. The incubation hub, called ‘Women For Tech’ is targeting women entrepreneurs who...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 06, 2017
The persistent increase in bad loans has crippled Bangladesh’s banking sector, mostly affecting the state-owned banks. However, loan defaults in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector have been low, BB data showed. But, the amount of defaulted loans could rise this year as floods have affected the low-lying regions of the country, experts...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Oct 04, 2017
Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) Women Banking recently expanded its strong non-financial services offering to include two capacity building programs for Turkish women SME owners: TEB Star Cluster and TEB Grow-up Academy. With TEB Star Cluster, its Women Banking program is partnering with a coaching firm to train branch managers on business coaching...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Oct 02, 2017
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has stepped up its support for the economic development of Egypt, with the opening of an office in Alexandria today which will have a major focus on the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Alexandria team will be working primarily on support for small businesses,...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Sep 28, 2017
The partnership will accelerate the growth of small and medium businesses worldwide. IFC's SME Finance Forum and Opportunity Network (ON) have agreed to collaborate to help small businesses form B2B partnerships, grow their business and expand to new markets. The SME Finance Forum will invite its member banks catering to small businesses to join...
Digital Transformation
Payments
Sep 26, 2017
As the vanguard of financial inclusion, Ecobank is striving to address the needs of the unbanked by transforming a mobile phone into an all-in-one bank account and payment/cash withdrawal tool. One such example is the innovative Xpress Cash functionality, which has been introduced as part of its upgraded mobile banking app. Xpress Cash allows...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 21, 2017
From large banks to small ones, unique products are being developed to woo Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Though many banks are still uneasy to commit their money to SMEs, some progress is being made. With most banks having posted a drop in their net profits in six months to June 2017 and a dip interest income, they are cautiously...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Sep 21, 2017
Facebook has launched #SheMeansBusiness in Vietnam. The initiative will run in partnership with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneur’s Council (VWEC) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), which supports women entrepreneurs through investment and technology development, training and capacity building. Through a series of workshops,...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sep 19, 2017
This study for Sage looks at the cost to small and mediumsized enterprises of administration tasks, including both operational and regulatory requirements. Analysing a survey of over 3000 companies across 11 countries, we consider whether technology can be used to reduce this burden, and how governments can encourage its take-up. The report...
Non Financial Services
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sep 15, 2017
IFC will provide specialized advisory services to the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) to develop scalable and sustainable agrifinance and support SMEs banking operations. The services will strengthen the bank’s risk management processes and tools; improve its customer value propositions including systems and products; and build...
Sustainable Finance
Sep 15, 2017
The IFC released a report on how correspondent banking relationships — bilateral agreements to handle basic services such as remittances or letters of credit — are having the effect of shutting out households and SMEs from the global financial system. In a new survey of more than 300 of its banking clients around the world, the IFC found that more...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Sep 14, 2017
The EBRD and Belarus are joining forces to improve the domestic investment climate and corporate standards, with new initiatives in the area of local currency lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the commercialisation and governance of state-owned enterprises. During a visit by EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti to Belarus,...
Non Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Sep 13, 2017
A joint effort to facilitate participation by smaller companies in international trade was launched by World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Secretary-General John Danilovich. The initiative, entitled 'ICC-WTO Small Business Champions', will provide a platform for companies and...
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 13, 2017
A recent IFC survey confirmed what many of financial institutions have been concerned about for the last few years: The network of Correspondent Banking Relationships (CBRs) is under tremendous pressure. To address multiple sets of new, sometimes conflicting, compliance requirements emerging market banks are spending large amounts to upgrade their...
Non Financial Services
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sep 12, 2017
MES & DAK, a finTech startup offering an ecosystem for capacity building and financial services to small businesses in Africa and Middle East, is among the 7 selected startups across Europe for EY Startup Academy. The 3 key problems affecting MSMEs in developing countries are: Access to Affordable Technical Assistance Access to Market Access...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Guarantees
Sep 12, 2017
The Capital Mobilisation Challenge (Challenge) is a competition targeting small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) with a strong sustainable development focus and located in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar or Vietnam. The Challenge, which opens in September 2017, is being organised by SME Finance Forum member Unkapt in partnership with...
