By invitation only

In an unprecedented effort to temporarily suspend SMEs' debt payments and avoid foreclosures, negotiations and agreements are at full speed around the world. SMEs are having a hard time adjusting and keeping business moving, while financial institutions are assessing their collection strategies and reviewing protocols to secure cash flow and minimize costs. More than ever, credit scoring models require a more thorough evaluation and adjustment. On the policy side, business continuity puts regulatory agencies under pressure to provide more clarity, thus needed flexibility to assist struggling customers affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

Sharing knowledge and experiences has always been a core service offered by the SME Finance Forum to our members. Two-thirds of the respondents of our 2019 Member Survey mentioned that they acquired new knowledge relevant to their work by participating in the Forum's learning activities. The virtual roundtable series on COVID-19 mitigation efforts offer the opportunity to learn best practices from highly respected peers, and to discuss the challenges and innovations on SME finance from financial and non-financial institutions in 190 countries of our membership network.

On Thursday, May 7, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. EDT, during the seventh virtual roundtable hosted by the SME Finance Forum, representatives of banks and credit bureaus will discuss how they are adjusting credit risk assessments and scoring of creditworthiness, respectively, due to COVID-19 emergency. The panel discussion will be joined by senior executives from Standard Chartered, which operates in 60 countries around the world, WeBank, which works with Chinese underbanked individuals and SMEs, the International Committee on Credit Reporting (ICCR), convened and chaired by the World Bank since 2007, and Experian, a global leader in consumer and business credit reporting in 37 countries. Together, they will provide insights on the measures and adjustments being put in place to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on SME finance.

What you will learn:

• First responses in collections that institutions are implementing as the situation evolves.
• How institutions are adjusting scores and risks due to COVID-19 delinquencies.
• What immediate measures of forbearance are put in place.
• What changes are envisioned in the future, as we move from emergency to recovery.

MAIN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SESSION

BLOG

Host and moderator
 Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum

Opening Remarks
Alfonso Garcia Mora is the Global Director for the Finance Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice at the World Bank Group (WBG). He manages the FCI Global Teams related to Stability & Integrity; Financial Infrastructure, Inclusion & Access; Long Term Finance; and Crisis & Disaster Risk Management. He joined the Bank in January 2013, and since then Alfonso has led various projects in Latin America, East Asia Pacific, Middle East and Eastern Europe advising Governments, supervisors and regulators in projects related to financial sector development, access to finance, banking crisis and resolution, capital markets and financial regulation. Alfonso has participated in several Financial Sector Assessment Programs (FSAP) as mission chief and specialist.  Currently he represents the WBG in different committees of the Financial Stability Board (FSB). Prior to joining the Bank, Alfonso was Partner Managing Director at Analistas Financieros Internacionales Consulting Group. Alfonso holds a PhD in Economics from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, a Master of Finance from the Catholic University of Leuven and has also served as a visiting PhD student at Boston University. He has lectured and published extensively on banking and financial sector issues.

Speakers

Kamal Hingorani is the Global Head of Collections for Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. He is based in Singapore and manages a portfolio covering 25 markets across the bank’s footprint in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Standard Chartered Bank offers the complete suite of retail banking products covering credit cards and personal loans, mortgage and auto loans, wealth management and business banking. He has 25 years of work experience with 20 years in Retail Banking and 5 years in the Telecom industry. His retail banking experience covers Sales, Credit and Operational risk and Internal Audit. He has managed the End to end credit including Credit policy, Underwriting and Collections with experience across Frontline Country and Group leadership roles. He specializes in risk management and has worked out of India, UAE, Singapore and Kenya managing markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Tyler Aveni is the Head of International Partnerships for WeBank. Tyler leads strategic international fintech partnerships (banks and non-banks) in developing new business opportunities for WeBank. Prior to joining WeBank, Tyler was country director for SuperCharger FinTech Accelerator in Kuala Lumpur & Hong Kong, the lead China analyst for CGAP (World Bank Group) and an office manager for Planet Finance in Beijing. His former project work involved consulting B2B Fintechs, microfinance companies & online lenders on market entry and expansion strategy across APAC, as well as writing industry reports on China’s digital financial market. Tyler is fluent in Mandarin and holds degrees from Williams College.

Neil Munroe is the Deputy Chair at International Committee on Credit Reporting (ICCR), and Deputy Managing Director at BIIA. Neil has 35 years’ experience in the financial services and credit reporting industries. For over 24 years he was with Equifax where he held a number of positions in business development and operations including that of Sales Director for Equifax’s Consumer Information Services credit reporting business in the UK. For the last 12 years at Equifax he was Director responsible for External Affairs and Communications which involved extensive customer, industry body and government liaison, monitoring regulatory and other external affairs that could influence the credit reporting industry in the UK. In March 2015 Neil Munroe formed CRS Insights Limited which provides strategic and operational consulting services to all stakeholders involved in credit reporting systems, including data suppliers and users, credit reporting service providers (private credit bureau and public credit registers) and regulator/policymakers. Neil is a founding member of the International Committee on Credit Reporting (ICCR) that is hosted by the World Bank and was personally involved in the creation of the World Bank Principles of Credit Reporting, the recognised standards for the industry. He was elected Deputy Chair in November 2019. Neil was a member of the Executive Management Committee of ACCIS, the Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers, from 2007 to 2018, holding the position of President from 2009. He is currently Deputy Managing Director of the Business Information Industry Association (BIIA), which is registered in Hong Kong and whose membership consists of more than 70 information companies. Neil is also a member of the UK Chartered Institute of Credit Management and an advisor on consumer credit matters to the Institute’s Technical Advisory Committee.

Tony Hadley is the Senior Vice President of Public Policy for Experian. Tony leads the US domestic and global regulatory and public policy functions for the Experian group of companies.  His team manages legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to data-driven marketing, data analytics, credit reporting and risk management, financial markets, health IT, and e-commerce.  Tony oversees similar activities in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. Tony communicates and aligns Experian’s position on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues with its clients and stakeholders, including multi-lateral groups, international organizations and policymakers, the US Congress, regulatory agencies, and consumer and professional groups.  He represents the corporation’s interests before trade alliances including the Association of National Advertisers, Consumer Data Industry Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Financial Services Association, and Consumer Bankers Association.  He aligns policy with several international organizations, including the Trans-Atlantic Business Council; the US-Brazil Business Council; the US-India Business Council, and the US-ASEAN Business Alliance.    

Valeria Salomao Garcia is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank.  With over 25 years of experience in banking, her areas of expertise include banking supervision, risk management, and financial analysis.  Since joining the World Bank in 2010, she has been actively participating in assessments as well as delivering technical assistance worldwide. Prior to joining the World Bank she worked for several years for the Central Bank of Brazil. Ms. Salomao Garcia’s professional experience also includes serving as Director at Fitch Ratings, acting as a lead analyst for large banks operating in Brazil, and a committee member for banks worldwide.  Prior key responsibilities in the private sector also include serving as a Risk Management senior official at a large private bank in Brazil, leading the credit risk and capital allocation units.

Repository

• NEW: 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