Library
Data Analytics
Apr 22, 2025
Digitalization accelerated by the pandemic has exponentially increased the number and variability of alternative data sources. The stay-at-home requirements during the pandemic forced several business models to be digitized. This helped spur the digitization that had been ongoing pre-pandemic, largely driven by governments as countries sought to...
Financial Education
Financial Inclusion
Apr 17, 2025
Washington D.C, March 7, 2025 – Yemen Microfinance Network (YMN) , Yemen's microfinance institutions association, an NGO co-funded by UNDP and SFD 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...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Apr 16, 2025
Washington D.C, March 12, 2025 – Fauree , UAE’s leading provider of supply chain finance and working capital solutions, 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...
Equity
Data Analytics
Apr 14, 2025
Washington D.C, March 26, 2025 – Convergence Blended Finance , the global blended finance network driving private investment in developing countries, has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Apr 07, 2025
Washington D.C, April 7, 2025 – Vayana , India's largest Supply Chain Finance Network 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 worldwide...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Apr 03, 2025
IFC and C2FO are working under a strategic partnership to bolster job growth and economic prosperity in emerging markets and developing economies. The first initiative will work to enhance financing for local enterprises in Africa by developing a specialized, web-based multinational working capital platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Apr 03, 2025
Washington D.C, April 3, 2025 – FaturamPara , Turkey's first company with both RegTech and FinTech features 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...
Policy & Regulation
Apr 03, 2025
The OECD Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs Scoreboard: 2025 Highlights tracks financing trends, conditions and policy developments across nearly 50 countries. The paper provides official data on SME financing from 2007 to 2023, with additional insights for 2024 and early 2025, covering debt, equity, asset-based finance and overall financing...
Data & Cybersecurity
Apr 02, 2025
Washington D.C, April 2, 2025 – ADAPTA , US Tech Firm Expanding AI-Driven Risk Management in Global Agriculture 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...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 28, 2025
Since 2020, #VietNam has experienced a surge in nonperforming loans (NPLs). Not only does the growing number of NPLs reduce the stability of the banking system, but each one represents a borrower excluded from credit markets. Many of the NPLs are consumer debts, meaning poorer households are particularly hard hit. IFC - International Finance...
Data Analytics
Mar 26, 2025
Washington D.C, March 26, 2025 – The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) , which enhances market transparency and combats financial crime through the implementation and use of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 300+ members/affiliates of the...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 24, 2025
Washington D.C, March 24, 2025 – First Finance , a leading SME financial services provider in Iraq which adheres to international best practices to support and empower small and medium-sized enterprises has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum operate in 190...
Mar 21, 2025
MSMEs employ more than 80% of the workforce in #Ghana and account for over 70% of GDP. The majority of these enterprises are informal, consisting mainly of micro and sole enterprises operated by women and young entrepreneurs. While these small businesses play a critical role in economic growth and job creation, lack of information and collateral...
Gender Finance
Mar 17, 2025
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, March 11, 2025 – To boost access to finance for women-led SMEs in Côte d’Ivoire, IFC and the Africa Local Currency Bond Fund (ALCB Fund) today announced an anchor investment in a gender bond from Ecobank Côte d’Ivoire, the first gender bond to be issued in the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). Proceeds from...
Financial Inclusion
Feb 27, 2025
Washington D.C, Feb 27, 2025 – Beltone SMEs , a subsidiary of Beltone Holding - 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 worldwide...
Feb 23, 2025
Washington D.C, Jan 10, 2025 – Cenfri , a global think-tank and not-for-profit enterprise with offices in South Africa and Rwanda has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding...
Feb 17, 2025
Washington D.C, Feb 17th, 2025 – Banco de Crédito del Perú , the largest bank and the largest supplier of integrated financial services in Perú 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...
Financial Inclusion
Feb 11, 2025
About the Impact Pathfinder Welcome to the Impact Pathfinder, an evidence platform designed to shed light on the impact of financial inclusion on development. By leveraging existing research, this platform outlines pathways that show how financial services and products can contribute to key development outcomes, such as building resilience,...
Equity
Feb 11, 2025
Highlights • Inclusive credit fintech has the potential to address the estimated US$4.9 trillion global credit gap for micro and small enterprises (MSEs). • However, access to diverse and suitable funding sources remains a critical challenge, especially for early-stage fintechs that are not yet profitable. • This focus note explores financing...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 11, 2025
BII sees opportunities for impact in firms of all sizes. Sole-traders, microenterprises, small, medium, and large firms are all sometimes unable to find the financing they need, to the detriment of society. The growth of firms is at the heart of development. Countries escape poverty as people move out of informal employment into wage-paying jobs...
Alternative Financing
Guarantees
Feb 05, 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY ACTIONS AGREED BY THE EXPERT GROUP: shorted by importance and short term feasibility: Banking channel PUBLIC-PRIVATE SHARED INVESTMENT MODELS: Building on the success of initiatives like “France Relance,” this action advocates for collaborative investment strategies that engage both public and private sectors in financing...
Policy & Regulation
Feb 03, 2025
Summary The G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) Action Plan for Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSME) Financing is a call to action to intensify the efforts of G20 and willing non-G20 countries to close the financing gap for MSMEs. MSMEs represent a significant share of economic activity and capture a large share of...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 02, 2025
Tania Ziegler (CCAF), Krishnamurthy Suresh (CCAF), Zhifu Xie (CCAF), Felipe Ferri de Camargo Paes (CCAF), Peter J Morgan (ADBI), Bryan Zhang (CCAF). This first edition of ‘The ASEAN Access to Digital Finance Study’, aims to provide valuable data and insights into how individual households, consumers, and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME)...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 02, 2025
Tania Ziegler (CCAF), Felipe Ferri de Camargo Paes (CCAF), Cecilia López Closs (CCAF), Erika Soki (CCAF), Diego Herrera (IDB), Jaime Sarmiento (IDB) This edition of ‘The SME Access to Finance: A Deep Dive into LATAM’s Fintech Ecosystem’ provides insights into micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs’) access to funding through the alternative...
Digital Financial Services
Feb 02, 2025
By Krishnamurthy Suresh (Principal Researcher, CCAF), Felipe Ferri de Camargo Paes (Principal Researcher, CCAF), Loh Xiang Ru (CCAF), Richard Kithuka (CCAF), Peter Morgan (ADBI), Pavle Avramovic (CCAF), and Bryan Zhang (CCAF). This is the second edition of our ‘Access to Digital Finance’ study in Asia-Pacific. Building on our previous publication...
Data Analytics
Jan 14, 2025
Uplinq is thrilled to unveil our latest collaboration with Visa . Together, we’ve released a groundbreaking case study titled "Transforming global small business underwriting with augmented data" —a deep dive into how AI-powered credit decisioning is reshaping small business lending worldwide. Leveraging sophisticated AI and machine learning...
Data & Cybersecurity
Fintech
Dec 15, 2024
"International AI Policy Focuses on Safety" discusses the increasing global emphasis on ensuring the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). Key points and main ideas include: International Collaboration on AI Safety: Governments and international organizations are recognizing the need for harmonized approaches to AI safety,...
Digital Transformation
Nov 27, 2024
November 2024 Highlights Open finance is a financial innovation that facilitates customer-permissioned access to and use of customer data held by financial institutions to provide new and enhanced services and develop innovative business models. Open finance frameworks can spur innovation, improve competition, enhance customer empowerment, and...
Sustainable Finance
Nov 22, 2024
The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector in Pakistan plays a pivotal role in the national economy, contributing approximately 40% to GDP and providing employment to millions. Despite its significance, the sector faces numerous challenges that hinder its growth and development. Key barriers include limited access to finance, complex...
Financial Education
Nov 19, 2024
10 Years of Leadership Excellence - Registration Now Open for the 2025 GABV Leadership Academy Dear GABV members, We are excited to announce the 10th edition of the GABV Leadership Academy —a milestone in shaping resilient leaders in values-based banking! Registrations are now open until 5 December 2024. This year’s programme, ' Resilience in the...
Digital Financial Services
Nov 14, 2024
IMF Releases the 2024 Financial Access Survey Results October 30, 2024 Washington, DC: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the results of the 2024 Financial Access Survey (FAS), marking the 15th anniversary of the FAS. The report “FAS: 2024 Highlights,” published along with the data release, summarizes the key trends on access to and...
Governance
Nov 11, 2024
Washington D.C, Nov 11, 2024 – Nepal Bankers’ Association , an Umbrella Organisation of all 'A' Class Commercial Banks of Nepal has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 300+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Nov 05, 2024
A follow-up series of Banking for small and medium enterprises by IBM Institute for Business Value Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the global economy, representing 90% of all firms, employing approximately 70% of the world’s workforce, and contributing 50% to global GDP.* Despite their significance, SMEs face many...
Financial Inclusion
Nov 01, 2024
Washington D.C, Nov 1, 2024 – 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion , an open and global learning platform has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. 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...
Digital Transformation
Oct 29, 2024
The white paper by Mastercard underscores the pivotal role of middle market businesses (firms with 50 to 250 employees) in driving global economic growth, with a notable $24.2 trillion in B2B spending in 2022. These businesses face unique challenges as they scale, such as the need for digitization, automation, and streamlined operations, along...
Sustainable Finance
Oct 20, 2024
As the world faces the urgent challenge of climate change, financial institutions, especially Public Development Banks (PDBs), are crucial in helping Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) transitioning to a low-carbon economy. This publication reviews the different solutions offered by 16 Public Development Banks (PDBs) to support the...
Fintech
Oct 20, 2024
October 2024 Highlights: Inclusive fintech startups are early-stage, venture-backed enterprises creating innovative credit products for microenterprises in emerging markets, which holds great promise for the future of microenterprise finance. In this note, we highlight strategies employed by fintech startups that benefit microenterprises via three...
Fintech
Oct 08, 2024
By: Tommy Felts - October 04, 2024 Sandy Kemper, founder and CEO of C2FO, speaks during a panel conversation at the 2024 SME Finance Forum in São Paulo, Brazil; photo courtesy of C2FO C2FO would’ve been profitable in the US alone, CEO says; how solving for global needs made it an even stronger fintech leader T he impact of one Kansas City-built...
Trade Finance
Policy & Regulation
Oct 08, 2024
Business Ready (B-READY) 2024 report assesses the regulatory framework and public services directed at firms, and the efficiency with which regulatory framework and public services are combined in practice.
Sustainable Finance
Oct 04, 2024
Washington, D.C., October 1, 2024 - The World Bank Group and partners have launched the “ Sustainable Finance Knowledge Center for Francophone Africa ” today. A first preview of the center was presented two weeks ago at the annual Global Meeting of the SME Finance Forum in Brazil. This virtual platform, available in both English and French, is...
Sustainable Finance
Oct 04, 2024
Mobilizing Investment for the Developing World's Sustainable Cooling Needs Rising global temperatures mean demand for cooling in homes, workplaces, and across supply chains is accelerating, particularly in developing economies where the impact of extreme heat is already being felt most acutely. Heat-related deaths are running at an annual average...
Financial Inclusion
Fintech
Oct 04, 2024
June 5, 2024 | Washington DC EMpact is helping build AI Labs within our partner organizations as a part of our effort to accelerate digital transformation of agricultural value chains and relevant financial services. Today, EMpact published a new white paper that delves into the pivotal role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in propelling financial...
Data Analytics
Fintech
Oct 04, 2024
Small and medium enterprises face many challenges within a rapidly evolving economic landscape—one that demands innovative banking solutions. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the global economy, representing 90% of all firms, employing approximately 70% of the world's workforce, and contributing 50% to global GDP. But...
Non Financial Services
Equity
Sep 30, 2024
Washington D.C, September 30th, 2024 – KoreFusion Consulting , a boutique strategy consulting and investment bank focused on SME payments and financing in North America and Western Europe 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...
Financial Inclusion
Digital Transformation
Sep 26, 2024
Divergent views among business leaders and bankers on priorities uncover a white space for nimble financial institutions to compete in this varied market segment. ARMONK, N.Y., September 18th, 2024 – New findings from IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value and the Banking Industry Architecture Network (BIAN), with contributions from the...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Aug 30, 2024
Washington D.C, Aug 30, 2024 – InvoSoko Africa, a leading SMEs focused Supply Chain Finance solutions provider in Sub-saharan Africa 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...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Jul 29, 2024
The Global SME Finance Forum is the largest, most geographically diverse and cutting-edge gathering on SME finance, which brings together experienced global leaders to facilitate the exchange of insights, promote best practices, and chart the future trajectory. Since 2015, its forward-thinking agenda, tackling topics such as sustainable finance...
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...
Trade Finance
Jul 18, 2024
We are glad to announce the launch of the " 360tf SMEs Trade Finance Survey 2024 Edition ," in partnership with Middlesex University Dubai . This survey is a unique opportunity for the SME community to voice their opinions and shape the future of SME trade finance in the UAE . The survey aims to gather feedback and insights that will drive...
Data Analytics
Digital Financial Services
Jul 18, 2024
Washington D.C, July 18, 2024 – Jocata, a leading digital lending transformation partner 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
Jul 15, 2024
Washington D.C, July 15, 2024 – WeGro , a leading agri-fintech in Bangladesh 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 worldwide through...
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...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jul 11, 2024
Washington D.C, July 11, 2024 – Bank of Kigali , the largest bank in Rwanda by total assets 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...
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...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jul 09, 2024
Washington D.C, July 9th, 2024 – Receivables Exchange of India Limited (RXIL) , a leading MSMEs focused digital platform in India 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...
Financial Inclusion
Sustainable Finance
Jun 16, 2024
The 2024 MSME Day offers an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas on how Key stakeholders, including policy makers, large companies, financial institutions, and the international community can support micro-, small and medium-sized businesses to advance the 2030 Agenda and contribute to achieving the SDGs, including poverty eradication and...
Jun 13, 2024
Washington D.C, June 13, 2024 – Akbank , a Turkish bank founded in 1948 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 worldwide through...
Jun 04, 2024
Washington D.C, June 4, 2024 – ICICI Bank , one of the leading private sector banks in India, 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...
Fintech
May 27, 2024
Washington D.C, May 27, 2024 – Kapitale , one of the most innovative fintechs in receivables anticipation in Brazil, has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. Created by the G20 in 2012 and managed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the SME Finance Forum has more than 300 members/affiliates who...
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...
Financial Inclusion
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
May 21, 2024
Learn from Sucharita Mukherjee - Co-founder & CEO at Kaleidofin, about her of experience in attending the Global SME Finance Forum and the importance of digitization in the Indian market for financing SMEs, the role of digital platforms in serving underserved markets, and the potential for structured, systematic south-to-south learning and...
Guarantees
Digital Financial Services
May 21, 2024
Learn from Sandeep Varma, CEO at CGTMSE, about his experience attending the Global SME Finance Forum and the role of credit guarantee schemes in helping MSMES access to finance. He also discusses the potential of technology to improve the efficiency and reach of credit guarantee schemes. This interview was led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry...
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
May 21, 2024
Learn from Peter Simon, Managing Director at WSBI-ESBG, about his experience attending the Global SME Finance Forum and how WSBI helps its member banks to adapt and improve their digital services. This interview was led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry Specialist, Digital Finance at IFC. " Very impressive to see so many different actors f rom...
Financial Inclusion
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
May 21, 2024
Learn from Prashant Muddu - Founder and CEO at Jocata, about his experience attending the Global SME Finance Forum, the importance of digital public infrastructure, the challenges and opportunities in adopting AI, and the need for financial literacy and technology adoption across different geographies. This interview was led by Hans Koning, Global...
Digital Financial Services
May 21, 2024
Learn from Rajeev Chalisgaonkar - Executive Vice President at Mashreq Bank, about his multiple years of experience attending the Global SME Finance Forum and the importance of digital stacks for SME financing, fintech pitches, and the evolution of ideas into successful businesses. This interview was led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry...
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,...
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 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
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...
Financial Inclusion
Apr 15, 2024
In November 2023, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) moderated the closed-door roundtable "How Universal Trusted Credentials (UTC) can transform financial inclusion" . This event brought together senior representatives from central banks, financial institutions, and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss the opportunities...
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...
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
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 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...
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
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
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...
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Dec 22, 2023
Learn from Michael Jongeneel, about ESG data aggregation practices within FMO and digitalization benefits for SMEs. Interview led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry Specialist, Digital Finance at IFC. ‘I have been in Mumbai for less than 24 hours, but I already had a couple of very interesting discussions and potential collaboration with Indian...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Dec 22, 2023
Learn from Jane Prokop - EVP of Small and Medium Enterprises at Mastercard, about her experience attending the Global SME Finance Forum for the first time and the latest challenges of digitalization. This interview was led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry Specialist, Digital Finance at IFC. ‘It is my first time joining the SME Finance Forum...
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,...
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...
