Our events
Spotlight on Innovation: SME Finance Leaders 2024
Join us for an exclusive webinar, "Spotlight on Innovation: SME Finance Leaders 2024," where we recognize and celebrate the trailblazers in SME finance. This event will showcase the remarkable achievements of some of our platinum winners who have made significant impacts in the industry.
Event Highlights: Discover the innovative solutions and best practices that have set these winners apart in categories such as Best Financier for Women Entrepreneurs, Product Innovation of the Year, SME Financier of the Year, and Sustainable Bond of the Year. This session is a unique opportunity to gain insights from the winners and understand the value and importance of the Global SME Finance Awards in fostering innovation and collaboration in SME finance. Don't miss the chance to be inspired and informed about the latest trends and opportunities in the industry.
Objectives:
- Be part of this inspiring event and learn how you can make a difference in the SME finance landscape!
- Address specific questions from the industry through a moderated Q&A session.
Featured Institutions:
- Finbots AI: A Singapore-based fintech company specializing in AI credit scoring.
- Kinara Capital: A socially responsible fintech driving last-mile financial inclusion of small business entrepreneurs in India.
- Sicredi: The first Cooperative Financial Institution in Brazil serving SMEs.
Speakers:
Sanjay Uppal, Founder & CEO, FinbotsAI
Sanjay is the Founder and CEO of FinbotsAI, a Singapore-based fintech company pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize financial processes. Established in 2017, FinbotsAI stands as one of Asia's trailblazers in fintech, committed to transforming complex legacy systems in financial institutions and promoting financial inclusion. Under Sanjay's leadership, FinbotsAI boasts extensive global expertise in financial services, AI, and technology. With a client base spanning thirteen countries, their flagship product, CreditX—an AI-Powered Credit Scorecard Solution—enhances lending businesses worldwide by facilitating swift and accurate credit decisions. To read more about Sanjay Click HERE.
Hardika Shah is the Founder & CEO of Kinara Capital
Kinara Capital is a fintech company dedicated to advancing financial inclusion for small business entrepreneurs in India. Founded in 2011, Kinara Capital provides fast, collateral-free loans to MSMEs, with a blend of digital processes and doorstep customer service. With AI/ML-based data-driven credit decisioning, the company’s multilingual myKinara App offers a quick 1-minute eligibility check and an end-to-end digital process, completing loan decisioning to disbursement within just 24 hours. With a women-led management team, Hardika fosters inclusivity and supports women entrepreneurs through initiatives like the HerVikas program. Before establishing Kinara, she spent nearly 20 years in management consulting and mentoring emerging social entrepreneurs. Hardika holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Knox College and an MBA from a joint program between Columbia Business School and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
João Pedro Stephanou, Manager of Finance Institutions of Sicredi
With a degree with honours in Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BRA) and a Specialization in Finance from the same university, João Pedro has been working at the Sicredi Cooperative Bank since 2018, working on topics such as Corporate Finance, Sustainable Finance and Institutional Funding.
Hosted by:
Qamar Saleem, Global Head of The SME Finance Forum
Prior to this role, Qamar was the Manager Financial Institutions Group Advisory Services for Asia and Pacific driving leading a large team across 20 countries aimed at providing integrated investment/advisory client solutions across mainly MSME, Gender, Climate, Digital, Housing, Trade, and Supply Chain Finance. Qamar has been with IFC since 201 and served in his previous roles as global technical lead for SME and Supply Chain Finance as well as regional SME Banking lead for EMENA. Qamar has 30+ years of global financial services experience having worked across 60+ countries internationally managing large business lines while leading multi-cultural and cross-functional teams. He is a recognized thought leader, featured speaker, and an industry mentor in SME Finance. Prior to joining IFC, Qamar was associated with international organizations like HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank as well as large regional banks while serving in several emerging markets where he also led SME Banking and Commercial Banking Divisions. Qamar holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and carries several certifications in the areas of Strategy, Climate Finance, Digital Banking, Business Transformation, Social Impact, MSME Banking, Team Leadership, Supply Chain Finance, Credit, Risk, Trade, Sales Effectiveness, Transaction Banking and Project Implementation.