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Jun
21
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2021-06-23 20:00:00
2021-06-23 20:00:00
Open Webinar - Directed Lending for SMEs: How to Make It Work
This webinar has been rescheduled to June 24th, 2021 - 8 am EDT. Please use the same link to register.
One way of targeting investment to the businesses that need it the most is through an approach known as ‘directed lending’. It’s an approach increasingly used by development finance institutions (DFIs) in recent years and involves lending to financial institutions so that they lend to specific types of customer. This might include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well businesses with a focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy or that are women-owned .
It is achieved by providing funding to a local financial institution so they then in turn lend to eligible projects or customers. At times it involves building capacity within the financial institution so that it can provide the finance required by the target projects or customers. Directed lending may also include the use of incentives.
The purpose of the webinar is to share the findings from a CDC/GBRW study in Directed Lending practices across the DFI community, and to stimulate discussion on an activity that is widely practiced in the hopes of sharing best practices. The CDC/GBRW study can be found here: Direct-Lending-Current-Practices-and-Challenges.pdf (cdcgroup.com)
Host & Moderator
Jessica Alfaro is a financial sector specialist at the SME Finance Forum. She has over 10 years’ experience working with MSMEs and is an expert in lending, entrepreneurship and finance. Based in Madrid, she is currently a consultant with the World Bank Group and a Visiting Lecturer in the School of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. Previously, she has led and backstopped onsite technical needs assessments at banks in Africa and Asia, sourced and managed financial institution relationships for an international network of small business banks, and organized in-person and elearning training opportunities for bankers across a number of emerging markets as a Manager at CapitalPlus Exchange. She has been an Associate Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Senior Loan Officer at ACCION Chicago and on the MSME lending team at Ithala Development Finance Corporation in Durban, South Africa. Committed to economic and financial inclusion, she has served on community Boards and committees, and volunteered with organizations that focus on improving access to finance for consumers and business owners.
About the Speakers
Wasim Tahir is the Financial Institutions Sector Strategist at CDC Group. Wasim is responsible for developing the investment and development strategy of CDC’s largest sector by Assets under Management. Wasim’s role covers CDC’s target geographies in Africa and South Asia with a product scope covering Equity, Debt, Guarantees and Funds. Wasim gained his experience in the sector through roles at Credit Suisse and Lloyds Banking Group, and through 20+ projects with Oliver Wyman and Boston Consulting Group. Wasim graduated from the University of Oxford and is a CFA® charterholder.
Thomas Girod is the Financial Services Debt, Investment Director at CDC Group. Thomas is an Investment Director in CDC’s Financial Services Group, focusing on debt financing to financial institutions in Africa. He has 20 years of banking experience in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and development finance, of which over 15 years covering the financial sector. Prior to CDC, he worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, investing in
financial institutions in North Africa and carrying out policy dialogue with financial sector regulators. Thomas is a graduate of HEC Paris.
Paul Rex is the Managing Director at GBRW. Paul has had wide exposure to both developed and emerging markets, having spent 18 years in management positions with two major banks (Chemical Bank, now JP Morgan Chase, and Crédit Agricole) followed by 27 years consulting on banking and financial sector assignments in more than 30 countries. His areas of specialisation include banking strategy, enterprise risk, credit, investment management and specialised lending across a wide range of sectors. Paul has an MA from The Queen’s College Oxford and is a Fellow of the Academy of Experts.
Philippe Belot is a Director at GBRW. Philippe has 35 years of banking and corporate finance experience. His career was mostly spent abroad, in particular in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. For 18 years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he carried out complex financing transactions in the corporate, banking and infrastructure sectors, and participated in the building of market economies after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since then, he has been advising commercial and development. Since then, he has been advising commercial and development banks with their lending and investment activities. Philippe is a graduate of HEC Paris.
Mariana Chamorro is an Investment Manager at DEG, focusing on long term debt financing solutions for financial institutions in the region of Mercosur. Based currently in DEG’s Representative Office in São Paulo - Brazil, Mariana has 10 years of banking experience mainly in emerging markets. Prior to DEG, she has worked at a commercial bank in Brazil carrying out relationship management with correspondent banks. Mariana is a graduate of social sciences from University of São Paulo, international relations from ESPM and a master of economics from University of Brasilia.
Missed the webinar? Watch the replay here> https://vimeo.com/567228985
A blog summarizing the main points and answers to some of the unanswered questions from the chat will be available on our website: https://www.smefinanceforum.org/blog
For more information, please contact: Khrystyna Kushnir or send us an email to smefinanceforum@ifc.org.
By registering to this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice.