Non Financial Services
Equity
Dec 05, 2023
Learn from PVSLN, Murty, Chairman and Managing Director, North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi), about their mission to champion the entrepreneurial spirit of the North Eastern Region of India, financing commercially viable industries and providing consultancy services. The interview is led by Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Dec 05, 2023
Learn from Sandy Kemper, Founder and Chairman of C2FO, about their on-demand working capital platform as he is answering questions from Hans Koning, Global Chief Industry Specialist, Digital Finance at IFC. 'The IFC has the goal of getting to a hundred billion USD funding by 2030 and we, at C2FO are trying to get to a trillion USD of funding by...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
Financial Inclusion
Youth Entrepreneurship
Aug 14, 2023
Over 163 million informal workers in emerging markets have found new opportunities through #gigplatforms, but many remain financially excluded. That's why platforms are stepping up to offer financial services to #gigworkers, helping them save, invest, and access credit. The impact can be positive for the workers and the economy. If you're...
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...
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...
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...
Alternative Financing
Equity
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Islamic Banking
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Trade Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
May 16, 2023
The “SME Finance Virtual Marketplace” is an online match-making platform that promotes partnership and collaboration between financial institutions, fintech companies and development finance institutions/ investors. The virtual Marketplace is powered by GlobalLinker, an AI powered ‘Digital Ecosystem’ offering SMEs a range of services to build...
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 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...
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...
Fintech
Apr 12, 2023
Learn from Danang Kusama, VP Sales for Digital Partnership for Investree, about strategic partnerships with banks and fintech businesses. “In this space in Indonesia, there are a lot of stakeholders…we are helping them get more access to SMEs and MSMEs and help consolidate those portfolios.” The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues is a series of...
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...
Covid-19
Digital Transformation
Apr 04, 2023
Learn from Joyce Tee, Managing Director for DBS Group Holdings, about how COVID-19 has transformed the SME finance space. “COVID has actually redefined how SME has to do business…how do you pivot to digital and how do you stay sustainable, how do you continue to learn from all these new orders in the market? COVID has brought digitization to the...
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
Covid-19
Digital Transformation
Mar 29, 2023
Learn from Carrie Suen, Senior Advisor for ANT Group, as she talks about tourism sector growth and digitalization after the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. “With tourism coming back, how do we tap into this momentum? A lot of SMEs suffered from the pandemic disruption…we are working with a lot of micro-SMEs like mom-and-pop shops to incentivize...
Financial Inclusion
Covid-19
Mar 29, 2023
Learn from Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion, about the struggle against poverty globally and the importance of digitalization in post-COVID-19 reconstruction. “In our lifetime we have seen poverty go down… over several decades. We’ve seen the greatest reduction of poverty ever in human history until today. Since the pandemic we’ve seen...
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
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
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 08, 2023
Our member, Asante Financial Services Group, is driven by passion to see to the growth of the MSME sector in Africa. It is through strategic partnerships such as the one with SOLV Kenya, a member company of Standard Chartered Banking Group, that we are able to extend our reach to the Kenyan MSMEs In Sub-Saharan Africa, micro, small and medium...
Financial Inclusion
Jan 31, 2023
Learn from H.E. Achille Bassilekin III, Minister of SME, Social Economy, and Handicrafts, about SME development in Cameroon. “We have been developing some tours to ensure that we facilitate the financial inclusion of small businesses in my country. In that vein the Head of State decided the establishment of an SME bank...which is the financial...
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...
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...
Gender Finance
Dec 28, 2022
Learn from H.E. Dr. Chea Serey, Director General of the National Bank of Cambodia, about women empowerment and women's access to finance in Cambodia. “We have been working on access to finance particularly for women and committed to reduce exclusion rates by half by 2024…we have come up with a national financial inclusion strategy involving all...
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...
Fintech
Dec 21, 2022
Learn from Aria Widyanto, Director & CRSO of Amartha, about Amartha’s shift toward fintech. “We innovate …and therefore we favored fintech in 2016, and since then we are building more digital products…during the pandemic in 2020 we were ready to serve and retain our customers because we have started our digital transformation processes.” The...
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
Alternative Financing
Digital Financial Services
Dec 15, 2022
Digital lending or alternative lending is a catalyst to inclusive financial services for segments that are not a key target for traditional financial institutions. The use of AI-powered decisioning systems for evaluating individual credit eligibility by digital lending platforms has now become critical for micro, small and medium enterprises (...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Fintech
Dec 14, 2022
Learn from Manfred Borer, CEO of Koltiva, about the integration of fintech in agribusiness during the COVID and post-COVID era. “Everyone talks about digitization...but I still see a future in a hybrid model. We have several hundred field agents across Indonesia...because our industry clients, agrobusiness, know they need boots on the ground for...
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,...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 06, 2022
Learn from Ongki Dana, President Director & Commissioner of BTPN , about capacity building and the mindset-shift in SME Finance. “If our customers are SME and MSME...they will always need money from us...so we need to build their capacity to grow...it is crucial to both have the financial and the non-financial and going digital enables us to...
Nov 30, 2022
Learn from Robin Bairstow, Managing Director at I&M Bank about the future of SME Finance in Rwanda after the COVID pandemic. “One of the areas we have now been able to leverage on...is trade finance, and we've seen a lot of growth in that area...growth has been 50% year on year within the same SME sector...we've also added in loan origination...
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...
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Oct 05, 2022
What we heard on September 21 st …. We kicked off the second day of the Global SME Finance Forum 2022 with Ruth Horowitz - Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, IFC and his Excellency Phan Phalla - Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Cambodia. Both Ruth Horowitz and Secretary Phan Phalla spoke about the...
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 Transformation
Oct 04, 2022
What we heard on September 20 th …. Opening remarks were given by H.E. Chea Chanto – Governor, National Bank of Cambodia and Tomasz Telma – Director, Financial Institutions Group, IFC Chea Chanto laid out examples of how Cambodia is increasingly leveraging digitalisation to improve access to finance and Tomasz Telma talked about data driven...
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...
Trade Finance
Sep 14, 2022
This podcast prepared by our industry partner Trade Finance Global, features Matt Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum and Magda Bianco, co-chair of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). It gives an overview of current G20 initiatives designed to help SMEs get easier access to finance. Among those initiatives is the Global SME...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
Financial Inclusion
Governance
Mar 02, 2022
The SME Finance Forum, which we run at IFC for the G20 countries is a global center for knowledge exchange, networking promotion and public-private dialogue. In just over 6 years we’ve also built a community of over 240 financial institutions, fintechs, development banks, tech firms and more, working in virtually every country in the world,...
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...
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...
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Feb 23, 2022
What exactly is a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)? A CBDC is virtual money backed and issued by a central bank. As cryptocurrencies and stablecoins have become more popular, the world’s central banks have realized that they need to provide an alternative—or let the future of money pass them by. There are a lot of reasons to explore virtual...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
Sustainable Finance
Jan 18, 2022
Learn from Petr Polach, Head of Corporate and Sustainable Finance of Raiffeisen Bank International AG about the importance of ESG and his journey to apply these principles across the institution. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology...
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...
Trade Finance
Dec 15, 2021
Learn from Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Corporation (ITFC) on building capacities for the future to strengthen the private sector, collaborating with partners to find synergies in order to meet the financing gap in their member countries. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new series of one-on-one...
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-...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 01, 2021
Conference Proceedings of the 2021 Global SME Finance Forum Day 1 - October 18th Opening Remarks Makhtar Diop, Managing Director and EVP, International Finance Corporation (IFC) We need contribution from SMEs to help us reach our sustainability goals. Individually not a major source of greenhouse gases but collectively account for a significant...
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...
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...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Oct 11, 2021
Learn from Lori Kerr, CEO of FinDev Canada as the new kid on the block charting new territory in development finance. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, 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.
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...
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...
Operational Risk
Jul 20, 2021
Learn from Xiaodong Sun, Chief Risk Officer of MYbank in China about the innovative risk management system developed by the bank that allowed them to minimize the default rate during the pandemic. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology...
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...
Guarantees
Covid-19
May 27, 2021
Posted originally in the Financial Resilience Around the World, World Bank Blog Series Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel region, was already facing difficult challenges when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. The security context had been deteriorating since June 2018, with an upsurge in violent attacks by terrorists and...
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...
May 26, 2021
Learn from Thomas Östros, Vice President of the European Investment Bank, about EIB's work with SMEs, and his vision for the future growth of SMEs. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector...
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...
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...
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...
Operational Risk
Apr 28, 2021
Learn from Andrée Simon, President and CEO of FINCA Impact Finance, about the challenges of bringing people into the formal financial sector during COVID-19, and the critical need for preparation, transparency and communication to be ready to cope with crises. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new series of one-on-one interviews with...
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...
Islamic Banking
Covid-19
Mar 24, 2021
Learn from Ayman Amin Sejiny, CEO of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, Member of IsDB Group, about his experience in Sharia-compliant financing, ethical standards and sustainability, and the importance of helping SMEs with the right funding during the pandemic. The SME Finance Forum’s Leader Dialogues, is a new...
Financial Inclusion
Mar 17, 2021
Learn from Paloma Tejada, Director of Talent and Culture, Agile and Communications, Client Solutions at BBVA about the cultural transformation of BBVA into an agile organization including staff and leadership, to provide better solutions for SMEs customers, and how diversity proves to have a positive impact on business. The SME Finance Forum’s...
Digital Transformation
Mar 15, 2021
*This article is an excerpt with key highlights from WeBank’s recent presentation at the 2021 Knowledge Annual Conference of the IFC. The pandemic has shoved the global economy into a state of chaos, affecting both large corporations and SMEs across nearly all sectors. However, the global outbreak has also brought opportunities to innovate...
Covid-19
Fintech
Mar 10, 2021
Learn from John Gachora, Group Managing Director at NCBA Group PLC. about his journey to become a leader in the banking industry, digitization, and how NCBA Group became the largest bank in Africa serving SME clients with mobile financial services, especially in Kenya. The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now "Leader Dialogues", is a new series...
Covid-19
Digital Financial Services
Mar 04, 2021
The past 12 months have brought a multitude of unprecedented challenges for small businesses. It was inspirational to witness how they responded with versatility, creativity and tenacity, and how that brought about rapid innovation, new collaboration and empathy that continues to benefit society as a whole. It was also exciting to see the...
Fintech
Mar 01, 2021
Learn from Henry Ma, Chief Information Officer, WeBank, about his early career in the Silicon Valley, the unique 'ABCD' capabilities of WeBank as a fully digital bank, and the cost and quality of financial services, while serving 1.3 million SME clients in China. The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now "Leader Dialogues", is a new series of one...
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%...
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...
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
Fintech
Feb 10, 2021
Learn from Irene Arias, CEO of IDB Lab, (former FOMIN), about the importance of innovation labs, and how they accelerate digitization for SMEs in Latina America and the Caribbean, as well as provide other solutions, especially to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now "Leader Dialogues", is a new series of one-...
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...
Covid-19
Digital Transformation
Jan 27, 2021
The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now called "Leader Dialogues" , 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. In this edition, Joséphine Anan-Ankomah, Group Executive for Commercial Banking of Ecobank, talks with Matt Gamser,...
Covid-19
Payments
Jan 27, 2021
The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now called "Leader Dialogues" , 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. In this edition, Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, the head for the M-Pesa Africa leadership team, talks to Matt Gamser about...
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...
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...
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...
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 “...
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...
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...
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,...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Covid-19
Jan 15, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted many lives across the globe. In this blog we focus on women. Worldwide, the pandemic has hit women harder than men. Women run a higher risk of COVID-19 contagion due to their occupations in health-related activities. They are also overrepresented in jobs where social distancing has been more difficult...
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...
Covid-19
Jan 14, 2021
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. In this edition, Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director /CEO of Access Bank, talks with Yvonne Okwara, about the impact and disruptions caused by the...
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...
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,...
Fintech
Dec 23, 2020
Our member Raiffesisen Bank International’s Partnership Program Elevator Lab’s fourth round took place virtually in the second half of 2020. Elevator Lab had been selected as one of the “Best Financial Innovation Labs in 2020” by the Global Finance. The Lab aims at finding innovative fintech solutions and building mutually beneficial partnerships...
Financial Inclusion
Dec 22, 2020
Our member Kabbage plans to expand on the work done by researchers from NYU Stern on the kind of lenders that had the highest minority share among their Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans. They will work on exploring the reasons behind the found correlation between the lender type and borrower race. The current research note focused on...
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...
Fintech
Dec 17, 2020
We are happy to share that our member Bitbond , Germany’s leading tokenization and digital asset custody technology provider, and Bankhaus von der Heydt (BVDH), one of Europe’s oldest banks, have joined forces to issue a Euro (EUR) stablecoin (EURB) on the Stellar network. The EURB stablecoin is the first stablecoin issued directly by a banking...
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...
Covid-19
Dec 17, 2020
If you missed out on our conference or would like to rewatch our informative discussions, visit http://www.globalsmefinanceforum.org/2020/ or visit the Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7803227
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...
Covid-19
Dec 16, 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. In this edition, Michael Schlein, CEO of Accion, talks with Yvonne Okwara, about decades of experience working with small business owners who are...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 15, 2020
As the world reflects on progress on climate action since the Paris Agreement signing, it has been clear that action by small and medium-sized companies is essential for accelerating the transition to a net-zero emissions global economy. The SME Climate Hub has joined forces with Oxford University to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (...
Covid-19
Dec 10, 2020
We are happy to share that our member U GRO Capital has recently entered into a strategic partnership with the Wadhwani Foundation, a global non-profit organization. The partnership between the two organizations will mutually benefit the micro, small and medium enterprises that are predominantly present in education, healthcare, hospitality,...
Covid-19
Dec 09, 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. In this edition, Selim Hussain, Managing Director, and CEO of BRAC Bank, shared how early decisions made in response to COVID-19 helped overcome the...
Islamic Banking
Dec 08, 2020
We are happy to share that our member Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector’s (ICD) has established Finnovation Award to recognize, showcase and encourage financial institutions that provide an outstanding solution to the financial industry. Finnovation awards are a part of their new online platform “ Finnovation ” which...
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...
Operational Risk
Dec 07, 2020
Our member Afreximbank has taken the lead in creating a platform for Customer Due Diligence (CDD)/Know Your Customer (KYC) issues, with a special emphasis on African financial institutions and corporates. The platform referred to as Mansa will provide a single source of primary data required for performing customer due diligence checks on...
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...
Digital Financial Services
Dec 04, 2020
We’re delighted to share that our member Fern Software’s premier CRM and loans management system, FaaSBank is now used by over 50 community and SME lending organizations from coast to coast in Canada. FaaSBank was collaboratively designed with Community Futures Development Corporations (CDFDCs) in Ontario, Canada. User friendly and intuitive,...
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...
Fintech
Dec 03, 2020
COVID-19 has immensely changed the way we work. With an increase in reliance over online communication and remote work, there has also been an increase in security and data threat issues. Therefore, to meet the needs of modern-day digital challenges, our member Fern Software has partnered with Salesforce, one of the largest cloud-based software...
Islamic Banking
Dec 03, 2020
One of the main goals of our member Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector’s (ICD) asset management department is to create an “Enabling Environment” for the growth of Islamic Finance and build “Partnerships” with the private sector to enhance resource mobilization. The SME Funds at Asset Management Department of ICD is...
Dec 02, 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. In this edition, Kathryn Petralia, Co-founder and President of Kabbage, a US-based fintech talks to Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum...
Covid-19
Dec 02, 2020
Our member Triodos Investment Management has shared an informative column on “How Covid-19 is changing financial inclusion,” by Frank Streppel, Head of Global Investments at Triodos IM. He is a seasoned impact investing specialist with more than 20 years of expertise. According to him, financial inclusion facilitates access to all other basic...
Equity
Dec 02, 2020
Small and medium businesses have been some of the hardest hit in the COVID-19 pandemic. And all that has been as true in emerging markets as it has been for SMBs in the developed world. Tunde Kehinde has had a front-row seat witnessing and responding to that crisis. He’s the CEO and co-founder of our global member Lidya , a startup out of Nigeria...
Equity
Dec 01, 2020
We are pleased to share that our member Triodos Investment Management through its Triodos Microfinance Fund and Triodos Fair Share Fund in collaboration with Germany’s GLS Bank and UmweltBank has acquired 78% of Opportunity Bank Serbia (OBS), which is a member of Opportunity International, a network of banks and microfinance organizations. Triodos...
Nov 30, 2020
"Human capital is still the most basic of our strategy and the pillar of our development plan. Without human capital and their knowledge, it's not possible for us to adapt financial services that we provide to our clients...making Intesa Sanpaolo the leader in (handling) the COVID-19 crisis", said Massimiliano Cattozzi, Executive Director and Head...
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...
Sustainable Finance
Nov 27, 2020
We’re delighted to share that our member FinDev Canada has announced a USD 20 million loan support to FirstRand, one of South Africa’s leading financial institutions. The loan will add further financial capacity and assist in providing innovative lending solutions to FirstRand’s approximately 700,000 SME clients. Paulo Martelli, Director of...
Nov 26, 2020
We’re pleased to share our member Islamic Corporation for the Development’s (ICD) valuable work from their Business Resilience Assistance for Value-adding Enterprise (BRAVE) Women Program. The project was fully funded by the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative (We-Fi). The total amount of approved funding by We-Fi for the BRAVE Women...
