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Supply & Value Chain Finance
The supply chain finance industry is evolving rapidly, driven by factors such as trade policy uncertainties and the need for Supply Chain Finance (SCF) solutions in a changing trade landscape. Efforts are underway to support SMEs through SCF, simplify processes, and increase awareness. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations are gaining importance, with stakeholders agreeing on sustainability KPIs. Regulatory challenges, digitisation of international trade, technological innovations like AI and cloud technology, and collaborative approaches are shaping the industry’s future, indicating a dynamic and transformative landscape. The BCR will hold its Annual Supply Chain Finance Summit on January 29th and 30th...Read more
Supply & Value Chain Finance
REGIONAL CONFERENCE Supporting SMEs within the Financial Supply Chain through Traditional & Reverse Factoring 25-26 February 2025 | Coral Gables, Miami, USARead more
Digital Finance Developments offers insights into timely topics in digital finance. This edition examines new efforts to coordinate AI policy across jurisdictions and the creation of new venues for this work, as policymaker focus shifts toward international cooperation. This piece explores how: Governments and international organizations have recognized the urgency of streamlining their approaches to AI safety, reflected in recent joint communiques, prompting tangible efforts at international collaboration. AI safety institutes (AISIs) are becoming a crucial mechanism for harmonizing safety standards and building consensus around the definition of safe AI; a newly established network of institutes will be crucial to...Read more
Creative Industries (CI) use culture and creativity as the main inputs to produce functional outputs with commercial value. They have a multidimensional development impact and directly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The global Creative Industries sector generates nearly $2.25 trillion/year (UNESCO) and represent up to 2-7% of GDP where they are most developed and provides employment to 29.5 million people globally, especially for youth and women (largest global industry employing youth). Creator economy is the driver of a new generation of innovators, redefining industries like fashion, finance, technology, entertainment, food, wellness, social good. Topics: The webinar will focus on...Read more
Digital Financial Services
Featuring Global SME Finance Awards Platinum Winners G ain I nsights from Three Awardees and G et R eady to A pply fo r the 2025 Awards ***************** The Global SME Finance Awards Since its launch in 2018, t he Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of financial service providers in delivering exceptional products and services to scale SME finance in their respective markets. It provides an opportunity for institutions to highlight and share good practices, impact, knowledge, and be recognized amongst the global peer group of world leaders in SME finance and services. LEARN MORE ...Read more
Digital Financial Services
Welcome to our latest blog post where we delve into the fascinating world of SME banking. During our latest webinar on November 25, we invited Paolo Sironi to share some of the key findings from IBM's Institute for Business Value (IBV)’s recent study, which features contributions from the SME Finance Forum. Together with four banking executives from Nubank (Brasil), Starling Bank (UK), Wema Bank (Nigeria), and Intesa Sanpaolo (Italy) – invited to comment on IBV report’s results - we learned how banks need to understand and integrate into the SME ecosystem. IBV’s innovative research approach The study involved interviews with...Read more
Alternative Financing
This Innovation Hub is a supportive and innovative community of SME finance professionals dedicated to expanding access to finance for SMEs through digital transformation . The Hub focuses on : Managing the risk of disruptive technologies ( Artificial intelligence and Machine learning) Making successful partnerships with digital enablers Navigating digital regulation (open banking) Improving c ustomer experience and SME digitalization Promoting embedded finance Deploying alternative data and big data analytics The Digital and Embedded Finance Innovation Hub will be holding its second Solutions Clinic at 8.00am EST on Wednesday January 29 , 2025 . Our solutions clinics are member-only interactive, roundtable-style...Read more
Digital Transformation
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 foster financial inclusion. However, open finance can also pose new or enhanced risks and requires careful design and adequate safeguards. As a growing number of countries consider, design, or implement open finance frameworks, CGAP, BIS, IMF, UNSGSA, and the World Bank offer key considerations for designing an inclusive open finance framework that reaches and...Read more
FINANCING
Each month we are running sessions featuring leading small business lenders and SME growth facilitators who present their MSMEs offerings in a 7-minute pitch to an audience of potential financial institution clients and partners looking for impactful fintech solutions. Through those sessions - run by the SME Finance Forum and powered by IFC - we foster collaboration between financial institutions, fintech companies, development finance institutions and investors. We have featured 130+ companies active in many different markets, attracted +2000 participants and generated many business leads, leading to investments, partnerships,...Read more
Sustainable Finance
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 documentation requirements, low adoption of technology, and restricted market access. According to a World Bank report, only 7 percent of SMEs in Pakistan have access to formal financing, which severely limits their potential to grow. Traditional banking systems have often fallen short of addressing the specific needs of SMEs, relying heavily...Read more