Sep 08, 2017
SME Finance Forum member Mambu, the SaaS banking engine, announced that its solution is being used by N26 to allow the Berlin-based mobile bank to integrate systems and quickly bring services to market in support of its growth strategy. Before N26 was granted a full banking licence in July last year, it used the services of a partner bank and then...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sep 07, 2017
To spur rural development, Mexico’s government and its Rural Financial Development Finance Institution (FND, Financiera Nacional de Desarrollo) approached the World Bank Group to help expand credit into the rural economy. FND works to strengthen local rural financial institutions to expand financial access to farmers and businesses and to...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Payments
Sep 06, 2017
About 40 million people unbanked are in Nigeria, with 60 percent being women. As the most financially excluded, this partnership aims to bring more women into the financial system, especially how to make digital financial services work for low-income women. SME Finance Forum member Diamond Bank Plc, in collaboration with mobile telecomm network...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Payments
Sep 01, 2017
Brazil’s central bank recently proposed allowing fintechs to lend money, without taking deposits as commercial banks do, as part of new rules for the fast-growing fintech industry in Latin America’s largest economy, according to reports. The rules, which will be assessed in public hearings over the next two months, should not require congressional...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Aug 29, 2017
Zaw Lin Aung, managing director of KBZ Bank, the largest private bank in Myanmar with the largest retail network, said the bank had changed its lending policy to help the growth of SMEs across the nation. He said less reliance on collateral led the bank to knowing more about customers, understanding their business plans, knowing their financial...
Gender Finance
Governance
Aug 25, 2017
Still today, millions of women throughout the developing world don’t have access to institutional financial services because cultural stigmas linger long after the laws on the books recognize women’s rights. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex database, women in the developing economies are 20 percent less likely to have an account at a...
Youth Entrepreneurship
Aug 25, 2017
As more youth enter the workforce, they are facing increasing difficulty in procuring employment. The traditional sources of opportunity, governments and large corporations, in general are not hiring at the same levels, if at all. As such, entrepreneurship is seen an important option for creating sustainable livelihoods for this segment of the...
Financial Education
Aug 21, 2017
China's Development Bank and Absa, a subsidiary of Barclays Africa, concluded a $100 million Special Facility Agreement to fund SME in Africa. The money will benefit Barclays Bank’s existing and prospective SME clients across the continent, according to Absa. The funding may be increased in the future to assist with new funding opportunities...
Non Financial Services
Youth Entrepreneurship
Aug 16, 2017
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund (MBRF), a fund established by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to finance the UAE's youth and SME projects, has now set up a post-fund monitoring service for its portfolio companies. Appointing Metis Management Consultancy to carry out this special service...
Financial Education
Fintech
Payments
Aug 10, 2017
PayPal has agreed to acquire Swift Financial, a leading provider of working capital solutions to small businesses in the U.S. Headquartered in Wilmington, Del., Swift Financial was established in 2006 to provide funding in order to support businesses. Since then, Swift has provided funding to thousands of growing companies in the U.S. through a...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Aug 10, 2017
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has secured a deal with the Bangladesh Bank for the development of women SME entrepreneurs. IFC will provide technical assistance to develop credit guarantee scheme for women entrepreneurs under the project, "Catalysing access to finance for women SME entrepreneurs in Bangladesh”. Designed to provide...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Aug 09, 2017
In partnership with BDRC Continental, Ultimate Finance conducted research into the impact of late payments on the SME sector. The figures showed that late payments cause cashflow problems for UK SMEs. The main political parties have said they plan to end the issue with legislation such as late payment reporting. Overall, 81 percent of SMEs state...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Aug 08, 2017
The National Australia Bank (NAB) is looking to build business outside of home loans, mostly in SME lending. A recent report in The Australian revealed news that the NAB is adding new features to its small business lending unit, QuickBiz, in an effort to build market share. According to reports, NAB is rolling out an extension of the online...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 07, 2017
Tencent credit ratings will be available to check directly through QQ and WeChat, according to reports. While Tencent has been using its scoring in its lending businesses, it has not before made the scores available to WeChat and QQ Pay users. Their data sources for scoring are different than Ant and Alibaba in China. A more developed and widely...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Aug 04, 2017
Having collaborated on 600 product implementations with banks in some 36 countries to date, Strands’ rapid global expansion has now grown to incorporate an ambitious venture with U.S.-based bank, Huntington National Bank, reaffirming its presence in the North American market with the only fully-customizable digital money management solution in the...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
Aug 04, 2017
The EBRD is providing a senior loan in Tajikistan currency, equivalent to US $2 million, to IMON INTERNATIONAL, the largest microfinance institution in the country. The loan will the development of women’s entrepreneurship and of agribusiness in Tajikistan. IMON is the second financial institution to join the EBRD’s Women in Business programme in...