Sustainable Finance
Nov 25, 2020
We’re proud to share that our member FinDev Canada has announced a USD 10 million loan support to Colombia’s Business Development Bank (Bancóldex). Alongside IDB Invest, FinDev Canada’s financing will support Bancóldex’s COVID-19 emergency liquidity lending program, which will support SMEs severely affected by the pandemic in Colombia. Created in...
Digital Financial Services
Nov 25, 2020
We all know that a lot has changed in 2020 as society gets used to the new routines; working from home or working on the front lines. Our member Fern Software is ready to enable this transition with a new platform that allows users to work from anywhere. Using AI technology to identify trends, they've embraced digital to the fullest with the...
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...
Trade Finance
Nov 24, 2020
We are delighted to share that our member HPD LendScape’s key client Allied Irish Bank (AIB) has completed a major technology initiative with the migration of its receivables finance operations to HPD LendScape’s fully cloud-hosted platform. The Cloud migration and software upgrade will allow the bank to easily scale up its offering and improve...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Nov 23, 2020
We are excited to share that our member The Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) has announced that the nominations are now open for Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development for the year 2020 under the subject "Zero Hunger: Eliminating hunger, providing food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable...
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 18, 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. In this edition, Judy Hsu, ASEAN and South Asia CEO for Standard Chartered Bank talks to Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum about the...
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...
Nov 13, 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 second interview on this series is with member KODIT, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, a policy-based financial institution established in 1976...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 11, 2020
We are delighted to share that our member Triodos Investment Management’s Microfinance Fund, Fair Share Fund and Hivos-Triodos Fund have provided a EUR 3 million debt facility to KoinWorks, the leading digital lender in the growing peer-to-peer (P2P) lending space in Indonesia. KoinWorks is a company which connects borrowers (SMEs) to lenders on...
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...
Sustainable Finance
Nov 06, 2020
We are proud to announce that our member Triodos Investment Management’s Hivos-Triodos Fund , has taken an equity share in Indian clean-tech company GPS Renewables (GPS), together with the local impact investor Caspian. GPS is a leading and innovative bio-energy technology company that develops disruptive organic-waste-to-energy solutions. The...
Non Financial Services
Nov 06, 2020
Fyndoo by our member Topicus has partnered with de Volksbank to accelerate financing to the self-employed and entreprenuers. This partnership enables complete digitization of loan applications and loan processing. Entrepreneurs can now obtain financing with 5 working days upon completion of all documentation. “With Fyndoo Lending we offer...
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...
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...
Trade Finance
Nov 02, 2020
Global Executive Forum Series by Trade Finance Global and SME Finance Forum. Our partner Trade Finance Global launched the Global Executive Forum Series, in a joint collaboration with the SME Finance Forum. The second interview in the series discusses ‘1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders’ with Maria Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business, Majda Dabaghi,...
Financial Education
Nov 02, 2020
We are proud to announce that our member Proparco and Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD) has committed approx. €2.5 billion to finance MSMEs and entrepreneurs in Africa, by the year 2022. The Choose Africa initiative is implemented by the AFD group and coordinated by Proparco. About 10,000 African companies will be supported by this...
Financial Education
Nov 02, 2020
We are proud to announce that our member Triodos Investment Management’s Microfinance Fund and the German Development Finance Institution (DEG) have invested close to USD 25 million in Ipak Yuli Bank, a universal commercial bank in Uzbekistan. Both investors have acquired an equal minority stake in the share capital of the bank through an issuance...
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...
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...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Oct 16, 2020
We are proud to share that our member HPD LendScape has partnered with Emirates Development Bank (EDB) to launch UAE’s National Supply Chain Finance (SCF) platform. This initiative will offer UAE businesses improved access to working capital, particularly as they cope with the added pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. SCF solutions will enable...
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...
Non Financial Services
Oct 15, 2020
Fyndoo is the name of a lending ecosystem, a cloud technology stack developed and owned and by our member, Topicus. They make financing accessible, efficient and transparent for all parties involved and connect financers, entrepreneurs and advisors with their cloud-based business lending platform. Lack of access to lending is a challenge for...
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...
Digital Financial Services
Oct 15, 2020
This blog has been originally posted on the World Bank Blogs website. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a huge role in facilitating economic development due to their flexibility and affinity to innovation. Even more so in emerging economies with a high contribution from the informal sector. Yet, MSMEs face several challenges when...
Digital Financial Services
Oct 15, 2020
Our member CashDirector, an AI-enabled Digital CFO for SMEs with operations in Poland, France, Germany and Italy, is further expanding its services in Europe with the support of EIT Digital Accelerator and a recent financing round led by one of the largest Polish Investment Funds, EEC Magenta. Through CashDirector, banks obtain valuable...
Financial Education
Oct 15, 2020
We're proud to share that our members 4G CAPITAL GROUP Limited (“4G CAPITAL”) and Citi with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”) and the Ford Foundation have collaborated to expand financial inclusion through the provision of working capital to support the growth of micro-enterprises in Kenya. 4G Capital will receive a...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Oct 07, 2020
On Wednesday September 19, 2019, our member Afriland First Bank organized a meeting between SMEs and SMIs. This was the second edition of this event which brought together around 100 Cameroonian companies. The theme of the event was “From factory to market: solutions to the challenges of production and distribution by SMEs / SMIs in Cameroon.” The...
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
Oct 06, 2020
Originally posted in Nanopay website In this piece, prepared by member Nanopay, Ivy Luu, Director of Liquidity Management Solutions, talks about the future of liquidity management and draws parallels between today’s crisis and the one that occurred in 2008. Continue reading here>
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...
Covid-19
Sep 29, 2020
Our partner Trade Finance Global launched the Global Executive Forum Series, in a joint collaboration with the SME Finance Forum , with the first B20 / Business at OECD - OCDE Interview with Gianluca Riccio, CFA, Vice-Chair Finance Committee, Business at OECD. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the world’s considerable dependence on Global...
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 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 29, 2020
This blog has been originally posted on the World Bank Blogs website. For most MSMEs, capital and wealth are concentrated in movable assets -- in the developing world, 78% of the capital stock of businesses are inventory, equipment or receivables, and only 22% land and buildings. Conversely though, lending practices in most of the developing world...
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...
Gender Finance
Sep 25, 2020
Women play a significant role in the development of our economy but are one of the most vulnerable groups impacted by unprecedented events. The ongoing pandemic has heightened the need to address the gender finance gap in societies around the world and drive initiatives to support them in achieving financial independence. We’re proud to see our...
Gender Finance
Sep 25, 2020
As 2020 started, Wandia Gichuru’s eyes were set on a 40% revenue growth on her business from the previous year. Wandia is Founder and Owner of Vivo, a manufacturer and retailer of women’s clothing with 14 shops throughout Kenya. Little did she know that only a few months later the world would go into a rare lockdown which would make even matching...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 24, 2020
This blog has been originally posted on the World Bank Blogs website . Two months from now, about 200 million people will be out of jobs due to the economic effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The disruption of supply chains and reduction in demand are impacting businesses’ cash flows and profitability—in some cases permanently. To avert a...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Sep 04, 2020
Originally published on The Next Web . History has taught us that times of crisis drive demand for technological advancement. Those that leverage innovative technology, to tackle challenges and turn them into opportunities, are often the most successful in helping society to recover. Earlier this year, when the novel coronavirus sparked a global...
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 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...
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...
![[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...
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...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 17, 2020
Despite a low growth economy, which was hit even harder by COVID-19, local small and medium enterprise (SME) financier Retail Capital, has retained its national BB+ credit rating. While its international rating has dropped by one notch to B- in line with South Africa’s credit downgrade in March, both ratings have a stable outlook. This has...
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...
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...
Financial Education
Jul 30, 2020
Originally posted by The Banker and reproduced with author's permission. Accounting has a long tradition. In Europe, it can be traced back to the 15th century, when double-entry bookkeeping became more widely known through the publication of a book by friar Luca Pacioli, in 1494, where he described the practice that Venetian merchants had been...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jul 30, 2020
Washington D.C., July 30th, 2020 - We’re excited to share that Tam Faktoring is the newest member of the SME Finance Forum. 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
Covid-19
Jul 21, 2020
Originally posted on the The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) website . Since the early onset of the global pandemic, Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) has adopted ongoing preventive and supportive measures aimed at containing the negative repercussions of COVID-19 on the local economy. Furthermore, the central bank has facilitated the use of...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
![[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...
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...
Covid-19
Jun 16, 2020
Following on our recent agreement with TFG’s as an industry partner for the SME Finance Forum, this podcast features our CEO, Matt Gamser, interviewed by host Deepesh Patel (DP), Editor, of the Trade Finance Global. Trade Finance Talks is a podcast from Trade Finance Global (TFG) featuring global experts, and learnings about the latest trends,...
Jun 10, 2020
This interview is part of Digital Frontiers Institute's course on Digital MSME Marketing , and has been reproduced with permission of the Digital Frontiers Institute. Copyright 2020, Digital Frontiers Institute. Members can request password to smefinanceforum@ifc.org
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...
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...
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...
May 11, 2020
Last December, we invited Nick Ogden, founder of ClearBank and WorldPay, to our offices for a presentation about RTGS, and a new interbank network the company was developing, where the benefits of the real-time gross settlement are uniquely matched to real-time guaranteed liquidity. RTGS Limited was founded by Nick Ogden, the entrepreneur who, as...
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...
Covid-19
Apr 29, 2020
Over a period of less than two weeks, since it was officially declared a pandemic by WHO, COVID-19 has disrupted lives and economies around the globe. According to a briefing issued by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely shrink the global GDP by almost one percent in 2020. Countries have...
Gender Finance
Covid-19
Apr 27, 2020
Promoting good practices in women entrepreneur financing has always been an important focus of the SME Finance Forum. Financial inclusion for women has always been challenging, particularly in emerging and developing markets where women entrepreneurs have lower access to capital, which severely restricts their progress and ability to contribute to...
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
SME Finance Forum members CRIF and Strands have joined forces in an exciting move to create a new provider of digital solutions for Open Banking. Earlier this month, it was announced that CRIF had acquired Strands, and we had the exclusive opportunity to talk to Enrico Lodi , CRIF’s General Manager, and Erik Brieva , Strands’ CEO, to discuss what...
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 14, 2020
Posted originally on The Banker website. Article by Lesly Goh , SME Finance Forum Senior Advisor, and former chief technology officer at the World Bank . Closer partnerships between governments and innovative companies will help our communities during and after the COVID-19 crisis, says the World Bank's Lesly Goh. It is a grim reality for small...
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
Covid-19
Apr 07, 2020
The Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration issued guidance for the Paycheck Protection Program. The guidance can be found here: Paycheck Protection Program – Interim Final Rule Assistance for American Workers and Families In the weeks immediately after the passage of the CARES Act, Americans will see fast and direct relief in...
Covid-19
Apr 03, 2020
Member: World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) statement on COVID-19 Posted originally on https://www.wsbi-esbg.org/ Due to COVID-19, the financial industry will face an unprecedented challenge, and this may last for quite some time. A health pandemic was not on the cards and banks need to work together with authorities to avoid the...
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...
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...
Mar 30, 2020
Originally posted on the IFC Intranet on March 30th,2020 Strategy Analyst Khondoker Tanveer Haider spoke with Communications Consultant Gregory James Felder about the importance of youth engagement at IFC and launching the MSME Finance Competition. This is an edited version of their conversation. Q: Khondoker is an interesting name. What does it...
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...
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 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 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...
Guarantees
Feb 10, 2020
In this article published by ALIDE , prepared by Pablo Pombo, Horacio Molina, and Jesús N. Ramírez, the authors aim to provide a better understanding of the operation of guarantee schemes through their typology and their corresponding business models. When discussing guarantee coverage in favour of micro, small and medium enterprises, it would...
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...
Equity
Feb 04, 2020
The EIF Working Paper 2020/062: The Business Angel portfolio under the European Angels Fund: An empirical analysis. This working paper, from member EIF, analyses the Business Angel (BA) portfolio of the European Angels Fund (EAF), which is an initiative of the European Investment Fund and engages in co-investment relationships with experienced...
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...
Trade Finance
Jan 27, 2020
A “Thought-Starter” Contribution on Trade Finance to the 2020 G20 Process On the occasion of the Saudi B20 Inception event, a new Business at OECD report released (available here ) highlights that trade finance, key to business trust in global trade activities, is a case in point for the need to make additional efforts to tackle regulatory...
Digital Financial Services
Fintech
Jan 14, 2020
Business Reporter, a UK based B2B media outlet are producing the ‘global Future of Banking & FinTech filmed thought leadership series’ in 2020, a series of interviews and on-location documentaries aimed at educating business owners globally on the innovation trends that are reshaping the way financial services are structured, provided and used...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Jan 14, 2020
This note analyzes the evolution of Credit Information Systems, including the emergence of new technologies that use alternative data in credit decisioning and the opportunities and risks associated with these trends. This paper also predicts the potential development effect of these disruptive technologies and proposes a role for the World Bank...
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...
Policy & Regulation
Dec 23, 2019
The Doing Business 2020 study, by the World Bank Group, shows that developing economies are catching up with developed economies in ease of doing business. This publication is the 17th in a series of annual studies investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative...
Policy & Regulation
Dec 10, 2019
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its final report on the Evaluation of the effects of financial regulatory reforms on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing , following a public consultation earlier this year. The evaluation is motivated by the need to better understand the effects of the reforms on the financing of real...
Digital Transformation
Dec 03, 2019
Learn in this publication how member 4G Capital use machine learning technology to provide scalable credit services for individual clients in Kenya, where the MSME finance gap is over $19 bn, making it the largest in Eastern Africa. They were able to measure the impact of their working capital credit, and they saw customers increase their revenue...
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...
Policy & Regulation
Nov 06, 2019
This report is jointly produced by the World Bank and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. This study intends to understand the global regulatory landscape for alternative finance through the collation of empirical data from regulators, including securities regulators, capital markets...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 05, 2019
IFC conducted the global SME Banking survey to better understand the challenges and trends SME banking operations experience in serving the small business segment in their countries. More than 110 SME Banking practitioners and leaders from around the world participated in the survey. The online survey launched in 2018 posed questions to understand...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 22, 2019
The present study, presented in Brussels, analyses whether sharing more comprehensive data improves the functioning of credit markets in European countries. Assuming that mechanisms to share data do exist, does a higher comprehensiveness in the data collected matter for credit markets? The study answers this by firstly analysing whether higher...
Non Financial Services
Oct 21, 2019
This study of the Japanese model about the development of the Credit Guarantee System provides an in-depth analysis of the credit guarantee system behind the rise and sustainment of Japan’s economy, and explains how it can benefit Turkey. It outlines the credit guarantee system in Japan, which, in view of the author, the General Manager of SME...
Digital Financial Services
Oct 18, 2019
Youxin Financial provides personal financial services to customers around the world. The company is committed to using financial technology to provide innovative and financing solutions for micro and small businesses across China and contribute to the development of the real economy. In this publication, Youxin Financial shares an analysis of...
Non Financial Services
Oct 18, 2019
This Small Business Spotlight report by FinRegLab provides an overview of applied research based on data from six non-bank financial services providers, two of which are SME FInance Forum 's members — Accion , Kabbage , Brigit, LendUp, Oportun, and Petal—that have begun using cash-flow variables and scores in a bid to increase the provision of...
Financial Education
Oct 17, 2019
This report, by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) , examines worldwide evidence of the contribution that the selfemployed and enterprises of different size classes make to total employment. A key finding is that, globally, the self-employed and micro- and small enterprises account...
Non Financial Services
Oct 17, 2019
This Guidebook , prepared by IFC , addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs at the various stages of their lifecycles, offering tailored corporate governance recommendations. It includes the Action Planning Tool to help SME owners, investors, and managers take a pragmatic approach to governance, as a means of strengthening their...
Oct 07, 2019
The SME Finance Forum works to expand access to finance for small and medium businesses. The Forum operates 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.
Financial Education
Sep 26, 2019
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands celebrates 10 years as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). The UN released a video on Twitterof the Queen talking about the improvements in financial inclusion over the past ten years. “We have made great progress in financial inclusion in the last...
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...
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...
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
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...
Gender Finance
Aug 19, 2019
According to a World Bank report “Profiting from Parity : Unlocking the Potential of Women's Business in Africa,” launched last March, women entrepreneurs make or are obliged to make different decisions than men because of gender-specific constraints. As a result, the report notes that, on average, women-owned firms post profits that are 34 %...
Aug 12, 2019
Credit Scoring in Financial Inclusion: How to use advanced analytics to build credit-scoring models that increase access. This guide emphasizes that the effectiveness of data analytics approaches often involves building a broader data-driven corporate culture. Publication by CGAP.
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...
Payments
Aug 02, 2019
The new IMF series "Fintech Notes" examines pressing topics in the digital economy. The Rise of Digital Money analyses how technology companies are stepping up competition to large banks and credit card companies. Digital forms of money are increasingly in the wallets of consumers as well as in the minds of policymakers. Cash and bank deposits are...
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 29, 2019
The Empirical Research Findings report provides a detailed summary of our applied research based on data from six non-bank financial services providers, two of which are SME Finance Forum's members – Accion , Kabbage , Brigit, LendUp, Oportun, and Petal – that have begun using cash-flow variables and scores in an effort to increase the provision...
