Publications
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jul 25, 2024
Supply Chain Financing (SCF) is becoming an increasingly common vertical within the banking industry. The global credit crisis of 2008 forced trade finance seekers to look for alternatives as liquidity in supply chains became a major concern for businesses. This spurred an increased demand for supply chain financing as businesses worked to...
Data & Cybersecurity
Digital Financial Services
Jul 15, 2024
AI Takes Center Stage: Survey Reveals Financial Industry’s Top Trends for 2024 The world’s leading financial services institutions spotlight where AI is providing the best return on investment. January 11, 2024 by Kevin Levitt The financial services industry is undergoing a significant transformation with the adoption of AI technologies. NVIDIA’s...
Jul 11, 2024
The recent McKinsey Global Institute report A microscope on small businesses: Spotting opportunities to boost productivity estimated that micro-, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) account for two-thirds of business employment in advanced economies— and almost four-fifths in emerging economies—as well as half of all value added.1 In this...
Data & Cybersecurity
Payments
May 07, 2024
Summary Focus Advances in digital technology have transformed people's lives in recent decades. But large swathes of the financial system are stuck in the past. Many transactions still take days to complete and rely on time-consuming clearing, messaging and settlement systems and physical paper trails. Improving the functioning of the financial...
Financial Inclusion
May 07, 2024
By Anu Madgavkar , Marco Piccitto , Olivia White , María Jesús Ramírez , Jan Mischke , and Kanmani Chockalingam MSMEs are vital for growth and jobs, but struggle with productivity. The route to higher productivity lies in creating a win-win economic fabric for all companies. At a glance Micro-, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) form the...
Digital Financial Services
Apr 15, 2024
Financial makers discuss how to reimagine banking with embedded finance solutions that deliver financial services whenever and wherever they’re needed. A new generation of financial thinkers and makers is reimagining the conventional bank. Empowered by technology and a youthful hunger for change, they’re determined to make banking easier, more...
Governance
Data & Cybersecurity
Apr 15, 2024
The game-changer: How generative AI can transform the banking and financial sectors The most essential question of the moment: how can AI help address and course-correct banks’ productivity and financial performance? Following the astonishing rise of generative AI, artificial intelligence has seized the world’s attention. Executives are either...
Digital Transformation
Apr 15, 2024
Access to affordable finance poses a persistent challenge for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) worldwide, inhibiting their potential growth and the economic development of countries that are reliant on these businesses. The rise of the digital economy has opened up new pathways for financing, but has also made digital...
Fintech
Payments
Apr 15, 2024
Summary: - Regional focus: the report foretells a surge in interest from fintechs towards SMEs in Latin America by 2024. - Innovation opportunities: it highlights the potential for innovation within the industry and identifies key areas where solutions can reshape the fintech landscape to better serve SMEs. - Targeted countries: discover which...
Gender Finance
Fintech
Mar 21, 2024
Fintech and digital financial services have been considered a game-changer for women's financial inclusion and economic empowerment. Until now, there has been limited research that quantifies the degree to which fintech firms are actively addressing women's financial inclusion and the specific strategies that are showing success. To fill this gap...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Fintech
Feb 14, 2024
This paper investigates strategies of European microfinance institutions (MFIs) and inclusive FinTech organisations to address financial and digital illiteracy among vulnerable customers. It reveals that both MFIs and FinTech organisations focus on personalised financial education, training and coaching but adopt distinct strategies in their...
Sustainable Finance
Fintech
Feb 12, 2024
Slowing economic growth, rising inflation, and climbing interest rates are straining the business models for inclusive fintechs, creating significant uncertainty and new funding challenges. For the past four years, the Inclusive Fintech 50 (IF50) global innovation competition identified and elevated cutting-edge, emerging inclusive fintechs...
Alternative Financing
Feb 02, 2024
Uplinq Financial Technologies , the first global credit decisioning support platform for small business lenders, announced the publication of “ Fair and Accessible Credit for Small Businesses: A Guidebook for Financial Institutions ,” a white paper that blueprints how banks and credit unions can leverage AI technology and alternative data to...
