During this time of unprecedented crisis, the SME Finance Forum, as a global SME finance community, is committed to supporting its members and partners. In this repository, we will share resources, events, and other vital information relevant to the SME Finance ecosystem.

1. Virtual Roundtable Series - By invitation only

Over a period of less than two weeks, since COVID 19 was officially declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020, the number of people known to have been infected by the virus has tripled. That week, at least more than 330,000 are known to have the virus in over 150 countries and 14,000 have lost their lives to the virus. More and more countries have taken unprecedented and drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus by closing towns, cities, and national borders, disrupting not only the social lives of the people but also the economies, including millions of SMEs around the world. 

Starting Thursday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. EST, and initially, for the next six weeks, the SME Finance Forum hosts an hour-long Webex-based Virtual Roundtable Series for Members on COVID-19 crisis. Each meeting features a speaker, who describes their institution’s mitigation actions and efforts. Speakers present for the first 10-15 minutes, and then we open the floor for discussion to share best practices and concerns in this challenging time. Hence, the weekly sessions are organized to provide our members with opportunities to share and learn from each other’s experiences in a continuous and real-time basis.

Each meeting focuses on several themes (examples below), though all and any questions are accepted: 

1. Collections/grace periods/other adjustments
2. Managing disruptions to supply chains and their financing;
3. Regulator relations/adjustments to prudential norms
4. Risk management for both existing borrowers and first time (previously non-borrowing) clients 
5. Loan classification and credit information sharing;
6. Government initiatives 
7. Development finance institutions’ responses 

These sessions are open to all members, who can suggest other institutions who might benefit from joining as participants, and/or as presenters. The Forum prepares a written summary after each discussion, that is shared on our Members Portal, with access only to members and speakers.

Schedule (Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. EST)

2021

• February 4th - The Evolving Role of Credit Guarantees – from Relief to Recovery
• March 11th - Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 on Women Entrepreneurs
• May 19th - Government Support for Alternative Financiers in COVID Recovery
• May 26th - Handling Insolvency during Crisis. What will SMEs need?
• June 2nd - The role of alternative data in ensuring access to finance for SMEs post COVID
• July 14th - Bank & Big Tech Partnerships Post-COVID
• July 28th - Transitioning from Relief to Recovery

2020

• March 26 - IFC and Kabbage efforts 
• April 2 - Lessons from Asia
• April 9 - Alibaba and Ant Financial - Integrating market and financial assistance  
• April 16 - DBS: Digital Relief
• April 23 - Risk Sharing in the Biggest Crisis Ever
• April 30 - Banking Women Entrepreneurs during COVID-19
• May 7 - Making Adjustments: Collections Strategies, Credit Scoring and Regulatory Forbearance
• May 14 - DFIs Preserving SMEs Liquidity and Solvency   
• May 21 - SME Finance Businesses Thriving amid Chaos
• May 28 - Serving Women-Owned Micro Businesses (Part II) 
• June 4 - Insuring SMEs
• June 11 - Global Microfinance Networks Coping with COVID-19
• June 18 - LAC: New Digital Delivery Models for COVID-19
• June 25 - Agri SMEs Weathering COVID-19
• July 2 - The Macro Picture for Small Business
• July 9 - Deep Dive: Collections and Risk  
• July 23 - Digital Banks dealing with COVID-19
• August 6 - Going Beyond Finance under COVID-19
• August 13 - New Lending into a Crisis
• September 3 - Technology to bridge the Gender Finance Gap
• September 10 - Bank & FinTech partnerships post COVID
• September 24 - Bank & FinTech partnerships post COVID - Part II
• November 12 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Information and Credit Risk
• December 17 -  SME Loan Repayment Holidays

Weekly Summaries  

• NEW - Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - September 28, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - September 21, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - July 6, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 22, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 15, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 8, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 1, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 25, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 18, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 11, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 4, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 27, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 20, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 13, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 6, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - March 30, 2020
• Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - March 23, 2020