Digital Transformation
Jul 29, 2019
In recent years, Latin America has joined the worldwide Fintech revolution, creating innovation and start-up ecosystems that permit the development of new technology start-ups offering highly innovative products and financial services. Many studies have reflected the fervor currently felt in the Fintech sector in the Latin America and the...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Jul 26, 2019
This year, the Group of Seven (G7) outlined an agenda to fight inequality. As part of this agenda, the G7 Partnership for Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa will support African governments, central banks, and financial institutions in their efforts to build more inclusive, sustainable, and responsible digital financial systems,...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 24, 2019
The European Banking Authority (EBA) published the findings of its analysis on the regulatory framework applicable to FinTech firms when accessing the market. The Report illustrates the developments on the regulatory perimeter across the EU, the regulatory status of FinTech firms, and the approaches followed by competent authorities when granting...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 23, 2019
Published annually, this report, in its 8th edition, documents trends in access to different types of finance for SMEs and entrepreneurs, financing conditions and government policy initiatives in this area. It was prepared by Kris Boschmans and Lora Pissareva, Policy Analysts, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, SME and...
Digital Transformation
Jul 16, 2019
This research, by The Mastercard Foundation Partnership for Finance in a Digital Africa, collected information from 27 micro-entrepreneurs in Kenya about how they use platforms (from social media sites to ecommerce marketplaces and online freelancing websites) in their day-to-day business. The platform practices these conversations revealed...
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.
Digital Transformation
Jul 09, 2019
The MSME sector is the backbone of Nigeria’s economy. Studies by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) show that approximately 96% of Nigerian businesses are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Thanks to digital technology, it is worth noting that ecommerce platforms have so far played a key role in boosting and accelerating MSMEs...
Non Financial Services
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Jun 25, 2019
Blockchain has the potential to impact many industries, including financial services, so the Boston Fed sought to understand its foundational technology with first-hand research. They wanted practical experience, the kind only trial and error can bring. “Beyond Theory: Getting Practical With Blockchain” goes beyond the basics of distributed ledger...
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...
Gender Finance
Sustainable Finance
Digital Transformation
Apr 18, 2019
IFC invested $75 million in a Gender Bond issued by Turkey’s Garanti Bank (a SME Finance Forum member). IFC details the story of how and why the investment with Garanti was a bold one. The bank, which is known in the market for its commitment to access to finance for women, is the first private sector bank in the world to launch a gender bond...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Apr 04, 2019
Radoslav Albrecht is the Founder and CEO of Bitbond, a global lending platform for small business loans. The SME Finance Forum member, leverages blockchain technology to connect creditworthy borrowers with individual and institutional investors. Recently, Anthony Manfre interviewed Radoslav to learn more about how Bitbond is leading innovation in...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Mar 18, 2019
Capgemini and LinkedIn, in collaboration with Efma, developed the World FinTech Report 2018 based on a global survey encompassing responses from traditional financial services firms and FinTech firms including banking and lending, payments and transfers, investment management, and insurance. Questions sought to yield perspectives from both FinTech...
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Digital Transformation
Mar 13, 2019
The SME Finance Forum LinkedIn provides an opportunity for financial experts to view the latest news, reports, data and discussions regarding the SME finance field. The group is comprised of more than 11,000 bank executives, investors, advisory service providers and financial technology experts, who share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Mar 01, 2019
Remarkably, a small fraction of firms account for most of the job and output creation in high-income and developing countries alike. Does this imply that the path to enabling more economic dynamism lies in selectively targeting high-potential firms? Or would pursuing broad-based reforms that minimize distortions be more effective? Inspired by...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Feb 27, 2019
Open data is data that is made available for anyone to access, use and share. With more access to open data, people can help shape a more sustainable future with evidence-based solutions, contributing at the same time to a more transparent decision-making. But to reach the full potential of open data, it must be available to and used by all. Read...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Governance
Policy & Regulation
Jan 28, 2019
This state of practice report identifies and describes 74 government initiatives in the Savings Group sector across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – related to financial inclusion, social protection, women’s empowerment, and sector regulation and coordination. The purpose of the report is to support the further development of public policy and...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Youth Entrepreneurship
Payments
Dec 14, 2018
Here is one of three Field Notes from the Partnership for Financial Inclusion, a joint initiative of IFC and the Mastercard Foundation, to help DFS providers to tailor products and services to particular market segments as they shed new light on two particular market segments, youth and women, as well as the potential for digitizing social...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Sustainable Finance
Dec 07, 2018
While alternative dispute resolution has exploded in popularity for larger businesses, it hasn’t found its way to the MSME community. As a friend in the arbitration business said recently, “micro businesses couldn’t afford the coffee at most arbitration centers.” But the emerging field of online dispute resolution, or ODR, promises to change the...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Nov 21, 2018
Tips and tools are revealed on how SMEs should approach seeking finance along with strategies to improve their success with gaining finance. Utilizing online resources and guides can help SMEs learn more about alternative finance options. “Industry associations such as the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation, as well as local...
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...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Governance
Oct 23, 2018
A continuation of MicroSave’s research on developing financial services for women was released this month. The publication details areas such as, microfinance, digital financial services, direct benefit transfers, MSMEs and agent networks. Information surrounding what financial service providers (FSPs) lack notice of when creating financial...
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...
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,...
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...
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 11, 2018
The Future of Business Survey in collaboration with Member World Bank, Facebook and OECD provides monthly data on the economic environment for SMEs around the world. Key findings in the publication included: In nearly every country and region, women report using bank loans less frequently than men do, instead relying on personal savings and...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 05, 2018
Lack of credit data is one of the major obstacles to individuals and MSMEs financing in developing countries. Despite the insufficient credit data, MSMEs and individuals generate vast amounts of non-credit digitized data daily. MSMEs and individuals are leaving vast digital footprints and data trails on mobile and online payments platforms, social...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Policy & Regulation
Aug 23, 2018
A special report, Fintech for Social Good, has been released as a follow-up to the Financial Inclusion in the Developing World 2018 Q2 report by Deep Knowledge Analytics. The report is focusesd on the following key elements as it relates to non-commercial activities: The work being done by non-profits, governmental organizations, NGOs and...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Jul 18, 2018
With over one million units sold in the last five years and over 50,000 units installed each month, the PAYGo model makes solar affordable for end-users and provides sufficient margin for providers to scale last-mile distribution. However, for the model to succeed PAYGo operators must retain customers and build a base of loyal and engaged...
Gender Finance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Financial Services
Payments
Jul 17, 2018
Industry Partner GBA for Women says that digital solutions for product distribution are rapidly increasing banks’ ability to reach the unbanked – a segment disproportionately made up of women. During the recent All-Stars Academy in South Africa, GBA heard from two of its members who are making huge strides in this area: Diamond Bank of Nigeria -...
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...
Non Financial Services
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Payments
May 25, 2018
Nielsen and Alipay jointly issued the 2017 Survey: Outbound Chinese Tourism and Consumption Trends, which details how Chinese tourists pay for products in services and their behaviors in making such decisions. Ninety-nine percent of Chinese respondents have the Alipay app installed on their phones. The survey found that discounts and payment...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
May 02, 2018
The ABA survey was conducted to review the digital lending landscape, specifically to gauge member interest in two different types of business models: Technology partnership—Implementing digital lending technologies to offer a digital customer experience to originate, underwrite to bank guidelines, and close small business and consumer loans...
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...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Digital Transformation
Apr 06, 2018
Digital lending can be a powerful force for financial inclusion. Innovations in digital lending are enabling financial service providers (FSPs) to offer better products to more underserved clients in faster, more cost-efficient, and engaging ways. Governments are increasingly incentivizing the growth of digital lending models as a way to promote...
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
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...
Financial Education
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 14, 2018
A joint report by IFC and the SME Finance Forum, has found that 65 million enterprises, or 40 percent of formal micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in developing countries, have an unmet finance need of $5.2 trillion a year. This gap is larger than previously estimated. The results were presented at the Global SME Finance Forum held in...
Financial Education
Islamic Banking
Feb 05, 2018
This PPIAF-funded report aims to discuss and disseminate information on how Islamic finance has been applied in infrastructure projects through PPP schemes, what the structural challenges and solutions are, and what can be done to deepen and maximize the use of Islamic finance for this purpose. This report has two broad dimensions. The first is to...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 02, 2018
BANKNXT's Jason Bates interviews Rishi Khosla, CEO of OakNorth, for this Fintech Insider video, the under-the-radar fintech unicorn in the SME lending space. They discuss OakNorth’s origin story, how they reached profitability within 24 months, the social impact of the SME lending space, and what the future holds for this little-big company with...
Non Financial Services
Sustainable Finance
Jan 05, 2018
The SAP Business Partnership Study shows that three out of four small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) see IT and technology vendors not just as an external resource but as vital to their business. More and more technology vendors are being used by business leaders for consultation (76 percent), for insight and advice (79 percent) and to anticipate...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 20, 2017
Twenty-four percent of UK SMEs believe that banks have failed to change the way they behave since the global financial crisis in 2008. The survey of UK SMEs from CivilisedBank, the new UK business bank with a Local Banker network, also reveals that over half (55%) of those surveyed believe that it is not a priority for banks to act in a ‘civilised...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 20, 2017
Financial Inclusion Week is a week of global conversation on the most important steps to advance financial inclusion. This year, stakeholders explored how new products and partnerships are empowering customers. Building on the momentum, SME Finance Forum member, Mambu, shared stories of their clients who have gone digital to inspire organisations...
Non Financial Services
Sustainable Finance
Digital Financial Services
Dec 19, 2017
Financial Inclusion Week is a week of global conversation on the most important steps to advance financial inclusion. This year, stakeholders explored how new products and partnerships are empowering customers. Building on the momentum, SME Finance Forum member, Mambu, shared stories of their clients who have gone digital to inspire organisations...
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
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Dec 01, 2017
Oxford University’s Linda Scott, Emeritus DP World Professor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Said Business School has launched The Global Business Coalition for Women’s Economic Empowerment (GBC4WEE) initiative, with a document that brings together her perspective of the collective learning of nine companies engaged in women’s economic...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 30, 2017
Demand for credit increased in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe (CESEE) in the six months to September 2017 and supply conditions eased, according to the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) produced by the Vienna Initiative. Across the client spectrum, supply conditions eased partially in the corporate segment, including SME lending, while...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Nov 15, 2017
Silvia Pavoni, Economics Editor of The Banker, talks with Hemant Baijal, Vice President of Global Policy Affairs at Mastercard, about managing fraud and cybersecurity. This interview took place at the SME Finance Forum in Berlin.
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 13, 2017
Microfinance is a $92 billion industry , with more than 100 million borrowers in more than 75 countries around the world. But as regular readers of NextBillion know, it is no silver bullet to poverty, and previously held assumptions that extending microloans to impoverished people is a sure path out of poverty have been challenged. Microcredit...
Financial Education
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Policy & Regulation
Oct 05, 2017
New research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and Hampshire Trust Bank, predicts that SME contributions to the UK economy will grow by 19 percent from 2016 to 2025. In 2016, SME employment across ten cities considered in the report were around 3.9 million. In 2025, the researchers expect the number to increase by one...
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
Sep 26, 2017
In this short paper, Terry Tse contrasts U.S. and Asian regulations, describes the emerging P2P business environment in Asia (which appears to be extremely well positioned for growth), explains the key structural incentives Asian P2P lenders have implemented to discourage borrowers from defaulting, and concludes with practical suggestions to help...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 22, 2017
Small and Medium-Sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a large majority of businesses globally and play a crucial role in global economic development through job creation, economic growth, and innovation. For the health of the global economy, it is imperative that they have access to the needed credit to grow and expand. Credit infrastructure remains...
Digital Transformation
Payments
Sep 20, 2017
David Brear interviews Claire Calmejane of Lloyds Banking Group for FinTech Insider. Claire is also a speaker for the Global SME Finance Forum 2017 in Berlin.
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 15, 2017
The inability to provide collateral has been a major hindrance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking loans to fund their working capital needs, finance their expansion or take advantage of growth opportunities. Although the government has been taking steps to provide the necessary financing to SMEs, traditional lending institutions offer...
Policy & Regulation
Aug 29, 2017
The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ACCCIM)’s SME Survey Report 2017 aims at identifying the current SMEs challenges in Malaysia. The survey says that government is actively fostering SMEs in access to finance through provision of credit guarantees and also increasingly paying attention to financing SMEs by introducing new...
Sustainable Finance
Payments
Aug 28, 2017
Jessie Cheng is deputy general counsel at Ripple, a SME Finance Forum member, coauthors a Business Law Today article about the legality around payments for customers and businesses alike. The authors explain the legal framework for payments including the payment-system laws and customer-protection laws. Three examples are provided, such as person-...
Digital Transformation
Aug 22, 2017
MEDICI is FinTech’s premier global knowledge database with 7,400+ FinTech company profiles, 200+ research items, 5,000+ insights from Let’s Talk Payments, and direct engagement. MEDICI is created, designed, and curated by a team of global FinTech experts who understand SME Finance Forums members’ need for global, contextual FinTech knowledge...
Islamic Banking
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 21, 2017
Emirates Islamic Bank has integrated blockchain technology into cheques to strengthen their authenticity and minimize potential fraud. Referred to as ‘Cheque Chain,” the bank, like others are looking at opportunities to increase efficiency, cut costs and improve customer services. New business opportunities are also presenting themselves,...
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
Guarantees
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 06, 2017
KBZ Bank or Kanbawza Bank has more than 470 branches throughout Myanmar, with plans to grow its division devoted to SMEs. Running for a year, the new initiative uses credit guarantee insurance to attract borrowers, offers client banking training and has improved its IT operations to better serve SMEs. More than 90 percent of the country’s...
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 12, 2017
Digital finance, using alternative data, offers an extraordinary opportunity for expanding access to finance for small businesses. Every time small businesses and their customers use cloud-based services, conduct banking transactions, make or accept digital payments, browse the internet, use their mobile phones, engage in social media, buy or sell...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 26, 2017
In the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, the magical word “sesame” was used to open the seal of a cave where Ali Baba found hidden treasure. In China today, the same word is connected to another kind of magic, one that reveals hidden identities of the socially and economically disadvantaged. Sesame Credit (“芝麻信用” in Mandarin) is a product...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 07, 2017
Hosted by the German Presidency on February 24, the G20 workshop “Helping SMEs Go Global - Moving Forward in SME Finance“, brought together more than 150 experts from G20 countries, development finance institutions, and the private sector to discuss issues related to advancing financial inclusion for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)...
Policy & Regulation
Apr 04, 2017
Consistent with the theme of Germany's G20 Presidency in 2017, "Shaping an interconnected world", the GPFI SME Finance Subgroup will work on the implementation of the following priorities in 2017: Review and update of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan; Roll out of the G20 Implementation Framework on SME financing; Financial Services for SMEs...
Gender Finance
Mar 08, 2017
GBA’s Women’s Market Analytics Survey is the only repository of banking data measuring the performance of financial institutions in the Women’s Market globally. This is the first annual publication of this survey and presented here is an aggregate analysis of the data. We will publish additional results in the coming years as banks continue to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 15, 2017
KfW Group and GRENKE AG have signed a global loan agreement for lease finance with a volume of EUR 100 million at KfW's offices in Frankfurt am Main. This allows SMEs, the self-employed and start-ups throughout Germany to benefit from the attractive leasing conditions being offered by GRENKE AG and KfW for new acquisitions. Wolfgang Grenke, CEO of...
Payments
Feb 07, 2017
Modelo Perú, a first-of-its kind payments initiative in Peru, will mark its one year anniversary. The initiative established an interoperable nationwide payments platform, Bim, with a particular focus on expanding access to underserved customer segments. Thirty three institutions, including microfinance organizations, commercial banks, and telecos...
Equity
Jan 09, 2017
Regulatory changes at the beginning of 2016 opened equity crowdfunding up to more Canadian companies and retail investors. In the months since, a number of startups and growing ventures have sold small stakes to the public via online portals, though restrictions on interprovincial dealings mean they’ve largely used existing exemptions rather than...
Fintech
Dec 30, 2016
Since many years, I enjoy working in the Financial Industry and future trends such as FinTech seemed obvious, until recently reflecting on possible trends for 2017 . In my humble opinion FinTech is addressing a customer experience driven demand strongly supported by technical evolution such as mobile, cloud, big data, etc… Has the...
Financial Education
Dec 29, 2016
Almost half of adults in emerging economies still lack basic financial services. Here are five ways to help more people benefit from digital finance. 1) Make sure digital technology is available to everyone 2) Take advantage of biometrics to serve the poor 3) Ramp up use of direct deposit by the private sector 4) Stop using cash to distribute...
Fintech
Dec 29, 2016
Steven Renwick, CEO of business finance firm Satago, explains how a new breed of FinTechs has emerged to transform the SME funding landscape. Disruptive innovation designed to break the stranglehold of dominant business models shows no signs of abating. Netflix, Amazon, Uber and Airbnb are the doyens of the on-demand economy as we know it today,...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 21, 2016
Bank Zachodni WBK in Poland (Santander Group) is developing and offering non-financial services to its SME customers very actively. Bank has a really strong range of tools to support small business growth: Online Portal for SME customers called Firmowe Ewolucje (Company’s Evolution) The following services are available on the Portal: 1. Online...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Fintech
Nov 30, 2016
This report by Accion Venture Lab describes the latest innovations in the field of micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) finance. In it, Venture Lab explores how innovative, tech-enabled lenders are using niche marketing, digital or mobile platforms, and enterprising partnerships – and often a combination of all three – to make financing...