Alternative Financing
Equity
Sustainable Finance
Fintech
Aug 04, 2017
British Business Bank Investments, BBB’s commercial arm, has committed €40m (£35m) to the Harbert European Growth Capital Fund II. The fund focuses on fast-growing technology SMEs, particularly those backed by venture capital firms. The Harbert fund expects to make its first investment soon. Transactions from venture capital, equity crowdfunding,...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Aug 03, 2017
Kenya’s biggest bank by customer numbers, Equity Bank, has closed 11 ATM lobbies, each of which had multiple cash dispensing machines. This is the lender’s effort to shift customers to alternative channels such as agency and mobile banking in a fresh cost-cutting strategy. Equity’s chief executive James Mwangi said ATMs require upfront capital...
Guarantees
Payments
Aug 02, 2017
Capital One, a major U.S. bank has partnered with Xero’s cloud accounting platform. The deal to allow Capital One’s credit card feed was signed in May, and went live last week. The goal for the partnership is to expand Xero’s presence with smaller banks and penetrate the smaller local markets, according to Ryan Himmel, financial partnerships lead...
Fintech
Payments
Aug 01, 2017
SME Finance Forum member Ripple has unveiled a new name for its global payments network and new solutions. RippleNet, the global payments network, has more than 90 customers and is undergoing more than 75 commercial deployments. The network’s digital asset, XRP, was listed by five new exchanges in the second quarter of this year, which resulted in...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Jul 31, 2017
The EBRD’s Women in Business programme is expanding into Tajikistan, making it the 17th country to benefit from improved financing and business advice for female entrepreneurs. The Bank has allocated US $10 million to the Women in Business programme in Tajikistan. As well as access to finance, the award-winning programme will help women access the...
Financial Education
Guarantees
Sustainable Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 28, 2017
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Banco Sabadell will provide EUR 800m to Spanish SMEs with the aim of supporting their investments and promoting the development of new projects, particularly in the services and industrial sectors. The EIB will grant a EUR 400m loan to Banco Sabadell, to which the Spanish bank will add an additional EUR 400m...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 28, 2017
Ireland SMEs in manufacturing and the wholesale and retail sectors are experiencing strong growth with new lending in Q1 2017 reaching €3.6bn. However, the rejection rate on bank finance applications has increased from 11pc to 13pc over the year to March 2017, with rates for medium-sized firms continuing to drop but small and micro firms...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Jul 26, 2017
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and ProCredit Group are providing an additional EUR 450 million to innovative small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). This brings a total of EUR 820 million to companies in eleven countries. The EIF-backed financing is now available through ProCredit banks and targets companies using new technologies and...
Financial Education
Digital Transformation
Jul 25, 2017
SME Finance Forum member, IDLC Finance Ltd., has launched its first open end mutual fund named IDLC Balanced Fund. IDLC plan is to offer 10 innovative products such as venture capital and private equity and a similar one for small investors. IDLC Balanced Fund offers fund management through skilled Fund Managers mitigating investment risk...
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Jul 24, 2017
The People’s Bank of China wants fintech firms to pitch in on a government-controlled monitoring system to watch over financial transactions on the internet. Sun Gouofeng, director of general of the Bank’s research institute says it is unfair for taxpayers’ money to cover the costs arising from heightened regulation on fintech businesses. Making...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Governance
Jul 21, 2017
Skills training and technological tools will be provided to 1,000 young coffee farmers in areas of Colombia that were previously affected by conflict. The initiative was launched in partnership Starbucks and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This is one part of a range of measures which the coffee chain says forms...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 20, 2017
One in five people in Nambia are employed in the SME sector and contribute over 12 percent to the gross domestic product. Bank Windhoek has experienced that in addition to financing, the major need of start-ups and small and medium businesses is mentoring. Mentorship guides SMEs on how to run a successful and sustainable business. As an SME...
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Jul 20, 2017
SME Finance Forum member OPIC has arranged for private sector Yes Bank to receive $150 million funding from the U.S. government and Wells Fargo. Funding is meant to increase lending to support women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises in India. This is the third round of funding to the bank as part of an arrangement with OPIC -...
Financial Education
Guarantees
Trade Finance
Jul 19, 2017
SME Finance Forum member, BNP Paribas along with others, has launched Liquidshare, a venture aimed at exploring distributed ledger technology and its potential to disrupt small business lending. CASEIS, Caisse des Depots, Euroclear, Euronext and S2iEM are also part of the initiative, while Paris Europlace is reportedly providing support. The...