Digital Transformation
Jan 23, 2024
With the rapid advancements in computational power, the decades-long vision of using and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) has become a reality. The technology’s swift development has allowed it to transform every walk of life, as it is a wide-ranging tool that enables people to rethink how to analyze data, integrate information and use the...
Financial Inclusion
Dec 22, 2023
The Inclusive Finance India Report provides a comprehensive review of the progress of financial inclusion in the country, tracking performance, highlighting achievements, and flagging gaps and issues that need to be addressed at the levels of both policy and practice. It is a much-awaited annual reference document for policymakers, investors,...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 01, 2023
Switching to greener technologies in construction and operation of buildings and materials, combined with more climate-friendly capital markets, could reduce the construction value chain’s carbon footprint 23 percent by 2035, while creating investment opportunities in emerging markets, according to a major report from the International Finance...
Sustainable Finance
Policy & Regulation
Nov 22, 2023
Addressing the climate crisis requires the net zero transition of millions of SMEs globally. SMEs have a significant aggregate environmental footprint and need to adopt cleaner business models. As eco-entrepreneurs and eco-innovators, they also have a key role to play in devising innovative climate solutions. Access to finance is essential for SME...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Digital Transformation
Nov 02, 2023
Digitizing the MSME ecosystem through e-commerce, the gig economy, and digital MSME business services has an impact on the digital-transformation of small businesses. These digital advancements have reshaped the landscape for MSMEs and enabled new opportunities for growth and expansion. The rise of digitally enabled new solutions for MSMEs, such...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Nov 01, 2023
With over EUR 300 billion financed to SMEs as well as to larger corporates, the global factoring and receivables finance Industry is is providing much needed liquidity to the heart of the economy to support economic growth, export and employment. How does the industry evolve and adapt to challenges such as fraud, changing regulations and ESG...
Policy & Regulation
Nov 01, 2023
The Recommendation on SME financing was adopted by the OECD Council meeting at Ministerial level on 8 June 2023 on the proposal of the Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE). The Recommendation aims to support Adherents in their efforts to enhance SME access to a diverse range of financing instruments. It supports the development of...
Financial Inclusion
Governance
Oct 24, 2023
The "OECD Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs Scoreboard: 2023 Highlights" document SME and entrepreneurship financing trends, conditions and policy developments. The report provides official data on SME financing in close to 50 countries, including indicators on debt, equity, asset-based finance and financing conditions. Data for 2021 are...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Oct 16, 2023
The B20 , Business at OECD (BIAC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) released a joint paper, underlining the need to raise business productivity by effectively addressing the private sector’s working capital requirements. Released in the margins of the B20 India Summit, the three leading private sector organizations recommend to...
Financial Inclusion
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Sep 25, 2023
Background: The India G20 Presidency has prioritized the development of an open, inclusive and responsible digital financial ecosystem based on the presence of a sound and effective digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the advancement of financial inclusion and productivity gains. Builds on the work and achievements from previous presidencies...
Financial Inclusion
Policy & Regulation
Data Analytics
Sep 25, 2023
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the global economy, yet they often face challenges due to limited access to financing. To address this issue, we propose the implementation of Prosperity Data Networks (PDNs), a cutting-edge tool that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI). PDNs are AI-powered, community-controlled and...
Financial Education
Sustainable Finance
Sep 25, 2023
To help financial institutions to translate sustainable finance principles to the operations they have with MSMEs, IFC Green Bond Technical Assistance Program (GB-TAP) has developed the Sustainable MSME Finance Reference Guide. This first-of-its-kind Guide sets out a practical approach for financial institutions in emerging markets on how to...
Financial Inclusion
Operational Risk
May 22, 2023
The EIF VC Survey and the EIF Private Equity Mid-Market Survey (the largest combined regular survey exercises among General Partners on a pan-European level) provide an opportunity to retrieve unique market insights. This publication is based on the results of the 2022 waves of these two surveys and examines how the Russian offensive war against...