Alternative Financing
Nov 15, 2016
Crowdfunding can be labeled in many different ways: as “a financial innovation,” “fintech,” “the fastest growing financial industry,” or “the next big thing in financial inclusion.” The term “crowdfunding” typically describes a method of financing whereby small amounts of funds are raised from large numbers of individuals or legal entities, to...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Nov 03, 2016
After decades of directing financial services to micro-enterprise owners, many microfinance institutions are finding that some of these enterprises have grown and that they’re now serving an expanding number of small business owners. With increasing global attention being directed to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it is fitting to look...
Gender Finance
Oct 28, 2016
This policy brief examines the gender-related constraints faced by women-owned SMEs and provides some policy recommendations to address this issue. Within APEC, four main categories of constraints that female SME owners face to access to markets have been identified. Firstly, it has been harder for female entrepreneurs to identify opportunities to...
Fintech
Aug 18, 2016
“Fintech” – an intersection of financial services and technology – is taking the traditional financial world by storm. Indonesia is no exception, with a fast-evolving ecosystem that includes a host of financial services offered by new generation fintechs. Indonesia is the fourth largest mobile market in the world with 339.9 million connections – a...
Aug 15, 2016
The Global SME Finance Forum 2016 will take place in Beijing, China from September 19-21. This annual flagship event of the SME Finance Forum will bring several hundred senior bankers, fintechs, development bankers and policymakers together to discuss the latest trends, witness demonstrations of fintechs and consider specific investment and...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 03, 2016
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role for employment, job creation, investment, innovation and economic growth around the world. They account for about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide, and are therefore crucial for the recovery of the world’s economy. Considering this important role, it is...
Jul 20, 2016
At the 7th Annual Responsible Finance Forum held in Xi’an China, the role of data was highlighted in the context of crowdfunding and credit risk analysis. Crowdfunding platforms (including P2P) spoke of their ability to access a vast array of consumer data, often described as “big data.” Sometimes these data are facilitated through affiliations...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jul 12, 2016
Typically, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) transacting global business face the strongest obstacles in accessing financing on affordable terms. Around the world, SME business leaders point to the availability of finance as a major barrier to their capacity to trade. This finance gap is of particular concern because SMEs are a leading...
Jun 27, 2016
While there are many foundations and drivers to achieving financial inclusion, the potential impact of extending digital financial services through a more widespread acceptance among small retailers is substantial. Traditional retailers in developing economies, the majority of which are micro, small, and medium enterprises, most often do not use...
Jun 23, 2016
In response to the current low growth trap facing many economies, the newly released publication "Financing Growth; SMEs in Global Value Chains" advocates G20 policy consistency for long-term financial stability, investment, and economic growth. It shares perspectives from government, international organizations, business, and academic thought...
Fintech
Apr 27, 2016
Marketplace lender Lendix has acquired short term loan specialist Finsquare. Lendix, the largest marketplace lending platform in France, said that Finsquare’s product addressed a “real demand for lenders and borrowers alike.” The acquisition was viewed as highly complementary to the Lendix platform – an online lender that already services multiple...
Gender Finance
Apr 11, 2016
Over the past nine years, the number of women-owned firms has grown at a rate five times faster than the national average, reaching a post-recession high, according to the 2016 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN (NYSE:AXP). The sixth annual report, which is based on historical and current U.S. Census...
Sustainable Finance
Apr 04, 2016
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 99 percent of all enterprises in Myanmar. This study examines opportunities available for SMEs to obtain funding for sustainable consumption and production (SCP) measures, in particular for green innovations, efficiency improvements, and pollution abatement. The study also identifies current...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 23, 2016
The World Federation of Exchanges, which represents more than 200 market infrastructure providers including exchanges and CCP's, today released the results of a study on SME markets. The WFE took input from the World Bank Group's Finance and Markets Global Practice on the paper. It highlights the key role played by exchanges in the real economy by...
Payments
Mar 22, 2016
The Payment Aspects of Financial Inclusion report examines demand- and supply-side factors affecting financial inclusion in the context of payment systems and services, and suggests measures to address these issues. The report has been prepared for the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and the World Bank Group by a task force...
Financial Education
Mar 18, 2016
Does poverty hinder or encourage market creativity? Businesses that offer novel, creative products have greater growth potential than businesses that conform to market norms. Yet the literature offers conflicting views on the relationship between poverty and market creativity. Some research suggests poverty restricts entrepreneurs’ capacity to...
Digital Transformation
Fintech
Mar 16, 2016
The traditional retail banking model based on the transaction/branch-based banking model is dying, and in future retail banking will be fully automated. That’s the view of 203 senior retail banking executives across the globe who were surveyed by The Economist ’s Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) for a report called “In Tech We Trust”. One standout...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 07, 2016
Agricultural Value Chain Finance - A Guide for Bankers has been developed in partnership with Bankaool, Mexico, HBL Bank, Pakistan and HDFC Bank, India. It provides: practical, evidence-based guidance to financial institutions engaging in agricultural value chain finance (AVCF) comprehensive picture of agricultural value chains to enable financial...
Alternative Financing
Fintech
Feb 26, 2016
At the Continuum SF Innovation and Credit Conference in San Francisco I recently attended, those present listened to a solid lineup of speakers discuss business development and more in SF and across the Pacific in China. Speakers included SF Mayor Ed Lee; Rob Suber, president of Prosper Marketplace; Rob Conway, founder and investor, Salesforce;...
Sustainable Finance
Feb 22, 2016
This report reflects the results of a research project carried out by SNV during 2011 and 2012 with funding from the Ford Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund (IDB-MIF). The aim of the research was to investigate the extent to which inclusive business initiatives can make a substantial contribution to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 19, 2016
This paper offers a critical survey of the microfinance literature of the past 10 years. It reviews studies on the effectiveness of different microfinance techniques and offers a critical assessment of the impact literature of microfinance. The literature so far suggests moderate but not transformative effects of microcredit, with effects being...
Guarantees
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 08, 2016
The financial and economic crisis has brought to the fore small business banking’s key challenge: How can banks master the cost of risk and also accelerate development?
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 08, 2016
Small and medium-sized companies are contributing in a big way to the world's largest economies—and making choices about where to do their banking. To win them over, banks must create valuable, long-lasting relationships.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 03, 2016
Diamond Bank Plc has been named and awarded the Best Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Bank in West Africa by the famous Banker Magazine in the 2015 West Africa Awards. The Bank also emerged as the Best Microfinance Bank in West Africa. According to the awarding institution, the awards are in recognition of the Bank’s high value addition to the...
Jan 08, 2016
2015 was a transformational year for women entrepreneurs and their businesses. Women are starting 1,200 new businesses per day – they are inventing products, solving problems, creating jobs and supporting their communities. The impact is undeniable and the growth is unprecedented, but we have a long way to go before reaching parity. Women continue...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 05, 2016
Many banks around the world have been successful by focusing their services around micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) banking. However, there is a tendency for such banks to focus on the higher end of the MSME market, avoiding the risks and administrative costs that come with serving smaller businesses. Şekerbank in Turkey is an interesting...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Dec 30, 2015
Agricultural finance is crucial to support the growth of the agricultural sector. Indeed, it is essential for food security, job creation, and overall economic growth. This synthesis report presents a summary of research studies on five key areas of agricultural finance innovation prepared under the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (...
Oct 28, 2015
Membership of the SME Finance Forum is open to a broad range of institutions that promote access to finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including banks, non-bank financial institutions, development finance institutions, and fintech companies. To become a member, please complete the membership application form and email it to Hourn Thy...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 22, 2015
Last Monday and Thursday, 12-13 October, SME Banking Club organized CEE SME Banking Conference in Warsaw. During these two days, all participants shared their best practices and experience in SME Banking and specifically in non-financial services and digital solutions for SMEs.
Sep 25, 2015
The SME Finance Forum was proud to partner with IIC to organize the FINPYME Forum , which brought together over 400 leaders from financial institutions, government, civil society and academia. Representatives from 42 countries, gathered in Medellin, Colombia 21-22 September 2015, to exchange ideas on how to expand access to finance for small...
Gender Finance
Sep 11, 2015
On Labor Day, the governments of the United States and Canada recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of workers—female and male alike. And women’s economic contributions in these countries are well-documented: the increase in women in the U.S. labor force over the past several decades, for example, has led to more than $3.5...
Guarantees
Sep 10, 2015
The Principles are developed for the purpose of being applied to public CGSs for SMEs. Public CGSs for SMEs are institutions created by the government, which retains de jure or de facto control as defined in relevant home country laws, to provide credit guarantees to lenders to ease access to credit for SMEs operating in its jurisdiction. Target...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sep 02, 2015
Providing financing to agriculture is challenging for both male and female farmers, however women face some unique challenges. These challenges relate to the role of women in the household which often restricts their control over assets and constrains their available time for productive activities. Their role in the household is often invisible,...
Gender Finance
Aug 26, 2015
Interview with Anne Ravanona @ anneravanona , CEO and Founder of Global Invest Her helping women entrepreneurs become investor-ready and funded faster. TEDxSpeaker and Huffington Post Contributor.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 11, 2015
What is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation doing with mobile money and the objective of raising people out of poverty by 2030? Our vision is that every life has equal value. The Foundation is then active in many ways to realise that vision in health, family planning, agriculture and other markets. One of the facts we found, from quite a lot of...
Aug 10, 2015
According to this detailed study of UK women and entrepreneurship produced for RBS by Aston Business School, women do not have any individual or collective entrepreneurial deficit. Instead, this report finds that it is a combination of challenge and choice. Whilst there is clearly a cultural challenge, women also choose to use entrepreneurship...
Alternative Financing
Aug 05, 2015
Crowdfunding –the practice of using a large number of investors to raise capital - has become an increasingly popular method of raising money for business. SME spoke to Luke Lang, CMO and co-founder of Crowdcube to find out just how the platform works How does Crowdcube work? Crowdcube is an investment platform where people who are backing or supporting a business invest money and, either through equity or getting a stake in the company, get to own a part of the business. As a platform, we’re quite distinct from other sites such as Kickstarter, which is a reward-based platform that is very common place and well-known. Crowdcube is often used by larger companies or businesses looking to develop and launch new products.
May 31, 2015
Izmir, Turkey, June 1, 2015 – Leading FinTech companies are joining a G20-supported workshop in Turkey this week to showcase innovations in technology and big data that are helping small businesses get better access to credit. Several of these FinTech firms are new members of the SME Finance Forum. Established by the G-20 Global Partnership for...
Financial Education
May 20, 2015
If market forces that drive digital financial services could solve the challenges of the poor, our role as donors would be irrelevant. However, market failure is often the norm in many of the more than 70 markets that USAID serves — often including incongruent policy and regulatory environments, and financial service provider business models incapable of supporting a robust offering of the most basic financial services. In Kay McGowan’s previous blog post, she notes, “Donors — USAID included — will never be the providers of financial services. But we often have a critical role to play in setting the conditions so that the private sector can fill the void that has left some two billion people globally without access to safe, affordable basic financial management tools and forces governments, businesses and individuals to transact in cash, which is expensive, dangerous, inefficient, and enables corruption.” USAID’s Critical Role Financial exclusion is the common denominator of development challenges. Across the globe and across sectors, the dearth of high-quality, low-cost basic financial management tools and products undermines efforts to improve agriculture, strengthen health systems, expand access to education, help governments become more transparent and efficient, and respond quickly and effectively to humanitarian crises. USAID is supporting greater access to relevant services for the poor in two essential ways: first, by encouraging governments to adopt a regulatory regime that fosters safe but rapid growth, and — equally importantly — to establish policies that prioritize the expansion of financial services for the poor, often starting with the digitization of payment flows, such as payroll and social protection transfers. And second, by fostering institutional demand across sectors for scalable and sustainable financial services by digitizing payments, be they from donor-funded projects or from big institutional “payers” such as large corporate actors.
Payments
May 20, 2015
This week, the topic of financial inclusion will garner attention as the World Bank uses its spring meetings to lay out a roadmap toward universal financial access and releases new data via the Global Financial Inclusion Database . As USAID seeks to harness the power of science, technology, innovation and partnerships, we are increasingly focusing on digital finance as the critical pathway toward scaling meaningful financial inclusion. But what does that mean? What is our role in services primarily offered by banks and mobile network operators? Lawrence Camp notes that mobilizing private capital entails “using public funds to encourage investment that will result in private profit, but which will also have a development impact.” In many ways, this definition captures USAID’s approach to accelerating the growth of commercially sustainable digital payments systems. Donors — USAID included — will never be the providers of financial services. But we often have a critical role to play in setting the conditions so that the private sector can fill the void that has left more than 2 billion people globally without access to safe, affordable basic financial management tools and forces governments, businesses and individuals to transact in cash, which is expensive, dangerous, inefficient and enables corruption. This blog series will outline USAID’s contribution to meeting the audacious goal of universal financial access through the creation of enduring, inclusive market infrastructure.
Gender Finance
May 20, 2015
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA ) will hold its inaugural Global Conference on Women and Entrepreneurship on May 20-21 in Hangzhou, China at the Dragon Hotel. The goal of the conference is to spark dialogue and action on what can be done to encourage more women to pursue their professional and personal ambitions. The more than 500...
Payments
May 13, 2015
Founded in 2012 by an experienced team of technology and payments industry experts, payleven is the leading provider of mobile card payments, with over 100 employees in 10 countries. Our customer base ranges from the bakery around the corner, to fine dining restaurants in town and from the locksmith at your own front door, to your trusty local...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 12, 2015
In the last few years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for job creation and economic development, not just in emerging economies but in developed countries as well. The impact of the financial crisis that began in 2008 highlighted the importance of access to finance for the SME sector as...
Sustainable Finance
Apr 15, 2015
Transaction accounts can open up access to those currently left out of the banking system, providing a basic entry point, or pathway, to broader financial inclusion . Using transaction accounts to move away from cash to digital payments has made it easier to be part of the formal financial system, even when brick-and-mortar banks are too far away or prefer not to serve poor people. A transaction account used to only mean an account at a bank. Nowadays, a transaction account could be a bank account, a mobile wallet, payment card, or a similar electronic instrument. A lot has happened in the five years since the G20 meeting where the international community recognized financial inclusion as a main pillar of the global development agenda. Since then, more than 50 countries have made formal commitments or set targets for financial inclusion . But much work remains. Worldwide, 2.5 billion adults still lack access to basic financial services. Closing this gap is vital to ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. World Bank Group President Jim Kim set the year 2020 as a target date to achieve Universal Financial Access (UFA). The UFA2020 goal calls for adults everywhere to have access to a transaction account to store money, send and receive payments.
Mar 24, 2015
FinovateSpring 2015 (May 12 & 13, San Jose) is right around the corner, and the presenter lineup has just been announced ! In Finovate fashion , each of these 72 hot young startups & leading established companies will have just 7 minutes on stage to demo their best, new fintech. It’s sure to be an exciting event, and we hope you’ll join us...
Alternative Financing
Mar 19, 2015
Symbid , one of the first investment crowdfunding platforms worldwide, today announced the launch of The Funding Network . Based in the Netherlands, the birthplace of the world's first stock market, Symbid has launched a go-to platform connecting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to all types of funding, traditional and alternative. The...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 04, 2015
In this section, you will find many practical tools to help a bank manage agricultural lending operations in a sound and effective manner, starting with the basics of credit analysis. We have also included editable forms that can help banks create and maintain a good system of documentation, e.g., for collateral, and to support proper loan...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 04, 2015
In this section, we share tools that can help guide interested bankers to better design loan products for the agricultural sector. The downloadable tools below include product sheets and materials on a range of agricultural commodities.
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 04, 2015
The tools in this section can be used by banks to conduct market studies and develop a deeper understanding of value chain arrangements including the relationship among value chain actors from production to final retail sales. These materials also cover financing opportunities at different stages of value chains and loan products relevant for...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Mar 04, 2015
This category of AgriFin tools offers a wide range of editable forms and worksheets that you can use to analyze agricultural clients. The downloadable tools below include credit risk assessment of agricultural SMEs, credit scoring tools, and technical cards on a wide range of agricultural commodities.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 26, 2015
“Banks are not lending to any startups without providing annual financial statements audited by licensed entities in Saudi Arabia,” said Al-Hazmi, co-founder of Riyadh-based Supply & Logistics Solutions that started operations last year providing storage and cargo services. “How would I be able to provide a bank with statements if I just started?” Lending under the nation’s SME Loan Guarantee Program, also known as Kafalah, plunged 76 per cent to SAR 572 million ($153 million) last year as banks tightened rules, according to data from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. That compares with a 12 per cent increase for total bank credit last year to SAR 1.25 trillion, according to Saudi central bank data. “Banks in Saudi Arabia find it challenging servicing the SME market,” Yahya Alyahya, chief executive officer of Bahrain- based Gulf International Bank, which is majority owned by Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, said in an e-mail on 24 February. “SMEs tend not to have reliable financial information, specifically audited financial accounts.”