Equity
Gender Finance
Governance
Jul 19, 2017
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the first World Bank-led facility to advance women’s entrepreneurship at this scale, will work to enable more than $1 billion of financing to improve access to capital, provide technical assistance, and invest in other projects and programs that support women and women-led SMEs in World Bank...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 17, 2017
SME Finance Forum member Intesa Sanpaolo, has partnered with SME lender iwoca to provide clients with credit products that will help SMEs obtain financing. The partnership coincides with an investment in iwoca by Neva Finventures, Intesa Sanpaolo’s fintech venture capital arm. Maurizio Montagnese, chief innovation officer at Intesa Sanpaolo, says...
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 14, 2017
SME Finance Forum member, SIDBI, has created a program to address the challenges the MSME sector faces regarding credit. The Certified Credit Counsellor program for the MSMEs is a response to the findings of the 4th MSME census that revealed only 7 percent of SMEs can avail financing from organizations. This provides an opportunity for the growth...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Jul 12, 2017
The UK cabinet has agreed to support SME financing in an effort to support export-oriented industries. Five major British banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander) have partnered on the deal to provide more finance options to export-oriented, allowing the UK to boost export volumes, create new jobs and spur...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Jul 07, 2017
Chinese tourists in Spain now have another payment option when shopping retail. Spanish retailers will now support Alipay capability in their stores thanks to an agreement between Ant and Spanish bank BBVA. Before the deal, Chinese customers had to pay with a card. The Alipay application will allow them to scan a QR code, and BBVA will handle the...
Alternative Financing
Sustainable Finance
Jul 06, 2017
A SME Finance Forum member, European Investment Bank Group (EIB), announced that it will provide €18.5 million to back a joint investment fund designed to lend money to SMEs through the crowdlending platform Lendix. Funding through the European Investment Fund (EIF), this is the second deployment of EIF funds through a lending marketplace to...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Payments
Jul 05, 2017
Tide, a digital-only banking app aimed at small businesses, has partnered with online lender iwoca, in a move to allow small companies access to loans of up to £100,000. Led by specialist fintech investor Anthemis, along with Passion Capital, LocalGlobe and Creandum, the company that backed Spotify, the startup raised $14 million. This is one of...
Financial Education
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 03, 2017
Business activity in China’s SME sector weakened for the third straight month in June to hit the lowest in 16 months, a Standard Chartered survey tracking more than 600 Chinese SMEs found. Unemployment has increased and SME firms are expected to become unprofitable this year. It has become difficult for smaller businesses lacking strong collateral...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 03, 2017
IFC has provided sub-Saharan African SMEs additional finance. R2.6bn has been committed through the SME Push Program to FirstRand. The program’s primary focus is enabling job creation, and encouraging the banks to provide financing to a wider section of the SME market. Over the next five to seven years, the program aims to widen its network to...
Fintech
Payments
Jul 03, 2017
SME Finance Forum Member Fern Software, is serving a new client. Abacus core banking system which is provided by Fern, has signed with Ruby Hill Microfinance, a new microfinance entity in Myanmar. Ruby Hill was established earlier this year as a joint venture between Myanmar’s Loi Hein Group and Dragon Capital Group, a Vietnam-based asset manager...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jun 30, 2017
For the first time in history the amount of SME loans from nonbank lenders has surpassed the 90 trillion won mark, according to Bank of Korea. South Korean nonbank financial institutions' lending to smaller firms surged nearly 10 trillion won ($8.8 billion) in the first four months of the year amid tighter government control on household loans...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 30, 2017
SME Finance Forum member, ADFIAP (Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and Pacific) hosted an Awards Night in Macau recently where DFCC Bank won an award under the SME Development category for setting up a specialized unit for development of MSMEs. In addition, DFCC Bank was recognized for being a Charter Member of the ADFIAP...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 29, 2017
A new seven-year loan programme has been signed by NIB and Iceland’s Landsbankinn hf. - the largest universal bank in the country. USD $75 million (EUR 66.5 million) will provide financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and environmental projects in Iceland. The fishing industry, real estate and tourism are three of several sectors...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 29, 2017
Eight Regional Rural Banks and Urban Co-operative Banks have signed MOUs with SME Finance Forum member SIDBI (The Small Industries Development Bank of India.) In an effort to boost MSME financing, the new partnership will focus on increasing credit flow to the ‘missing middle’ – micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. SIDBI also...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 28, 2017
Fintech leaders are wanted to bring transparency in the Australian small business sector. Ombudsman Kate Carnell launched a research project this week with FinTech Australia and independent SME finance expert Neil Slonim from theBankDoctor.org. The project will survey fintech small business lenders to identify industry best practice to help SMEs...