Digital Financial Services
Apr 24, 2023
Strands, a CRIF company, and PwC launched a report with an in-depth analysis on how customer habits, Open Finance and new players entering the financial services arena are revolutionizing the Digital Banking context. The Digital Banking context is shifting, as new players are entering the financial services arena and threatening the position of...
Financial Inclusion
Policy & Regulation
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Payments
Mar 13, 2023
The Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments is a priority initiative of the G20. Much has been accomplished during its first two years, including agreement on a set of outcome targets endorsed by the G20 in October 2021. The work in 2021 and 2022 has focused on establishing the foundational elements of the Roadmap and beginning to pivot from...
Financial Inclusion
Gender Finance
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Mar 06, 2023
This paper examines the role of Fintech in financial inclusion. Using Global Findex data and emerging fintech indicators, it finds that Fintech has a higher positive correlation with digital financial inclusion than traditional measures of financial inclusion. In the second stage of their empirical investigation, the authors examine the key...
Financial Inclusion
Equity
Gender Finance
Policy & Regulation
Mar 01, 2023
This working paper examines the current academic literature on access to finance for female entrepreneurs and female-led enterprises. It covers two main financing markets: credit and venture capital (VC). The paper finds wide consensus in the academic field that gender-related credit and VC gaps exist in Europe. It also collects some of the most...
Financial Inclusion
Feb 13, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital financial inclusion with increased digital financial services. According to the 2021 Global Findex Database, global account ownership has increased from 51% of the world’s population in 2011 to 76% in 2021. Notwithstanding the gains, about 25% are still outside the formal financial system. More robust...
Fintech
Jan 17, 2023
Nearly 500 million micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are estimated to be operating around the world. Access to credit and other financial services is critical to the growth and sustainability of these businesses, and consequentially to the low-income and vulnerable populations which rely on MSEs for their livelihoods. Yet despite decades of...
Financial Education
Aug 13, 2022
The EIF Business Angels Survey, together with the EIF VC Survey and the EIF Private Equity Mid-Market Survey (the largest combined regular survey exercises among GPs and Business Angels on a pan-European level) provide an opportunity to retrieve unique market insights. This publication is based on the results of the 2021/22 EIF Business Angels...
Financial Inclusion
Payments
Jul 25, 2022
In the coming years, real-time payments are set to increase exponentially and by 2026, are forecasted to account for 26% of the total electronic payments. With certain growth ahead, governing bodies and payment regulators play a crucial role in advancing their country's payment systems to create an ecosystem that unlocks economic growth and...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 29, 2022
This report takes stock of the increasingly pluralistic landscape of agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprise (agri-SME) finance in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with the aim to establish a new perspective on the market overall - sizing and segmenting the market in new ways, reflecting on the rapidly accelerating imperative around...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 24, 2022
Latest Banking Circle white paper examines pain points faced by banks and FinTechs as a result of de-risking strategies According to new research commissioned by Payments Bank, Banking Circle, big bank de-risking is significantly hampering the efforts of many Financial Institutions to deliver services that empower financial inclusion. The root...
Alternative Financing
Guarantees
Mar 01, 2022
Asset Finance is evolving rapidly, and many legacy systems are failing to keep up with the changing needs of providers and their customers. Read about: A comprehensive overhaul of contract management The connected contract management system (CMS) Better experiences, inside and out New standards of efficiency Download HPD Lendscape new white paper...
Fintech
Payments
Feb 22, 2022
The evolution of digital money is taking hold, as policymakers and central bankers explore the idea of government-backed assets on blockchain called Central Bank Digital Currency, or CBDCs. More than 90 countries are either researching or developing CBDCs. Many see the direct advantages for their citizens and economies: decreased dependence on...