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Feb 17, 2015
This year saw 72 exhibitors and an audience of over 1200 people in London. There were even more innovators of relevance for both SME finance and for emerging markets. The biggest change to me was the presence of a new core of firms focused on trade and supply chain finance, which is clearly a priority area for SMEs, and which is ripe for innovation, due to the inefficiency of existing systems (and their prejudice against small ticket transactions) and the potential of new solutions to merge e-commerce with e-financing options. The firms Invoice Sharing ( www.invoicesharing.com ), Taulia ( www.taulia.com ) and Trade River Finance ( www.traderiverfinance.com ) all are focused on Europe and/or USA right now, but hopefully all will see the potential in emerging markets, particularly the booming ecommerce scene in Asia. There was a fascinating new entrants in the "alternative scoring" sphere, Aire ( www.aire.io ) focusing on getting scores for thin file candidates. Many new entrants came, as expected, in the "new channel" space, offering alternative delivery systems and even whole new banking models, alongside our old friends Quisk ( www.quisk.co ) which continues to refine its alternative payments offering. mBank and Telenor/Asseco demonstrated their models for banks of the future, already working in central and southeastern europe ( www.mbank.pl www.telenorbanka.rs and www.asseco.com/see ) . Mobino and Mistral Mobile ( www.mistralmobile.com ) offered new payments solutions that can provide the foundations for whole new services developments. LifePay ( www.life-pay.ru ) offers a unique payments solution and ecosystem for Russian SMEs. FOBISS offered an artificial intelligence solution to managing cash payments in branch networks which I figure could be even more useful in agent networks ( www.fobiss.com ). Bendigo and Adelaide Bank ( www.bendigoadelaide.com.au ) unveiled their new community banking digital ecosystem solution, combining digital payments with SME loyalty programs with an additional community investment element ... this was perhaps the one I least thought would be relevant from the name, and was most pleasantly surprised about (so surprised I invited them to talk to our IFC clients the next day, where they were a big hit!). Three crowdfunding operations caught my eye: Streetshares (www. streetshares.com), while still focused only on the USA, is a very interesting way of getting individuals involved again in social enterprise ventures, building on affinity groups in a way that could easily transfer to emerging markets when they're ready. Bitbond ( www.bitbond.com ) offers a global SME crowdfunding platform based on bitcoin, which they say allows true peer to peer to cross borders (there's much about this one I don't quite understand yet, particularly their clever way of letting one cash out of bitcoins). Finally, InvestUp ( www.investup.co ) they say is the first crowdfunding "supermarket", pooling 10 leading platforms at present. Finally, last but certainly not least, there were the innovators offering products that help SMEs run their businesses better and help them to work better with banks. Our old friends Bizequity ( www.bizequity.com ) and topicus finance ( www.topicusfinance.com ) both rolled out new wrinkles, the former opening up in the UK market, and the latter an improved business lending platform that learns about each bank it works with. Got to meet Strands for the first time ( www.finance.strands.com ), a very impressive group of polyglots offering both personal and business financial management solutions in digital packages for a number of leading multinational banks. see www.finovate.com to see the presentations of all these and other firms, as well as more information about each. matt
Jan 26, 2015
On May 12 & 13, Finovate returns to San Jose with FinovateSpring 2015 , a two-day showcase of the best new innovations in financial and banking technology from a mixture of leading established companies and hot young startups. Tickets are selling fast, well ahead of last year’s record-setting volume, with early attendance projections predicting over 1,400 attendees! Count yourself among them by registering now (and save an extra 20% through our special partnership with Finovate when you do)! Though there are many reasons to attend this year’s event, we've narrowed the list to the top five. Without further delay, here are the top five reasons to register for FinovateSpring 2015: 1. Unique value-packed formula: In just two days, you'll watch 72 companies debut their exciting innovations live on stage, plus you'll have the chance to enjoy intimate networking time with leading executives from organizations like Visa, Citi Ventures, Wells Fargo, MasterCard, Intuit and more . 2. Finovate's signature demo-only format: Companies receive just 7 minutes on stage to show (and not just talk about) their latest fintech – no slides or canned videos are allowed. This highly focused format makes sure you see the most important aspects of all 72 fintech innovations in just two days. 3. Cutting-edge fintech: Competition in the fintech arena is fiercer than ever and only the most groundbreaking innovations make it onto Finovate stages. 4. Diversity of ideas: From biometric security to wearable devices, from crowd funding to payments platforms and much more -- you'll see the best new fintech innovations across an incredible range of areas. 5. High-quality networking: Learn from and connect with 1,400+ financial & banking executives, venture capitalists, industry analysts, press, bloggers, and fintech entrepreneurs during TEN HOURS of networking throughout both days. Bring plenty of business cards! These are just five reasons to attend FinovateSpring -- to discover many more, register now! And because of SME Finance Forum’s partnership with FinovateSpring , you’ll save an extra 20% on tickets with the discount code SME20 . See you in San Jose!
Gender Finance
Jan 22, 2015
For every nine men raising equity financing to start and scale their businesses, only one woman does, according to Access to Capital by High-Growth Women-Owned Businesses, a report by the National Women’s Business Council. That sucks! Fundraising for your company is hard, even for men, but, women face greater challenges.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 20, 2015
Recognising that small businesses find it hard to get affordable funding, the Chinese government is encouraging the formation of new banks to focus on lending to this sector. Early this month, the first trial loan was advanced by one of these banks, and five other new banks have been granted licences, including an affiliate of e-commerce giant...
Equity
Jan 13, 2015
In the interview, Anabela Chambuca Pinho, PCA/CEO, Bolsa de Valores de Mocambique discusses: The main challenges African Capital markets are facing How exchanges can play a key role in tackling those challenges The future of the Mozambican market What Anabela believes can and should be done to attract SMEs in her market A preview of the interactive brainstorming session Anabela will be part of in March
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 15, 2014
The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) is a government-owned bank that was established to provide credit and deposit services to poor people in Vietnam. The bank is also mandated to increase financial inclusion, promote microfinance and implement other programs for “poverty reduction and social stability.”
Alternative Financing
Equity
Gender Finance
Guarantees
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Sustainable Finance
Trade Finance
Islamic Banking
Governance
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Payments
Dec 04, 2014
Please see the link for the official announcement from the Turkish government. 2015 should be a very exciting one for SME finance and SME development. Turkey has been a leader in the SME agenda of the G20 since its inception, and has served as co-chair of the SME finance subgroup since SME finance became a priority for the G20 in 2009. As a technical partner to the G20's Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, the SME Finance Forum looks forwarding to supporting the Turkish agenda during this coming year. Our readers may also see that Turkey will be forming a new global body to represent SMEs' own interests during 2015. Unfortunately the working name for this entity is "SME Forum", which risks some brand confusion, for obvious reasons!. We'll also be working with our G20 colleagues on this, hopefully with some resolution that helps build and grow this very worthwhile complementary institution, while avoiding too many cases of mistaken identity. matt
Gender Finance
Nov 17, 2014
In Uganda, there has been a call for a women’s bank. A cross-section of women have called upon the government to provide a bank that will handle the financing of their large and small scale businesses.
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Oct 28, 2014
Today, much of the conversation around smallholder agricultural finance is happening among an inspiring yet small group of social lenders and investment funds. These pioneering institutions have developed new products and disbursed millions of dollars in support of smallholder agriculture worldwide. However, as highlighted in Dalberg's recent report, an estimated gap of $400 billion still exists between demand and supply of finance to smallholder farmers. Without access to financial products and services, smallholders and agricultural enterprises are unable to purchase necessary supplies, expand production and increase their incomes. About the authors : Jane Abramovich and Matt Foerster from TechnoServe .
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 17, 2014
Spotcap is the new innovative online credit platform providing fast and flexible financing to small businesses. The company’s mission is to enable business owners to invest and grow without having to worry about how to finance their projects. Applying for Spotcap’s credit lines takes as little as five minutes making it the fastest online credit.
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Credit Risk & Scoring
Oct 14, 2014
This report encourages APEC leaders to increase financing alternatives for SMMEs by exploring innovations within the SMME financing landscape, and reviewing the regulatory framework and environment required to enable these new models to be introduced successfully. APEC governments should provide an enabling environment that can support a diverse...
Gender Finance
Oct 03, 2014
When it comes to small business startups in the United States, women entrepreneurs are increasingly leading the way. According to the American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Business report, last year women started a whopping 1,200 new businesses a day—up substantially from the already-impressive 740 a day the year before. In case you’re still...
Gender Finance
Oct 01, 2014
The Women’s Finance Hub (part of the SME Finance Forum) recently hosted a conversation about the World Bank Group’s WomenX program, as part of the Financing Women Entrepreneurs for Growth series. The event was moderated by Sebastien A-Molineus, Director, World Bank, with panelists Mehnaz Safavian, Program Lead, Sarah Iqbal, Program Coordinator, Women Business and the Law, and Andrew McCartney, Senior SME Banking Specialist, IFC. Globally, women-owned enterprises are steadily growing, contributing to household incomes and growth of national economies. However, women entrepreneurs continue to face time, human, physical, and social constraints that limit their ability to grow their businesses. Recognizing the unique challenges of female entrepreneurs, the WomenX program facilitates linkages between financial institutions and women entrepreneurs seeking necessary capital for business growth. The program is aimed at empowering women by improving their entrepreneurial ecosystem. Presently there are two country pilots ongoing in Pakistan and Nigeria. The program aims to unleash the power of women entrepreneurs by: Removing legal restrictions to level the playing field Strengthening women’s managerial capability to increase productivity, grow enterprises and encourage sector switches Ensuring that women can tap into networks and gain access to markets Building women’s confidence through mentorship Linking women to banks and sources of capital for growth and expansion. Globally there are 865 million women who have the potential to contribute more fully to the economy, with 94% of them in developing countries. In the absence of women entrepreneurs, output per worker is 12% lower. Pakistan has the lowest rate of female entrepreneurship in the world. Only 1% of women in Pakistan are entrepreneurs compared to 21% of men. To date, despite the compelling case made for women’s participation in the global economy, women entrepreneurs are greatly outnumbered by their male counterparts, and they continue to face gender-specific obstacles that vary by country and region (in addition to the challenges faced by all SMEs in developing countries). Access to finance remains the top concern for women entrepreneurs. About 5.3 million to 6.6 million women-owned SMEs in developing countries are estimated to be unserved or underserved by financial institutions. In Pakistan a mere 3% of the female population has access to an account at a formal financial institution. The experience of WomenX indicates a clear need for financial and non-financial solutions for women entrepreneurs. On the financial side, banks require training to ensure they are ready with the right policies, processes, skills and products to serve the financing needs of women. On the advisory side, there is a clear need for women entrepreneurship training in markets like Pakistan. Such training needs to be scalable and sustainable, but also requires one or more integral banking partners to ensure the linkage with access to finance is made. WEBINAR MATERIALS WomenX Overview - Mehnaz Safavian WomenX in Pakistan - Sarah Iqbal WomenX and Access to Finance in Pakistan - Andrew McCartney About the author: Farah Siddique is a Consultant at the SME Finance Forum.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Sep 24, 2014
Finovate New York 2014 – Big attendance, lots for rich people, but some quality offerings for SMEs and financial inclusion in emerging markets. Finovate is always a very exciting experience, and my first Finovate New York didn’t disappoint. Over 1450 people were registered, the largest Finovate audience ever. Most were from USA, and USA market oriented, but I saw participants from Asia, Africa and Europe. Out of the 70 companies, several were directly SME-relevant, and many had attractive related technologies. Those most SME-relevant were (in no particular order): BCSG —they do products that help SMEs manage their business better, particularly cash management. They have an integrated platform where 1 sign-on gets the business owner to a package of 10 key services. They say they now reach over 4 million SMEs worldwide, from their HQ in “Silicon Roundabout” in east London (rapidly becoming a global fintech hub). They do white label SME services for big banks such as Santander,Barclays and Virgin’s online bank. They’re also ready to customize packages for other financial institutions. They’re interested in wider markets, even though now their presence is mostly the UK, USA and Australia. Behalf (formerly Zazma)—they do working capital finance for SMEs, using quite a clever scoring system which looks carefully at business/vendor relationships in developing flexible credit line packages. They’re also developing an interesting B2B platform, though they don’t say too much about how this might evolve. Unfortunately, with new backing from Sequoia and others, they’re firmly focused on the US market for a while…tried to tell them how demand and margins would be bigger elsewhere, but no go so far…one to keep an eye on for later. Bizequity —previously profiled here, these folks seem to be growing very well, adding 7 new patents in the past year as they seek to become “the turbotax for small business valuation”. With their latest innovations they feel they’re going beyond value to giving firm info on business performance, making the tool even more valuable to financial institutions that choose to incorporate it as a white label product to help in SME client acquisition and service customization. They’ve got 27.5 million SMEs in a database they use for benchmarking (all from North America). They’re now up to 25 private label clients. They have opened an office in Singapore, and are interested in emerging markets, so hopefully we’ll find a way to bring them closer to emerging market FIs in future expos and on-line events we’ll convene through the Forum. BlueVine —they do advances against invoices (invoice discounting), with a strong US focus, but since a number of the founders come from outside the US, they were potentially interested in looking further. Their tool is on-line and immediate, instantly showing the level of discounting they’ll apply. They’re linked to Quickbooks and other leading accounting software, which the SME applicant can tie into to provide essential financial data in a user-friendly way online. In the US they can make the initial credit decision in 24 hours, with subsequent decisions in minutes (up to $50,000). One of the interesting features is that they establish a special BlueVine account and ACH identity for the SME as part of the system, in the SME's name—to me that integration of the business ID into the wider payments records could help later on in broadening financing options for the future (although, it could work to BlueVine’s detriment in that sense). Geezeo —working since 2006 in consumer finance (white labeling for over 300 financial institutions), these folks are branching out into SME financial management support. Their product helps in cashflow and receivables management, budgeting and planning. Their tools also help the FIs in understanding their SME clients, and they have applications that can help the FIs in push marketing of products and in customizing other campaigns. These folks don’t have much experience in emerging markets (they focus on smaller banks and credit unions in North America, so far), but are intrigued by the notion. P2B Investor —crowdfunding for receivables financing. This Denver, CO-based firm focuses on accredited investors only (which I like), offering a partnership with Quickbooks and patented technology to provide a clearer, easier path for both borrowers and financiers to use. Business can acquire as much as $5M in receivables-backed growth capital, with investors getting 7-15% APR (they say, in their promo). They are open to taking their act to emerging markets. Powerlytics —a powerful tool, using tax returns and other open data from government agencies to create a pretty impressive analytics for underwriting mid-market US companies. They have tax data from 144 million US households and 27 million businesses in over 1000 industries. This data engine can do some pretty impressive benchmarking, as they showed. The bad news is that they’ve invested so much in the US systems, they’re not that interested in expansion, except perhaps to certain markets in developed Europe, like the UK and France, where there is substantial data also available on privately held firms (through Companies House filings in the UK, for example). Settle —another venture in the PrivatBank stable (they are regular contributors to Finovate). This one provides a very nice looking payments platform for merchants and customers. It includes customer smartphone apps, and merchant table POS, and a merchant dashboard for work in integrating with loyalty schemes. They say they have over 500 merchants and 100,000 consumers on the platform in the Ukraine and Russia. One needs smartphones and 3G networks to be widely available, but that’s coming fast in more and more places…and I continue to be impressed by how the central European developers manage to produce much more thoughtful, customer-friendly interfaces than their competitors from other regions. These folks aren’t really that interested in emerging markets, though…they came to New York with the US market firmly in their sights! Senor Pago —one of the few emerging market firms there, and they presented a very SME focused product! And a product focused on the unbanked, to boot…. With a strong base as one of the top 2 mPOS providers in Mexico (over 3000 customers), they are seeing how they can give electronic payments privileges to the smallest firms. Sr Pago enables small business and individuals to accept card payments for services through payments cards that work anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Perhaps more important, this can happen with Tier2 KYC, which means that if the customer is a taxi driver or similar very small business, they needn’t do tax registration and other expensive compliance requirements. However, they do get a connection to one of Mexico’s growing microfinance institutions (Te Creemos), so they do link into a financial system (albeit one not mainstreamed, yet) that can offer additional services. They report they’ve also taken their product to the largest bank in Colombia. And there were a number of fintechs which, while not SME-focused, either have potential benefits for SMEs—or they were just seriously cool! Backbase —an overall digital banking solution focused on smaller US banks and credit unions, which means it could probably fit more easily for emerging market banks…what I liked about it was how easy it looked to customize by the FI staff. What I liked even more is that they are creating a parallel “open banking marketplace”, where they offer to connect their banks to any fintech vendors who want to connect to the Backbase core digital banking system…on the one hand, that of course helps give them a slice of the other fintech’s action…but on the other, I think it’s the right way to help small banks get more information about what’s possible. Crowdflower —crowdsourcing turning “big data” into “rich data” (their concepts). These folks have created a network of 5 million (and growing) data grunts out there who are willing to take datasets that cannot easily be worked into a relational database, and manually clean and sort the stuff…for a fraction of the cost of hiring interns (or worse), and with quality control. Examples are going through zillions of satellite photographs of cities to find out how many cars are in parking lots at a given time, and (more interesting for FIs) going through zillions of SEC filings in pdf documents to pull out key company information, such as names of Directors and other performance numbers. Their data cleaning army is from around the world, and they’re interested in how they might move into emerging markets. Wonder how they could do on a task like gender disaggregating client data, or putting employee data from clients and other aspects of SME performance into a more usable data form for FIs??? Eyelock —very impressive iris ID technology…Small, but looked very robust, and can work from batteries, online or offline. they’ve just inked a deal with Sticky Password, which they claim is the world’s #2 password technology backbone provider. FlexScore —“gameifying financial planning”—set goals, monitor progress, score points…focused on consumers, but pretty cool…wonder about its relevance for emerging markets, and about adapting for small businesses??? Particularly for young entrepreneurs, who respond well to gaming environments. Knox Payments —facilitating online C2B payments. Disintermediates the banks, reduces interchange fees, both for domestic and forex payments (they have new alliance with Forex.com ). But most surprising, key staff have connections to emerging market innovators like KopoKopo , and the top team is definitely interested in expansion, with efforts already underway in India! They said they can do ACH payment for $0.18, and transactions that must be underwritten for that plus only 0.5%...with credit card fees, by comparison, being over 2 percent minimum. Matchi —another group trying to matchmake fintech innovators with financial institutions (remember our friends from Innovation Café?) They have Standard Bank as an anchor client, and they’re using “innovation challenges” as motivations to get fintechs to join their platform, and to tilt their thinking to certain key areas. They offer subscriptions to FIs to have access to the “curated information” on the fintechs. It’s clear that many see the fintech world as both really important, but also as really hard to navigate…and thus the opportunity for brokers. Certainly we at the Forum need to figure out the best way to plug into these platforms, because there is lots to be gained from piggybacking on the hard work they’re already doing to surface and classify the fintechs… mCASH —a dominant mobile P2P service provider in Norway, they’re taking their act on the road, and also expanding to enable merchants to accept electronic payments through any channel, using the hardware they already have, including smartphones. Not sure I ever completely understood this one, but they seemed like very credible sponsors, and the interface was very easy and clean. Rippleshot —these guys offer products for small FIs to enable them to learn of credit card and other data breaches earlier, and to do detailed risk management for each breach. This is related to SME finance in that SMEs that are sites where breaches occur very frequently go out of business, so this tool has portfolio risk management relevance. Not a big issue in emerging markets (yet)…but their technology, using GPS, big data analytics, great screen technology, etc, was seriously cool! SelfScore —consumer finance focused, but what was novel is that they combine alternative data use (scraping social media, etc) with online psychometric questioning to focus on getting people with virtually no records in the formal credit reporting system started with credit (such as foreign students recently arrived in the USA, etc). Again, not SME relevant, perhaps, but I liked the thinking behind how they’re doing behavioral scoring along with financial metrics…I wonder about how this might be channeled into looking at youth entrepreneurs??? Sender —another PrivatBank investee company. These folks do digital payments with a Facebook/Twitter/etc style instant messaging interface that was very user friendly and very powerful at the same time. But they’re very US-market focused now (started in Ukraine and Russia). AnchorID —a world with no passwords??? A universal ID that offers the user and the service provider a myriad of ways, starting with a confirming call to the mobile phone number, adding biometrics (voice), PINS, whatever wanted on top (or nothing), so that ones’ Facebook, bank, credit cards, etc, accounts can be made more secure without use of passwords…nothing to do with SMEs, but looked really, really cool as it was demonstrated…someone in the audience even tried to hack it, and failed (and we could see this on the screen real-time—I checked with the CEO/presenter, and he swore up and down this wasn’t planned). About the author: Matt Gamser, the Head of the SME Finance Forum, has over 30 years of experience in international enterprise development, local economic development, and finance. Prior to joining the SME Finance Forum, he led IFC’s advisory work in increasing access to financial services in the East Asia-Pacific region. Matt has worked for governments and private businesses around the world to create an improved policy and regulatory environment for private-sector growth and poverty reduction. He has edited and authored several books and numerous journal articles. Matt holds a BA and MA degrees from Harvard University, and a M.Sc and PhD from Sussex University (UK).