Blog articles  

• Lifeline amid Public Health Emergency
• How members are getting SMEs online – and out of danger
• Roundtable Recap: Lessons from 2008 for the COVID-19 crisis: Illiquidity is as dangerous as insolvency
• Roundtable Recap: Earlier rather than later: SME lenders are reacting quickly in Asia
• The world needs new partnerships to protect SMEs from COVID-19's impact - The Banker
• Roundtable Recap: Beyond Finance: What Alibaba and Ant Financial Can Teach Us About Responding to COVID-19
• What should be the first immediate steps that banks should do to help SMEs?
• COVID-19 and Credit Reporting: Suppression is Not the Solution
• DFI leadership during the COVID-19 crisis
• Roundtable Recap: COVID-19 - A Catalyst for Digital Transformation in the SME Lending Ecosystem
• Supporting Firms: From Crisis to Recovery
• Roundtable Recap: Risk Sharing during COVID-19: the Need for Uncommon Measures
• Expansion of digital transactions through e-Wallets and COVID-19 pandemic
• Embracing partnerships to tackle challenges during COVID-19
• Roundtable Recap: Reducing financial vulnerabilities for women entrepreneurs during COVID-19
• Webinar Recap: SME policy response speed, critical to economic recovery
• Pregunta a los expertos: negocios en tiempos de crisis. El caso del Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (Available only in Spanish)
• Roundtable Recap: Credit Integrity and the Future of a Healthy Financial System
• Data Story: The importance of supporting MSMEs during the pandemic
• Roundtable Recap: The Critical Role of DFIs in Preserving SME Solvency in a Pandemic
• Roundtable Recap: Serving the Unique Needs of Micro Businesses
• Roundtable Recap: Thriving Amid Chaos
• Webinar Recap: Achieving financial stability and long-term relationships in MFS
• Roundtable Recap: A wakeup call to expand insurance services to SMEs
• Webinar Recap: Building data-driven digital systems to expand lending capabilities
• Supporting Women-Led Rural Micro-Enterprises Through COVID and Beyond
• Roundtable Recap: COVID-19: Digital Finance Models to the Rescue of SMES in Latin America
• Roundtable Recap: Microfinance Institutions vs. COVID-19: The Real Asset Lies in the Global Networks
• Rountable Recap: The perfect storm to accelerate the digital revolution for Agri SMEs
• Rountable Recap: Opportunities for growth within a “new normal”
• The Importance of Going Digital for SMEs
• What we learned so far from our Virtual Roundtables on COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts
• Rountable Recap: The Evolving Collections and Risk Landscape
• Webinar Recap: Data Trends in Analytics, Risk, and Privacy in a Post-COVID 19 World
• Rountable Recap: The Changing Face of Your Banker
• Rountable Recap: Going Beyond Financing in Support of SMEs During and After COVID-19
• NEW - Webinar Recap - Payments Technology: Expanding Access for SMEs in Africa
• NEW - Roundtable Recap - Informed credit decisions in times of COVID-19

International Organization's COVID-19 Hubs

• UNCDF Guidance Note for Immediate Action: Plug and Play E-Grants for SMEs at Scale
• The World Bank Group and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
• World Health Organization on Coronavirus Outbreak
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on COVID-19
• OECD Online Policy Hub in Response to Coronavirus Crisis

Member's Information

• NEW: COVID-19 EconData Kenya, supported by FSD Kenya
• Member Kabbage Report on the Results of the Paycheck Protection Program
• Member PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses
• Member Tyme launched its new website including COVID-19 resources
• Member Standard Chartered: How we’re helping SMEs during COVID-19
• Member Survey Results on the Impact of COVID-19
• Member Tyme Bank response to COVID-19
• Member Ant Financial working to help SMEs affected by the coronavirus crisis 
• Member DBS: Supporting Our SME Community Amid A Crisis

Other resources

• NEW: The Alliance for Financial Inclusion: COVID19 Member Mitigation Plans
• Free COVID-19 Business Survival Bootcamps (Africa)
• Information and resources available for American small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits (US)
• COVID-19 Notes – Finance Series - Impact and policy responses in support of private-sector firms – World Bank/IFC

Special resources for members

Free resources and other relevant information for members