Sustainable Finance
Governance
Feb 01, 2022
Blue Finance is an emerging area in Climate Finance with increased interest from investors, financial institutions, and issuers globally. It offers tremendous opportunities and helps address pressing challenges by contributing to economic growth, improved livelihood, and the health of marine ecosystems. The ocean economy is expected to double to $...
Equity
Jan 31, 2022
Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) is a Government VC established in 2018 by Monshaat as part of the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) to stimulate venture investments by investing in funds as well as co-investing with angel groups for the primary goal of minimizing financing gaps for startups and SMEs by investing SAR 2.8 Billion ($750...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Jan 27, 2022
As the world works towards food system transformation, the role of various stakeholders serving small farmers and agri-SMEs has gained increasing importance. The market of business development services (BDS) for agri-SMEs has grown significantly in the last decade, with more organizations providing technical, financial, and capacity-building...
Financial Inclusion
Data Analytics
Payments
Jan 27, 2022
Biometrics technology can enhance the convenience and security of digital payments, and many observers have pointed to the potential benefits of using it to advance financial inclusion. This paper analyses how, and under what conditions, biometrics can facilitate financial and digital inclusion for lower income and unbanked populations and...
Alternative Financing
Covid-19
Jan 26, 2022
This publication "Receivables Finance: The Voice of the Industry", prepared by member HDP Lendscape , one of the world’s leading software providers for Asset Based Finance (ABF), dives into the following challenges and opportunities on the minds of industry leaders: Pandemic recovery New lending propositions and the rise of independents The...
Covid-19
Jan 24, 2022
The current crisis has put a spotlight on workout frameworks, especially out-of-court or hybrid procedures, which can provide flexible and cost-effective solutions to address firms’ liquidity and solvency issues while reducing the burden on courts. Some countries implemented reforms to their corporate workout frameworks in the wake of the COVID-19...
Financial Inclusion
Policy & Regulation
Digital Transformation
Jan 20, 2022
This reading deck describes three regulatory approaches used by policy-makers to regulate digital banks. It has a focus on harnessing the potential of digital banks to bring welcome competition and innovation to the banking sector and advance financial inclusion. It will help policy makers, especially in emerging markets and developing economies,...
Digital Transformation
Payments
Jan 19, 2022
A review of literature on digital payments’ impact on micro and small businesses reveals how digitalization is changing this segment, and why understanding this transition is key to inform effective public and private strategies and investments to accelerate the success of the small business sector as a whole. Read more about new strategies for...
Covid-19
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Nov 24, 2021
The intensity of the COVID-19 shock has clearly varied among MSMEs. On a more positive note, the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the digitalization of many MSMEs and fostered their participation in digital ecosystems and marketplaces. In response to the emergency, governments have quickly introduced a wide range of policy and regulatory measures...
Gender Finance
Aug 09, 2021
Across the globe, e-commerce is thriving. The e-commerce market in Africa is expected to reach $84 billion by 2030. The number of online shoppers has increased by an average of 18 percent every year since 2014, with similar growth anticipated over the next decade. The IFC’s latest report Women and E-commerce in Africa is the first large-scale use...
May 07, 2021
In this publication, you will read about the SME Finance Forum highlights in 2020. Extract from the Foreword: The year 2020 has been a challenging one for all of us. We have seen the COVID-19 pandemic throw the world into uncertainty. In this context, we are proud to have launched new services to help our members deal with this extraordinary...
Policy & Regulation
Covid-19
Feb 23, 2021
EIF Working Paper 2021/071: EIF Venture Capital, Private Equity Mid-Market & Business Angels Surveys 2020: Market sentiment – COVID-19 impact – Policy measures 2020 was an unprecedented and remarkable year, and also a year with high uncertainty and increased information needs. The EIF VC Survey, the EIF Private Equity Mid-Market Survey, and...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Jan 26, 2021
Jobs to Be Done and cultural insights on what business owners need and the digital services that will help them meet their goal. What you will learn from that report: The entrepreneurial mindset and inspirations The growth opportunity in the SMB market How to design truly digital services for SMBs How to create cultural relevant financial brands...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jan 21, 2021
Micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) face significant challenges in obtaining the financing and other resources they need to thrive. IFC, as a member of the World Bank Group, is committed to supporting these businesses by mobilizing private and public sector stakeholders to expand financial inclusion. Digital integration of “...