Non Financial Services
Sep 10, 2014
The Bank Innovators Council is a membership organization that helps support, promote and facilitate innovation within and amongst its member banks.
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Sep 10, 2014
African women entrepreneurs are a dynamic force who are increasingly transforming their communities and driving economic growth on the African continent. Some 63 percent of women in the non-agricultural labor force are self-employed in the informal sector in Africa, more than twice the worldwide rate, according to the World Bank. And what we find equally amazing at Village Enterprise , a nonprofit organization that equips people living in extreme poverty with resources to create sustainable businesses, is this rising trend: A previously unimagined number of African women--a long-untapped economic force-- not only are lifting up out of extreme poverty, but themselves are doing much of the heavy financial lifting to help fuel growth in entire communities.
Gender Finance
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sep 04, 2014
In this issue brief, the second in Root Capital’s Issue Brief Series, we share our experience of applying a gender lens to our work in smallholder agricultural finance. Through our Women in Agriculture Initiative, we have been able to better understand the areas in which we know we support women (as farmers, agro-processing employees, and leaders...
Financial Education
Sep 02, 2014
The Token Administration Platform, or TAP, is an e-voucher scheme that uses the latest tablet and smartcard technology to change the way the Nigerian government collects data and delivers benefits to its citizens. Its use of near field communication (NFC) technology is revolutionizing agricultural development in rural Nigeria.
Financial Education
Sep 02, 2014
The potential of new technologies to transform financial services in Africa has long been heralded by the likes of Kenya’s M-Pesa and others. But services for corporates have remained relatively underserved – until now. From the sands of the Sahara in the north to the Limpopo river which marks the border with South Africa to the south, economic, political and technological changes are emerging that favour new opportunities for banks.
Policy & Regulation
Aug 29, 2014
Alibaba, working with Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, China Construction Bank and other banks, is offering big data-based unsecured credit loans of up to 10 million yuan for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) using Alibaba Onetouch's basic export services. This is the first time ever that banks provide unsecured loans for SME based on...
Gender Finance
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 20, 2014
Women are starting 1,200 companies a day, according to The 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses 2014 Report. Unfortunately, most of these businesses will grow up to be runts because women are underfunding their companies. What’s holding women back? Some causes are internal — women don’t ask or dream big — and others are external, such as the type of businesses we choose to start are less attractive to funders and, yes, there is discrimination among some funding sources.
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 20, 2014
The story of Burma’s economic resurgence has attracted investors from all over the world, and most of the attention has been devoted to big businesses and multinationals. But the country also has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that has yet to be properly tapped. Both domestic and international investors feel that in order to bring out the best in the country’s economy, the government needs to create a friendlier environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local businesses.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 05, 2014
The European Union has announced that funding worth €7.75 million will be given to 155 small and medium-sized enterprises from 21 countries, including Israel and Turkey, for innovation studies. The SME Instrument is worth €3 billion over seven years and is part of "Horizon 2020", the EU's biggest ever research and innovation framework with a seven...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Aug 04, 2014
Consumer and business finance company afb has launched an innovative Business Cash Advance product for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya. A first of its kind, the product offers eligible SMEs unsecured cash advances of up to Kshs 5 million, to help them with working capital for their business growth and expansion. The product will go a...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 31, 2014
Until 15 July 2014, financial institutions had been invited to apply for the "SME Finance Innovation Award", hold by DEG. Overall, 34 finance institutions applied (Asia 11, Africa 8, Latin America 6, Europe 5, supraregional 4), 12 of them being DEG customers. The "SME Finance Innovation Award" honours innovative finance products, services and...
Gender Finance
Jul 24, 2014
Women entrepreneurs have steadily emerged as leading contenders among new business start ups. Although statistics show that the rate of women starting businesses has significantly increased over the years, women entrepreneurs are still experiencing undercapitalization. To amend this issue, programs such as the Women-Owned Small Business Federal...
Financial Education
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jul 24, 2014
Small businesses in South Africa provide more than 65% of the country’s total employment and contribute over 50% towards the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, accessing finance from banks is a particularly difficult process that often doesn’t have a positive outcome. In fact, if you consider that five out of seven SA SMEs fail in their first year of trading, mostly due to cash flow problems; it is clear that improved financial support could empower more SMEs to realise their potential and significantly grow the South African economy. Yet, South African banks are not challenging the historical lending processes to provide innovative solutions to support SMEs with improved access to finance. They remain locked into process and security driven lending models that systematically exclude many SMEs. At the core of the issue is the inflexible, heavy weight of banking structure and process; and the impossible distance that these create between the bank and the small business owner as a potential client.
Non Financial Services
Jul 23, 2014
InvestAmericas is a dynamic space for investors in which they can connect and collaborate around due diligence in support of Enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean. InvestAmericas was created as part of a strategic initiative by the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), in order to facilitate the interaction and exchange between...
Supply & Value Chain Finance
Jul 23, 2014
GO Finance is a microfinance company that provides working capital to distributors involved in the value chains of multinational corporations that manufacture fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs). In addition GO provides access to information technology – what we call Business Intelligence – and targeted Training that assists entrepreneurs to...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jul 16, 2014
Agrilife is a cloud-based technology platform designed to use mobile phone and web platforms to enable groups of smallholder farmers as well as other agriculture value chain actors to access financial services, markets and other services. Agrilife was developed by Mobipay Kenya Limited in 2012 to address the challenge of a smallholder dominated African agriculture sector that is largely excluded from formal agriculture finance and product markets. Working with groups of smallholder farmers can have both positive and negative consequences, but the Agrilife platform has taken advantage of the group concept for a cost-effective launch.
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Jul 14, 2014
In 2011, Ecom in conjunction with IFC, scaled up its farmer training programs in both Indonesia and Vietnam to increase productivity, sustainability, and to improve the quality of their coffee beans. When the training centers opened for business, there were hardly any female coffee farmers in attendance. On investigation, the project team found...
Gender Finance
Jul 07, 2014
A qualitative study on women’s access to financial services in Mozambique (covering selected provinces in the South, center and Northern regions of the country) found that women have shown great propensity to adhere to financial services, particularly savings. They are more dynamic in finding financial solutions through the use of various...
Policy & Regulation
Payments
Jun 30, 2014
Mobile financial services - often called mobile money - are a high priority for many mobile operators, financial institutions, technology firms, and governments. In regions where financial inclusion is limited, such as sub-Saharan Africa, mobile money promises a lower-cost, more scalable alternative to traditional banking. Yet despite high...
Financial Education
Gender Finance
Jun 30, 2014
One innovative example of improving rural supply chain challenges through the use of mobile phones can be found in Gujarat, a highly entrepreneurial state in India. Here, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), the Vodafone Foundation in India and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women have joined hands to develop a mobile-based Management...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 27, 2014
According to a recent World Bank report , "a massive 60 percent of Latin America employees work for businesses with five or fewer employees." And while the region generates a high number of new businesses, these companies grow much more slowly than their counterparts in other middle-income regions. In short, in the words of World Bank economist Augusto de la Torre, Latin American companies "tend to start small, and stay small."
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jun 20, 2014
Our technology and services support the whole lifecycle of a lender’s operations from front end lead capture and application processing through customer servicing to delinquency management, across a number of different consumer and commercial financial products.
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 14, 2014
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is to invest in a private equity fund to help SMEs in the West Bank and Gaza gain access to the finance they need to grow and create jobs. IFC’s equity investment of up to $3 million in the Palestine Growth Capital Fund, which is managed by The Abraaj Group, will help provide long-term financing to SMEs...
May 14, 2014
The SME Finance Innovation Award is specifically designed to honor financial institutions for innovative products, services and distribution channels in SME Finance. Three European Development Finance Institutions – German DEG, Dutch FMO and French Proparco – invite financial institutions to submit applications to the award which aims at...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 12, 2014
Oman has launched a new national fund for the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), adding new impetus to the government's efforts to nurture a strong entrepreneurial culture among youngsters in the Sultanate. The SME Development Fund (also known as Al Namaa Fund) has been set up with a capital of RO 100 million, a key executive...
Gender Finance
May 07, 2014
Zambian Central Bank Deputy Governor Dr. Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula notes that the creation of a women's bank is an initiative that will boost financial inclusion. In an interview in Lusaka, Kankasa-Mabula revealed that an initiative to establish a women's bank was being developed and driven by private sector Zambian businesswomen, and was intended to...
Credit Risk & Scoring
May 01, 2014
The Tanzania based CRDB Bank Group has signed a loan deal with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for $75 million for women SMEs. CRDB Managing Director, Dr. Charles Kimei and IFC’s Vice President for sub-Saharan Africa, Jean Philippe Prosper signed the agreement recently which will also support farmers and agribusiness. The comprehensive...
Gender Finance
Apr 17, 2014
While the majority of people in Zimbabwe are grappling with severe power outages, a microfinance institution has launched a program to provide economic opportunities for women. Using solar energy initiatives, the Zimbabwe Resources Foundation has given solar kits to 100 women entrepreneurs in various communities in Manicaland. The kits include...
Gender Finance
Apr 14, 2014
Keshala Jayawardena, the Chairperson of the Regional Development Bank (RDB) of Sri Lanka has noted that a loan scheme launched especially to encourage female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to be self-sufficient has been a success. According to Jayawardena, the Bank has made arrangements to grant loans to 50 female entrepreneurs from each of its 267...
Gender Finance
Apr 10, 2014
This seminar focused on how IFC brings the full array of resources and know-how available in the WBG to achieve transformational impact on gender equality. Speakers shared experience and lessons from IFCs proven approach, discussed market challenges and how stakeholder collaboration could enhance value and reach to accelerate the growth of women...
Financial Education
Non Financial Services
Apr 09, 2014
Bank Alfalah and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have launched the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) Toolkit in Pakistan. It is an online solutions platform, which provides value-added resources, including business advice, local and global best practices and opportunities, to both existing and potential SMEs to grow and improve their...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 07, 2014
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia, including the Philippines, need better access to finance to grow and generate badly needed new jobs for the region, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report. Noritaka Akamatsu, deputy head of ADB's Office of Regional Economic Integration, noted that most of Asia's smaller firms are faced...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Apr 07, 2014
Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka account for 80% - 90% of the total number of enterprises, and the development of the sector is the key for resilient national economies, says the Asian Development Bank. Sourcing the facts to the Annual Report of the Ministry of Finance and Planning 2012, the inaugural edition of the Asia SME...
Gender Finance
Mar 26, 2014
China's first venture capital (VC) fund focused on solely female entrepreneurship - the Wuhan Cybernaut Women's Innovation Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Fund - has been established in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. The fund was co-planned and launched by the Wuhan Women's Federation and Silicon Valley-backed Cybernaut (China...
Financial Education
Mar 24, 2014
The World Bank Group promotes small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth through both systemic and targeted interventions. A critical challenge is to root the many activities now undertaken in this broad space in a clear understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of SMEs their role in the broader economy; and their actual and potential...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Mar 14, 2014
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has awarded the Amsterdam-based Medical Credit Fund one of its first-ever Impact Awards for financing health care in Africa. In a ceremony held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., Medical Credit Fund received the OPIC Impact Award in the category Access to Finance for providing...
