Our events
SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - 2022 March Monthly Session - Fintech
The “SME Finance Virtual Marketplace” is an online match-making platform that promotes partnership and collaboration between members of the SME Finance Forum, especially 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 digital presence including e-commerce.
How does the Marketplace operate?
To participate in the marketplace, each institution must have:
- An institutional profile (company profile and products/services offering)
- A personal profile (individuals representing the companies)
Individuals on the Marketplace can explore products and services available (investment products, advisory services, technology solutions...etc. ) and reach out to one another to discuss potential collaboration and partnership.
March Marketplace Session
This monthly marketplace session, scheduled on Wednesday, March 9th from 8 am - 9:00 EDT, will feature a series of institutions who will present their products/services.
Following the presentations, participants will have the opportunities to reach out directly to the presenting institutions to make inquiries or explore partnership opportunities.
Read event summary here>
COMPANIES PITCHING
Shanghai F-Road focuses on mobile financial services. It is dedicated to providing mobile financial services via mobile terminals and offering comprehensive solutions of mobile banking to regional banks.
ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. It is the only development agency that is fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of SMEs.
Tugende is tackling the credit gap for small businesses in Africa by enabling informal entrepreneurs to 1) own income‑generating assets, 2) build a verifiable digital credit profile, and 3) earn future growth opportunities through the Tugende digital platform. From financing to value-added services to new opportunities, we are building a long-term ecosystem for MSMEs to grow and thrive with us as their partner.
Economic and enterprise development company with a focus on providing business support such as linkages to Market, Finance and Technical Services to MSMEs to foster private sector-led development in Nigeria.
PRESENTERS
Robert Scheunpflug is the Deputy Manager of Smart Credit Department / Senior MSE expert. He has 12 years of experience in small and micro lending project consulting, small and micro enterprise lending and individual lending in China and Eastern European countries. Since 2005, he worked for German International Project Consulting (IPC GmbH) as one of the first generation of IPC credit experts to enter China. He was mainly responsible for small and micro lending consulting projects in several rural commercial banks, including Suzhou Bank, Ningbo Yinzhou Rural Commercial Bank, etc. and participated in 25 downscaling projects, that in total disbursed a portfolio of 100 billion RMB of micro loans. In 2013, he co-founded Silkroad Business Consulting Ltd. Co (SBC), which was founded based on IPC Technology and established to serve the regional banks,where he was holding positions of CEO and senior bank advisor. Since May 2017, when F-Road acquired SBC, he acts as deputy manager of the Smart credit department. He holds a master’s degree in political science from Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
Ian Sayers is the Senior Adviser for Access to financing and investment at the International Trade Centre in Geneva. The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the UN body responsible for international trade and sustainable enterprise development, with a particular focus on the internationalisation of SMEs, women and young entrepreneurs. Ian leads ITCs assistance to 1,000s of developing country MSMEs to upgrade their business management skills and find affordable financing and investment to accelerate sustainable and inclusive business growth, value-addition and competitiveness in trade. Ian can be contacted at: The International Trade Centre, Geneva. ITC works with industry leaders, financing providers, business development services, policy-makers, MSMEs and communities of enterprises in more than 100 countries to open-up new markets, reduce financing and operational risks, improve ESG performance, resilience, sustainable COVID recovery and the expansion of clean trade. See https://intracen.org
Michael Wilkerson is the CEO and founder of Tugende and has lived full time in Uganda for 10+ years. He began his career as a journalist, starting with internships at Uganda’s the Daily Monitor and Independent. Michael holds a BA from Stanford and an MPhil from Oxford where he was a Marshall Scholar and received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Civics. Tugende has been recognised for social impact by partners including Echoing Green, The Zambezi Prize for Financial Inclusion, Shell Foundation, and GSBI.
Zigha Ayibakuro Timothy is the CEO of Zal Group. Bayelsa born visionary, he is passionate about rewriting the narrative of the average Niger Delta youth hitherto perceived as restive. With over ten years work experience in youth development, he has designed, managed and facilitated major trainings in human capacity development for over 5000 individuals and volunteers; including specialized trainings for corporate organizations in Nigeria. He is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zigha’s Ayibakuro Limited popularly referred to as ZAL. ZAL is an Economic/Enterprise Development firm with investments in Agriculture. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. As an Enterprise Development enthusiast, Zigha Ayibakuro has embarked on several personal development trainings and certification to equip him with the requisite skill set for his chosen field of endeavour -Human Capacity Development. The trainings include; • Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management (CEM Class 53) in Nigeria Pan Atlantic University (EDC) Lagos 2022. • National Certified Business Development Service Provider in Nigeria, Alumni Pan Atlantic University (EDC) Lagos 2021. • Local Economic Development: Erasmus University Rotterdam 2019. • Chevron Foundation Initiative for Partnership in Niger Delta (PIND) SME Upgrading and Diagnostics Training with DAI South Africa, 2014 and 2016 • Contemporary Work Ethic and Professionalism for Organizational Productivity with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) 2014 • New Partnership for Africa Development, Bayelsa State, Sustainable Development Summit: Collective Responsibility 2011 • Entrepreneurial Development Workshop, Federal University, Otuoke with the Bayelsa State Government 2013 • Market Access organized by Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, 2014 • African Business Conference, Lagos Business School, 2014.******
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