Trade Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 28, 2017
European SMEs have gained additional support in easier and more transparent domestic and cross-border trade. The Digital Trade Chain Consortium, which is made up of seven European banks, has selected IMB to partner with them in building a new blockchain-based trade finance for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Developed on the Linux Foundations...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 27, 2017
The SME Initiative in Romania, seeks to provide new financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country. Five Romanian banks have signed on to the initiative, which is managed by the EIB Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund), the Government of Romania and the European Commission. Raiffeisen Bank, ProCredit...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Jun 27, 2017
Kazakhstan small and women-led businesses are getting a financial boost from two organizations. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will extend a financial package of U.S. $11 million which comprises a U.S. $4.4 million loan for local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). A U.S. $6.6 million loan under the...
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 26, 2017
With support from FSD Africa, Women’s World Banking partnered with Malawi’s NBS Bank to design and implement a credit program for SMEs with a focus on women-owned businesses. The three institutions provided a guide to assist financial providers looking to serve women-owned SMEs with sustainable loans. A few of the topics covered include how to...
Financial Education
Alternative Financing
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Governance
Jun 26, 2017
In the last 12 years, the growing global community of 1.6 million lenders has crowdfunded nearly $1 billion in loans to 2.4 million entrepreneurs in 82 countries. Two former Syrian business owners received SME loans through Kiva, an online platform for crowdfunding loans to small-scale entrepreneurs around the world. With that financial support,...
Jun 23, 2017
The Global SME Finance Forum 2017 will be held November 1-3 in Berlin, Germany. This annual flagship event of the SME Finance Forum, which focuses on “digitization of SME finance,” will convene senior executives from financial institutions, fintechs and regulators from both emerging and developed countries. The two-day conference taking place on...
Jun 23, 2017
Mobile financial services and digital customer engagement solutions provider Vipera announced a partnership with Mambu on Friday, which it described as “a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) alternative” to traditional core systems powering banking and lending. The AIM-traded firm said it was extending its mobile-first banking solution by joining...
Fintech
Jun 22, 2017
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be able to receive payments faster through a virtual credit card solution which facilitates cash flow to businesses. Developed in partnership between credit card company Visa and FinTech developer Validus, the payment solution is the first of its kind in Singapore, and seeks to unlock capital for SMEs to...
Fintech
Jun 20, 2017
Alibaba has been a trailblazer in many ways. One area that Alibaba wants to dominate is finance for both consumers and SMEs and they are well on their way. Ant Financial , their financial services subsidiary, is executing on this vision and last week Eric Jing, CEO of Ant Financial, delivered a presentation explaining their approach. To put the...
Fintech
Jun 20, 2017
While tighter banking restrictions have forced more small and medium enterprise (SME) borrowers towards non-bank lenders, a lack of awareness is still hindering real growth within the sector. The Disruption Index, which has been jointly developed by small business lender Moula and research and consulting firm Digital Finance Analytics (DFA), puts...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Jun 19, 2017
Amazon announced today that it had originated over $3 billion in loans to more than 20,000 small businesses since 2011. One billion of those loans came in the past 12 months. Peyush Nahar , VP for Amazon Marketplace, released a statement on the milestone; “We created Amazon Lending to make it simple for up-and-coming small businesses to...
Fintech
Jun 19, 2017
The number of social media users worldwide has reached 2.34 billion and is expected to grow to ~2.95 billion by 2020. Social media users generate 500 million tweets every day, and share 1.3 million pieces of content on Facebook every minute of every day, not mentioning other widely adopted channels. Two things allowed social media to become a...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 16, 2017
SME Finance Forum 's annual flagship event, to be held on 1-3 November in Berlin, Germany, will bring 400+ senior executives from commercial banks, development finance institutions, fintech companies, as well as regulators to focus on leveraging digital banking to serve MSME. The Marketplace , an exclusive opportunity for B2B introductory meetings...