Policy & Regulation
Mar 10, 2014
Conventional SME finance policies are designed to address conventional constraints to SMEs accessing the financial services which they need to manage risks, meet supply orders, and invest in new technologies and market opportunities. Yet technology and innovative approaches are transforming the business of SME finance, mitigating conventional challenges and risks and in some cases presenting new risks. Continuing with only conventional policy responses may be duplicative and waste resources, and may also fail to address emerging risks. This has important implications for the World Bank Group’s approach to SME Finance. Information asymmetry raises the costs and risks of providing financial services, and therefore reduces access and leads to higher pricing of financial services for many SMEs. Yet data availability is rapidly expanding, and data brokers are increasingly able to address information asymmetry. “Big Data” Analytics - the analysis of alternative data sets such as cell phone histories and transactional data, represent new ways for assessing the creditworthiness of enterprises currently without access to finance. For example, Experian MicroAnalytics (global) and Cignifi (Brazil, Ghana, Mexico, US) deliver credit scoring based on airtime usage. This type of approach could open up access to credit for mobile payments customers in the developing world. ZestFinance (US) combines data from thousands of potential credit variables, gleaned from alternative credit databases and web crawling to offer a ‘big data underwriting model’. With increasing technology and internet access, the expansion of “digital footprints ” allow for alternative ways to assess borrower creditworthiness and spot and prevent identity fraud. For example DemystData (Hong Kong, US) and Lenddo (Colombia, Mexico, Philippines) use online reputation and social media analytics. The lack of financing sources available to many SMEs, linked to constraints in the use of collateral and the availability of information, is cited as a major concern in the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys. Typical policy responses include secured transactions frameworks (collateral laws, movable assets registries), credit lines, state banks, partial credit guarantee schemes, and encouraging competition and diversification. Fast moving developments in the availability, timeliness, and use of data in supply chains , related to the electronification of transactions (payments, invoices, contracts), are opening up viable access to financial services for SMEs, including to factoring. So providing electronic platforms to facilitate on-line factoring and contract financing can be an alternative or complement to refinancing credit lines or support to state banks. Public sector procurement can be shifted to such platforms to efficiently open up access for SMEs, as is the case with Chile Compra for example. Electronic security and signature laws, and market facilitation platforms, can facilitate supply chain and factoring transactions with SMEs. Crowd funding platforms can also ease access to finance constraints for SMEs, by providing more direct and efficient ways of accessing funding. They can offer borrowers cheaper loans and investors access to a new asset class. Examples of peer to peer lending platforms include Cumplo (Chile), which is web-based, and Funding Circle (UK), which has lent over $391 million to businesses from over 72,000 individual lenders. Alibaba-backed PPDai was the first online platform (social lending site) for peer to peer small unsecured loans in China. Improving SME financial skills and capability is traditionally seen as a matter of training and financial education, as well as the provision of clear and transparent information on financial products. As a complement to this, innovations in the provision of cheap (or free) and easy to access automated online financial advice can also be harnessed. A growing number of firms, such as Money On Toast (US), Vaamo (Germany), Your Wealth (UK), Yseop (France, UK, US) are using software to automate the production of financial advice. As online access improves in emerging markets, including through smartphones, this is an increasingly relevant tool globally. Implications for SME Finance Policy Frameworks: Innovative approaches do not replace the need for policy responses, but do mean that SME finance policies and initiatives need to be rethought. The concepts of additionality and leverage will be critical, based on a regularly updated diagnosis of gaps and priority needs. Emerging risks related to innovative approaches need to be addressed through SME finance policy frameworks. Regulatory frameworks may need to be updated to fit new providers and products, while supervisory capacity may need to be strengthened to effectively understand and monitor them. Credit reporting frameworks may need to be rethought, in terms of data accuracy and availability, new data brokers and providers to monitor, consumer protection, and how to apply or update data security and privacy standards. The World Bank Group works with many governments and regulators to improve SME finance-related policies, regulations, initiatives, including through the Financial Inclusion Support Framework . The WBG is therefore well placed to assist regulators and policymakers in harnessing technology and innovative approaches, and managing risks. But to ensure our relevance and effectiveness, we need to also update our knowledgeand advice, and how we apply WBG financing instruments, accordingly. A G20 SME Conference will take place on 11-12 March 2014 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, organized by the Australian G20 Presidency and the Government of Saudi Arabia, at which I will present on this topic of harnessing technology and innovation in SME Finance Policy Frameworks. We will post the resulting recommendations for G20 actions following this event. For further resources, please visit: The World Bank’s Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure website The SME Finance Forum This blog was written by Douglas Pearce (Manager, Financial Inclusion and Infrastructure Practice, IFC), with contributions from Sarah Fathallah (Junior Professional Associate)
Gender Finance
Mar 03, 2014
While the Indian government launched the country’s first state-owned bank for women just a few months ago, in the western state of Maharashtra, women have had their own bank for more than a decade. Chetna Gala Sinha founded Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank–India’s first rural cooperative bank for women–back in 1997. It has since grown to become the...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 27, 2014
Entering the Year of the Horse, the pace to give more credit support to the development of SMEs continues quickening. However, the problem of SMEs' financing difficulty cannot be solved by banks only. Seen from the international experiences and the developing trend of SMEs financing in China, more direct financing modes are in urgent need...
Gender Finance
Feb 26, 2014
This seminar focused on how IFC brings the full array of resources and know-how available in the WBG to achieve transformational impact on gender equality. Speakers will share experience and lessons from IFCs proven approach, discuss market challenges and how stakeholder collaboration could enhance value and reach to accelerate the growth of women in business and wealth creation. IFC has a unique value proposition to enable financial institutions seize the business opportunities that women entrepreneurs represent. It combines both investment and advisory services to support the financing and capacity needs to effectively target women entrepreneurs. As a global market leader IFC raises awareness of best practices and partners for innovation and impact. The team works with financial institutions, corporates and other stakeholders around the world to support women's entrepreneurship, these include; the Coca Cola Company, Access Bank - Nigeria, Peru's Belcorp, Chindex - China and Brazil's Itau Unibanco. The speakers will share models and insights on how IFC has built an over $600 million portfolio in support of women owned SMEs in developing countries. Speakers: Henriette Kolb, Head of Gender Secretariat - Why women entrepreneurs matter & the World Bank Group’s support Patience Marime-Ball, Principal Investment Officer - IFC’s Financial Institutions Group Banking on Women Andrew Charles McCartney, Senior SME Banking Specialist - Understanding IFC's Women’s Market Advisory Value Proposition Moderator: Matt Gamser, Head of SME Finance Forum / Women's Finance Hub
Financial Education
Feb 25, 2014
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2014 is expected to be slightly higher than of that in 2013, at around 6%. This growth, coupled with the more than one billion consumers on the continent who spend $600-billion annually, as well as having the fastest growing middle class in the world, and...
Equity
Feb 25, 2014
The outlook for private equity (PE) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in 2014 is promising. The potential for continued improvement in the political and regulatory backdrops of many countries, and strong investment demand, are powering economic and business expansion across the continent. Many investors now realise that one of the best means of capturing and supporting this growth is by providing much-needed equity capital -- especially to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) -- coupled with hands-on guidance and management.
Gender Finance
Feb 13, 2014
In a bid to support women entrepreneurs to run thriving businesses, Diamond Bank, a player in the retail banking space, has provided ICT training for women functioning within the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector. At the two day programme, which held at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University last week, the...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 13, 2014
I got to attend my first Finovate in London last week. Very impressive! There were over 1000 folks, with innovations for banks, for SMEs, and for linking idea/people. This scene has become very big, with bankers and investors crowding the halls...both bankers wanting to keep up, and disrupters wanting to eat the bankers' lunch! And most important for our SME Finance Forum, there were many exhibitors with relevance for SME Finance. Among the companies I found very interesting are: · Pixeliris - Sonic wave based alternative to NFC for mobile phone transactions that all can use today! Pixeliris , a French firm which marketed its Copsonic technology, is probably the company I remember the most from a most memorable 2 days in London. Why? it's a contactless, mobile-based payments system that can work not only on smartphones and special cellphones that can handle extra SIMS, but on ALL cellphones out in the market today...it used sonic waves to do this, and the demo showed this very clearly...and it works with POS, EFT, and all sorts of devices that small merchants might have (including the small merchants' cheap cellphones, if they wish). It's compatible with all the emerging standards for contactless payment, and Emmanuel Ruiz (CEO and head of innovation) and the other representatives who presented it at Finovate seemed very interested in emerging markets. · Nostrum Group – Managing loan portfolios Nostrum Group debuted a technology called "virtual collector". They note that while many companies are offering automated decisioning tools for lending, there isn't as much talk about helping manage the loan portfolios. Their technology can be applied in both consumer and commercial lending. They even allow online negotiating of rescheduling/refinancing, with a clever algorithm which combines financial with behavioral data to try to optimize for both financier and client. One needs a smartphone to run this technology. · Advanced Merchant Payments – Merchant credit Advanced Merchant Payments showed off their platform to the European market. As readers may recall, their system, which specializes in merchant credit, does both origination and portfolio management, with some impressive results to date in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. · Crowdfunders o EZBob – UK SMEs o Kown - UK consumer and business loans o KreditAja/Plutus – Singapore based It wouldn't have been an innovation fair nowadays on finance without representation from crowdfunders. EZBOB focused on loans for SMEs, showed its European platform, which has key partnerships with the European Investment Bank and the Royal Mail. While originally designed for online retailers, they've adapted to serve the 5 million plus UK SMEs (initially), providing feedback in minutes about what amount of funding might be available, and from whom. Kown is another UK-based operation, offering both consumer and business loans. They focus on accredited investors to date, but are going to open up to the general public soon. They track over 100,000 firms to identify customized investment opportunities for their users Finally, a Singapore based firm, Plutus Software, showed off their KreditAja platform, which helps financial institutions and consumers/SMEs meet up. KreditAja is the Indonesian name for their product known as ‘LoanGarage’ in other countries. The pitch emphasized consumer finance, but in my talk with the principals, they demonstrated strong interest in SME lending, and are in active talks with Indonesian financial institutions on this topic. · Cloud-based products o Topicus Finan o efigence/idea bank o SaasMarkets o Atsora There were a number of firms at Finovate offering cloud-based products that could help even SMEs with minimal computing capacity to improve their own financial management and to ease (and make cheaper) their exchange of essential information with bankers and other financiers. These included: - TopicusFinan a Dutch firm already working with ING, Rabo and other major financiers; - SaasMarkets working with Global Payments; - Efigence / Idea Bank The latter included a US module to help with tax advice and compliance.This is an area I feel is worthy of much further exploration in emerging markets. - Atsora another Polish group with useful technology in this area, with its Momentum product that deals with currency transfer (only available for UK so far). · Innovation management o Innovation agency - How to improve internal innovation in banks o Matchi - Another way to connect innovators One of the areas of innovation I didn't expect to see at Finovate was innovation in the management of innovation itself! Two firms displayed technologies to help encourage more innovation either inside financial institutions or in the wider marketplace. Innovation Agency headquartered in New York but operating globally showed off its "Innovation Cafe" software, already deployed in emerging markets with clients such as FNB, StandardBank, IDC and ABSA Capital. It's an internal crowdsourcing agent to help companies engage their innovative idea folks, and build internal communities to encourage innovation. Matchi from Hong Kong is a matchmaking platform that helps connect innovators to banks. Their clients include La Caixa Bank. For more information and to see YouTube videos of all presentations, check Finovate website
Gender Finance
Feb 04, 2014
My dream is to live in a world where every single individual has the choice, the opportunity and the possibilities to build the life they desire. To make this dream a reality, I am leading two large-scale Strategic Initiatives in 2014: 1. An initial USD 10 million fund to invest in women-owned businesses globally through private equity funds 2. The launch of a DreamFutures securities program targeting at least USD 1 billion linked to various Women’s Empowerment Initiatives globally Below, I will provide you with additional details on both initiatives. I also invite you all to become part of them.
Credit Risk & Scoring
Feb 03, 2014
Research shows that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute over 50 per cent of GDP in high income countries whereas, contrary to common expectation, the contribution is much lower in Middle and Low Income nations; Prof Lant Pritchett of Harvard calls this gap the missing middle. In Oman, much has been done to develop the sector, yet its contribution to GDP stands at 13-14 per cent.
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Sustainable Finance
Jan 30, 2014
At Root Capital, we originally developed social and environmental due diligence tools and methodologies as a way to put our mission into practice and to demonstrate our impact. Years of lending led us to the realization that social and environmental due diligence brings real financial benefits as well as costs. Our issue brief describes where we see the alignment of financial, social, and environmental interests as being strongest. Of course, Root Capital is far from the first financial institution to consider these topics. Indeed, our partners at Citibank have given these issues a lot of thought, and so we spent some time with Courtney Lowrance, Citi’s Director of Environmental and Social Risk Management , to understand their perspective and whether lessons learned from financing weather-worn farmers are relevant on Wall Street .
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jan 30, 2014
Supply chain finance has played an important role in easing liquidity constraints and improving the competitiveness of the grains sector in Mexico—one of the world's largest grain producers. This type of financing increases access to credit for producers, enhances the reliability of supply for buyers, and serves as a risk management mechanism for...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Jan 28, 2014
Over the past 15 years that Root Capital has been working in smallholder agricultural finance, we’ve found that assessing the social and environmental practices of our clients is way to generate financial benefits as well as impact. Our inaugural issue brief focuses on the emerging business case for financial institutions to conduct due diligence...
Alternative Financing
Jan 24, 2014
RockThePost is an equity crowdfunding platform that connects high quality entrepreneurs with accredited investors interested to invest in exciting new start-up companies.
Gender Finance
Jan 22, 2014
Not long after Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi professor-turned-banker who has been called the father of microcredit, founded Grameen Bank, close to 97% of his small loans were going to poor women. Women have been the focus of his efforts ever since. Why women? I wondered when I first met Yunus in 1994 while in Bangladesh on an assignment for UNICEF. From my recent conversations with Yunus and years of research for my book about his initiatives to end global poverty, Twenty-Seven Dollars and a Dream How Muhammad Yunus Changed the World and What It Cost Him , I have identified 5 reasons why Yunus concentrates his microcredit efforts on women.
Alternative Financing
Jan 20, 2014
More than five years after the financial crisis of 2008, small businesses in advanced economies are still struggling to secure credit from banks. The combination of this trend with the rapid growth in social networking has resulted in the emergence of a new funding stream -- 'crowdfunding'. Although this new form of non-bank lending is not seen as a threat to the traditional banking system, it does signify a serious alternative to traditional sources of finance for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Non Financial Services
Jan 20, 2014
In February 2012, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation launched the SME Catalyst for Growth (C4G) programme in South Africa to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in collaboration with three core partner: Dalberg Global Development Advisors (Dalberg), Aurik and Raizcorp. Through this partnership, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation...
Alternative Financing
Jan 14, 2014
In our last blogpost for 2013, ACCA’s senior economic analyst, Manos Schizas, talks about trying his hand at lending directly to SMEs – and watches one of his borrowers fail. I was extremely pleased to host ACCA’s Alternative Finance conference back in March 2013. It was an opportunity to showcase some of the most innovative finance providers in the UK, and it was exciting to see professional accountants work out the implications of their offering for themselves and the businesses they worked for. But here at ACCA’s SME Unit we’d like to think we’re not all talk, so I have since opened accounts with a number of peer-to-peer consumer and business lending platforms, and have recently started to invest in the latter in earnest. As part of a wider portfolio of loans, I recently bought sixty pounds’ worth of the debt of a company that I shall call Space Odyssey Ltd (not their actual name of course). This may not sound like much but P2P platforms and elementary finance textbooks both stress that it’s important to diversify when investing, and I sure am glad I did in this case.
Gender Finance
Jan 07, 2014
I believe entrepreneurs are the foundation for innovation, economic growth, and job creation and have made it my personal mission to give back to the entrepreneurial community and to empower women around the world to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. My work as part of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council and my role as Dell’s entrepreneur-in-residence have given me a platform to reach entrepreneurs on a global scale in ways that would not have been possible on my own.
Gender Finance
Jan 06, 2014
After four months of business and management training, 94 students graduated from the 10th class of the 10000 Women Entrepreneurship Track Program for Chinese Women in China's capital city of Beijing on December 29, 2013. The program, jointly created by the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SEM) and the Hautes...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Dec 23, 2013
DEG, a subsidiary of KfW, is one of the largest European development finance institutions for long-term project and company financing. For more than 50 years, DEG has been financing and structuring the investments of companies in developing and transition countries in order to contribute to sustainable progress. DEG advise private companies and...
Alternative Financing
Dec 16, 2013
TheImpactInvestor.Net provides honest advice and information on impact and ethical investing opportunities for individuals and retail clients. We believe that addressing social and environmental challenges, while generating a balanced financial return, should be (and can be) done by everyone.
Gender Finance
Dec 10, 2013
WeXchange , a conference focused on women entrepreneurs in Latin America, is slated for Dec. 11-12 in Miami. In Latin America, women entrepreneurs represent a low percentage of the business community, in some places as low as 6 percent. Their low numbers mean they face more challenges than men in the region, mostly due to the lack of strong...
Rural & Agriculture Finance
Dec 05, 2013
The Lending to the Agriculture Sector Toolkit is a suite of resources designed to support financial institutions (FIs) in: (i) making a determination whether or not to get into or ramp up agricultural sector lending; (ii) and if so, to rapidly set-up an agricultural lending unit. It was originally designed by the U.S. Agency for International...
Guarantees
Dec 05, 2013
Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) is an investment fund structured as a Rwandan registered company limited by guarantee (CLG). AFR was established by UK government in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the National Bank of Rwanda. Funding has been received mainly from the UK government and the World Bank, other...
Alternative Financing
Dec 04, 2013
Out of the 14 teams that competed in the Accra Startup Weekend event, SliceBiz, a startup that is providing a web and mobile platform which connects entrepreneurs and investors for startups were declared winners of Startup Weekend Accra. SliceBiz proposes a disruptive way of giving individuals and investors the opportunity to ‘own a slice of a...
Alternative Financing
Nov 25, 2013
Shivani Siroya founded InVenture in April 2011 as a crowd-sourcing platform for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) investment. Her broader objective was to promote financial inclusion across the developing world. InVenture provided exible, equity-like capital to individuals unable to access formal bank loans or investment capital. Through...
Credit Risk & Scoring
Nov 21, 2013
Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, yesterday launched a unique SME financing programme which addresses a long-felt requirement of entrepreneurs in Oman. The new facility broadens financial access and helps entrepreneurs overcome challenges arising from non-availability of collaterals for SME finance.
Islamic Banking
Nov 21, 2013
Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) expects to provide financing worth RM200 million to about 400 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under its first Islamic Portfolio Guarantee (PG) Scheme, in collaboration with Standard Chartered Saadiq Bhd. CGC Managing Director Datuk Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad said the Islamic PG scheme will be executed based on...