Covid-19
Jan 20, 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa was hit hard by the COVID-19 shock in 2020, experiencing the first recession in roughly thirty years. However, the impact of the public health crisis and pandemic-induced global recession has been less severe than in-itially feared, and weaker than in other EM regions. This is the result of commodity prices recovering faster...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 12, 2021
In recent years, as more and more regulators have begun to assume the role of supervision and oversight over credit bureau(s), the World Bank Group has supported supervisors in understanding and carrying out their duties as it relates to this role. The WBG has supported the development of the credit bureau supervisory framework and the capacity to...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 08, 2021
Coordination between secured transactions law and rules regulating financial products and institutions is of primary importance to support establishing a sound and inclusive credit ecosystem. This Primer illustrates why coordination between secured transactions law reforms and prudential regulation is needed; introduces the rationale and key...
Non Financial Services
Jan 06, 2021
After a busy year, working with thousands of entrepreneurs across Africa in our ‘new world’, the African Management Institue (AMI) has been thinking deeply about the future of business development support, and how the crisis brought about by Covid-19 might in fact open up new opportunities to serve more SMEs, more effectively. Their new report – ‘...
Guarantees
Jan 01, 2021
Lending based on movable assets is much more common in developed markets. Through the work of the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation, the use of lending based on movable assets continues to expand throughout the globe. Many best-practice examples can now be found in emerging markets such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Vietnam,...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Dec 06, 2020
IFC had a strong year in spite of the pandemic. They committed $22 billion in long-term finance—an almost 15 percent year-on-year increase—including $11.1 billion invested for their own account. In addition, short-term financing commitments, including trade finance, totaled $6.5 billion: a 12 percent increase compared with the previous fiscal year...
Financial Education
Dec 04, 2020
To celebrate the new decade, this year’s Global SME Finance Forum looked much farther forward, to imagine where we might be in SME financing a decade from now. We tested 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...
Islamic Banking
Nov 24, 2020
We are proud to share our member Islamic Corporation for the Development’s (ICD) Business Resilience Assistance for Value-adding Enterprise (BRAVE) project. ICD’s Industry and Business Environment Support (IBES) team initiated the BRAVE concept. The project was designed through joint efforts between ICD and the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion...
Financial Inclusion
Nov 18, 2020
The Development Research Group at World Bank organized a talk on Bank lending for inclusive growth on November 17th, 2020 with speakers Claudia Ruiz-Ortega and Mario Guadamillas. You can watch the session recording HERE. Session Brief Bank lending is a key driver of economic growth. However, large inefficiencies remain—particularly in developing...
Gender Finance
Nov 09, 2020
We are delighted to share the ‘How to Invest With A Gender Lens?’, a guide created by Value for Women . The guide offers multiple concrete pathways for investors who want to keep inclusion at the core of their efforts in these important times of Covid-19 pandemic. Gender lens investing is the deliberate incorporation of gender factors into...
Trade Finance
Nov 06, 2020
The global economy is going through unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in both developed and developing economies, with a particularly devastating impact on small businesses. World trade plummeted in the first half the year, and despite signs of trade...
Trade Finance
Nov 02, 2020
We are delighted to launch the ‘Trade Finance Explained: An SME Guide for Importers and Exporters’ along with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT), International Trade Centre (ITC), Forum of Private Business (FPB), and Trade Finance Global (TFG). What's the SME Trade Finance Guide...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 15, 2020
The importance of credit reporting systems to the global financial system has been increasing over time. Robust credit reporting systems can promote not only access to affordable and sustainable credit for individuals and companies but also financial stability and economic growth. Credit reporting service providers (CRSPs) have been at the...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 15, 2020
The main objective of this Knowledge Guide is to provide guidance to the World Bank Group (WBG) staff, donor institutions, government officials and other practitioners on the objectives and implementation of secured transactions reforms, as well as the factors that affect the implementation. The Knowledge Guide considers the experiences learned in...