Fintech
Jun 16, 2017
Platform offers SMEs crowd funding and peer to peer finance. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund (MBRF), which is the financial arm of Dubai SME, and finance platform Beehive have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to aid small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with their financing needs. The MoU will enable SME owners in Dubai to obtain loans...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 15, 2017
The European Banking Federation, together with four other European banking associations (EAPB*, EACB , EMF-ECBC and ESBG ), presented today a set of high-level principles regarding the communication between SMEs and banks around loan applications. The principles, developed in discussions with European SME organisations, aim at promoting high...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 15, 2017
From the U.S. to Mexico to India to sub-Saharan Africa, SMEs’ need for access to capital is universal. What differs across geographic markets, however, is how small businesses can gain that access. For some, it’s through their traditional banks. For others, underbanked markets need FinTech innovations to see financing. The particulars of each...
Fintech
Jun 14, 2017
The strength of every nation’s economy is usually a direct reflection of the viability of the Small and Medium scale Enterprise (SME) sector. The impact of SMEs on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nations cannot be over-emphasized. In most cases, especially developing countries, SMEs account for as much as 35-40% of the total GDP. SMEs lack of...
Jun 14, 2017
AECM, CESGAR, the WORLD BANK GROUP and the SME Finance Forum hold the Global Conference for Guarantee Institutions on AECM’s 25th anniversary in Madrid Madrid, 2 June 2017 – AECM, the leading European association of guarantee institutions celebrated its 25th anniversary in Madrid with a dense Annual Event and the Global Conference on Guarantee...
Fintech
Jun 13, 2017
Differing regulatory standards among various jurisdictions are hindering the development of financial technology (fintech) in Asia, according to a Hong Kong-based financial lobby group. While the rapid evolution and development of fintech provide enormous potential for increased productivity and efficiencies in the way financial services are...
Financial Education
Jun 13, 2017
La Federación Latinoamericana de Bancos, FELABAN, con su Presidenta Doctora María Mercedes Cuellar y su Secretario General Dr. Giorgio Trettenero Castro y la Corporación Financiera Internacional, IFC, miembro del Grupo del Banco Mundial y su representante Sr. Ary Naïm, Gerente del IFC, firmaron un Memorando de entendimiento, para realizar...
Jun 07, 2017
FinCompare , a Fintech startup based in Berlin, has raised €2.5 million in seed funding led by SpeedInvest and UNIQA – Austria’s largest insurance group. Several angel investors from the finance sector also participated in the seed round. The financing will be used to boost market penetration, improve the technology as well as aiding marketing and...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jun 06, 2017
According to the World Bank (WB), 80% of businesses in Haiti do not have access to credit. Economic growth being based on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and in view of this, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a branch of the World Bank and the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), want in consultation with...
Fintech
Jun 05, 2017
SME lender Sancus Finance has launched a new platform targeted at investors looking to finance businesses online. Sancus specialises in providing short-, medium- and long-term finance solutions for businesses which need working capital finance to realise their growth plans. The platform matches funders with businesses looking for fast financing...
Fintech
Jun 02, 2017
Plum , a London-based FinTech startup using AI-driven or “smart” chatbots to help people manage their finances, is betting that Facebook Messenger will become the go-to place for people to handle their money. TechCrunch reports that with the social network expected to launch friend-to-friend payments in Europe soon, Plum’s Co-Founder, Victor...
Fintech
Jun 01, 2017
If you’re a young professional in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the last thing you want to do is wait in long lines to sign up for a bank account or transfer money. You’ve got work to do, children to care for, and social responsibilities to which you need to attend. Getting tangled in old school banking bureaucracy only throws a wrench into your busy...
Financial Education
May 31, 2017
The critical role small businesses play is being recognized by no less than the United Nations this week. The UN announced Thursday May 11 it would designate June 27, 2017 as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Day. The special designation acknowledges the vital position small businesses occupy in economies around the globe as job creators. The UN...
Policy & Regulation
May 31, 2017
In a key move, March saw the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approve the licence for the Development Bank of Nigeria, whose role will include supporting small businesses by offering them competitively priced financing in the form of loans with lower than usual rates of interest and longer tenures. The government is seeking external financing for the...
May 30, 2017
Sage Pay, a payment processing firm for small businesses, has stepped into alternative lending. The company announced the launch of Sage Pay Business Finance this week, the result of a new collaboration with alternative lender Liberis. SMEs can receive a cash advance equivalent to up to one month’s worth of card takings, the company said, with a...
May 26, 2017
Iwoca, the international lending firm, and PayU, a leading payment service provider, have today launched an innovative collaboration aimed at making it easier for small and medium-sized (SME) entrepreneurs, particularly those in the eCommerce and eService industries, to obtain financing for growth. The collaboration marks the first venture of this...