Gender Finance
Oct 06, 2020
IFC and member FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank has launched a report today on how non-financial services are the key to unlocking the growth potential of women-led businesses. The report highlights how women SME such as Patricia Mwangi’s business in Kenya benefit from non-financial services. Download the report> http://wrld.bg/...
Covid-19
Sep 29, 2020
The treatment of credit data during a crisis has potential impact on the integrity of the credit reporting system and ultimately the financial markets. Inadequate and untimely data reduces the reliance placed by credit providers on the credit reporting system and can lead to credit rationing, increase in the cost of credit and exclusion of...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 24, 2020
This third edition of the Credit Reporting Knowledge Guide, like the two earlier editions, disseminates knowledge on best practices in credit reporting development, based on the experiences of the World Bank Group. Since the launch of the program, the World Bank Group has helped to develop favorable credit reporting environments in many countries...
Youth Entrepreneurship
Sep 14, 2020
Four in 10 people, or 42 percent, of the world’s population are under the age of 25. Globally, an estimated 70.9 million youth were unemployed in 2017. Thus, job creation and economic growth through private sector development have become primary areas of focus for policymakers around the world. As more youth enter the workforce, they are known to...
Covid-19
Sep 11, 2020
B20 and Business at OECD launch “GVC Passport” concept on Financial Compliance to Reinvigorate Firms’ Growth Post-COVID-19 The Business 20 (B20), the official voice of the global business community across G20 members, and Business at OECD launched a joint conceptual policy proposal that focuses on reducing barriers that firms encounter in their...
Aug 28, 2020
Member EIF has issued two working papers as a result of a research project on “Measuring Microfinance Impact in the EU. Policy recommendations for Financial and Social Inclusion” (MeMI). The project was initiated and supervised by the EIF and was funded by the EIB Institute under the EIB-University Sponsorship Programme (EIBURS). The aim of this...
![[REPORT LAUNCH] People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future](https://smefinanceforum.org/sites/default/files/styles/720x486/public/Read%20now.jpeg?itok=0UHp2Qnv "[REPORT LAUNCH] People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future")
Aug 24, 2020
[REPORT LAUNCH] As part of the GPFI implementing partners, the United Nations Task Force on Digital Financing on the Sustainable Development Goals has launched the report: “People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future”. New York City, 26 August - A new report launched today, “People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization...
Jul 30, 2020
This publication is a research paper prepared by Dr. Randa Al-Yafi, Ph.D (Associates Professor) at College of Business Administration, Management Department, King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (reviewed and approved by Kafalah GD). The research is showing some backgrounds of the SME sector and highlighting Kafalah role and achievements...
Gender Finance
Jul 28, 2020
Digital financial services have expanded opportunities for millions of women across the globe. More than 240 million more women now have an account with a financial institution or mobile money service, compared to 2014.1 Through this increased engagement in the formal economy, women’s resilience to financial, economic and health shocks is...
Digital Financial Services
Jul 22, 2020
Access to finance is a critical barrier for SMEs to start, sustain and grow their businesses. About half of formal SMEs do not have access to formal credit, and instead rely on internal funds, or cash from friends and family, to launch and initially run their business. An extensive survey of SMEs in 135 countries showed that access to finance was...
Gender Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Digital Financial Services
Jul 19, 2020
The G20 High-Level Policy Guidelines on Digital Financial Inclusion for Youth, Women, and SMEs document was produced by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in 2020 under the Saudi Arabia G20 Presidency with the support of OECD , the World Bank Group in partnership with The Better Than Cash Alliance, the Women's World Banking...
Covid-19
Jul 08, 2020
In this white paper, Dr. Mohammad Nurunnabi, Dr. Hisham Mohammed Alhawal and Professor Zahirul Hoque, from Global SME Policy Network (GSPN), address the impact of COVID-19 and how CEOs respond to SMEs recovery planning in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study will be useful to global SMEs and policymakers and practitioners by providing examples...
Covid-19
Jul 07, 2020
Member Kabbage published a recent report on the results of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The combined Kabbage Program processed more than $5.8 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans, providing support to more than 209,000 small businesses and maintained an estimated 782,000 jobs across Main Street America. This includes all types of...
Digital Financial Services
Jul 03, 2020
The International Council for Small Business (ICSB), in June 2016, convened a small business panel at its 61st World Congress at the United Nations, in New York City. This report is the continuation of the ICSB’s work since 2016 with the goal of bringing all stakeholders and partners together in one place, with one mission, and one focus: to help...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jun 30, 2020
The FCI Annual Review has been recently published by our industry partner, and it is a globally recognised publication in the world of Factoring and Receivables Finance. Peter Mulroy, FCI Secretary General, introduces the publication highlighting the major achievements in 2019 but also the challenges and opportunities facing FCI and the industry...
Covid-19
Jun 16, 2020
The novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected over 7.45 million people worldwide and claimed over 400,000 lives globally. It is not just a pandemic—it is also a burgeoning (global) economic crisis, especially because of the measures (including lockdowns) adopted to contain its spread. Several...
Gender Finance
Covid-19
May 29, 2020
This evaluation report highlights an exhaustive situation of what Nigerien businesses are going through in general and more particularly those grouped within "emerging women" in particular since the COVID-19 was declared in late March in Niger. It is a real question of survival that is played out for these companies confronted as highlighted by...
Covid-19
May 21, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has so far spared Africa in terms of reported cases and casualties, yet the lockdowns in place have significantly hurt African economies. awamo , a digital, mobile banking platform, and credit bureau, specially designed for MFIs, has analyzed real-time transaction data of rural and semi-urban microfinance institutions from...
Gender Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Apr 20, 2020
The GPFI’s stocktaking of data available on financing for SMEs, both at the country level and at the client level of the major international development finance institutions, reveals serious gaps. Annual aggregate data is captured annually for only a minority of the world’s countries by the IMF, OECD, and others. Little if any data is available at...
Covid-19
Apr 17, 2020
In this unprecedented time of disruption to businesses, the World Bank launched, together with INSOL Intl, the Global Guide to Measures Adopted in Support of Distressed Businesses through the COVID-19 Crisis. Read more in these Guidance Notes: COVID-19 Outbreak: Capital Markets Implications and Response COVID-19 Outbreak: Insurance Implications...
Covid-19
Apr 13, 2020
In this recent COVID-19 Notes prepared by the World Bank and IFC, contributed by Ghada Teima , Global Lead Financial Sector Specialist at IFC, you will read an assessment on the impact and policy responses in support of private-sector firms in the context of the pandemic. Summary While a COVID-19 outbreak will have a generalized impact on business...
Financial Education
Apr 03, 2020
In this publication, you will read about the SME Finance Forum highlights in 2019. Extract from the Foreword: The year 2019 has been a remarkable year for the SME Finance Forum — a year of continued, strong membership growth and effective delivery of member services. Since our launch in November 2015, we’ve grown from a few dozen committed early...
Guarantees
Mar 02, 2020
This report, prepared by the World Bank , seeks to enhance practitioners’ understanding of the potential role that capital markets can have in SME financing in EMDEs. The report reviews global experiences with the use of capital markets solutions and, more generally, of market-based solutions to expand SME financing with a view to identifying key...
Feb 11, 2020
The future of financial services will be impacted deeply by the emergence of embedded finance: finance that promises to be more internet-like, more interconnected and more customizable, with novel components that can be inserted into individual businesses in different sectors. Read more about it in this white paper called Embedded Finance: The...