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SME FINANCE FORUM
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Jun
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
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2021-06-22 20:00:00
2021-06-22 20:00:00
Member Only Webinar - Innovations and Technology Disrupting SME Insurance
by invitation only
In this webinar, you will hear from companies focused on providing insurance solutions to SMEs in different countries. We will discuss how recent developments in technology are impacting the insurance market for SMEs and how insurtechs, insurance companies and other financial services providers are working together to serve SMEs. We will also discuss the opportunities and challenges around SME insurance.
What you will learn
How different insurers are approaching the SME market
The opportunities and risks in SME insurance market
How start-ups and insurance companies are partnering to serve SMEs
What mature and emerging markets can learn from each other
Host
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
About the Moderator
Susan Holliday is a Senior advisor at IFC. Susan is part of the financial institutions group at IFC. She acts as an expert on investments and advisory work in insurance, both mature companies, and insurtech, in developing countries. She has over 30 years’ experience in insurance in a variety of different roles, as a board member and an advisor to Eos Venture Fund and several start-ups. Prior to joining IFC, Susan worked at Swiss Re, where she was a Managing Director and Head of Strategy for the reinsurance business worldwide and a member of the executive team. In this capacity she worked on all aspects of life and health and property-casualty re/insurance; headed a global team; and led the strategy work for emerging markets and for Fintech. Susan also held the positions of CFO of Reinsurance Client Markets and Head of Investor Relations at Swiss Re. Before Swiss Re, Susan worked in equity research and equity sales covering the insurance industry at UBS, JP Morgan, and Paribas. Susan is a UK Chartered Accountant, a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Insurers.
About the Speakers
Jackson Theuri is the Director of Corporate Business, Britam Holdings Plc and Principal Officer of Britam General Insurance Kenya Ltd. Britam is a leading diversified financial services group listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange with a presence in seven countries. Jackson is an experienced business leader with over 20 years working experience in Strategy, Governance, Operations, Finance, Insurance, Audit and Consulting. He is currently an independent director of Medsource Group, a Kenya based health sector Group Purchasing Organization(GPO) and the Chair of the Board at Voltic Kenya Limited, a transport technology firm. Jackson’s previous roles include Group Chief Executive Officer, Hanvard Africa; Chief Executive Officer, OptimaCap Africa; Deputy Group Managing Director-General Insurance, UAP-Old Mutual Group; Group Chief Finance Officer, UAP Holdings and Senior Manager, PwC (Kenya and UK). He has also held various other board positions in Insurance, Financial Services, Health and Technology Industries. Mr. Theuri holds an MBA in Global Business Management from United States International University, Bachelor’s Degree Commerce (Accounting) from Kenyatta University and is a Member of the Institute of Public Accountants of Kenya (CPA(K)).
Khue Dinh is the Country President of Chubb’s general insurance operation in Vietnam. Ms. Dinh has two decades of experience in the insurance industry, having held various leadership positions with international insurers and brokers. Prior to joining Chubb, she was Director of Emerging Customers with AXA Insurance and represented the company on the Board of Directors of Bao Minh Insurance. She has a deep understanding of the consumer as well as small, mid-market commercial segments given her experience in both the Life and General Insurance businesses. Ms. Dinh’s breadth of expertise gives her a strong foundation to manage strategic partnerships and affinity relationships. Before AXA Insurance, Ms. Dinh gained extensive experience in health and employee benefits insurance from her years with Lockton, AIG and Aon. Ms. Dinh holds a Bachelor of Science in Honours from Vietnam National University in Hanoi as well as a Diploma in Financial Services – Insurance from ANZIIF (Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance).
Douglas Franklin, is the Chief Executive Officer at Digital Fineprint. Franklin previously held the position of Commercial Director. Franklin joined DFP in 2019 and has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services. Previously at RSA, Franklin held a variety of roles focused on improving business performance and delivering value. Founded in 2016, Digital Fineprint is at the forefront of enabling precision underwriting at scale for SME insurers.
A blog summarizing the main points and answers to some of the unanswered questions from the chat will be available on our website: https://www.smefinanceforum.org/blog
For more information, please contact us at smefinanceforum@ifc.org.
See other recent resources on the topic, below:
How Can Insurance Support the Recovery and Resilience of MSMEs?
Member Only Webinar - Insurance for SME Resilience and Recovery
Virtual Roundtable Series on COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts #11 - Insuring SMEs
A wakeup call to expand insurance services to SMEs
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SME FINANCE FORUM
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Jun
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
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2021-06-15 20:00:00
2021-06-15 20:00:00
Open Webinar: Supply Chain Finance for Women-SMEs
Supply Chain Finance (SCF) is an effective solution to extend access to finance to SMEs by developing a technology-driven low-risk product aimed to channel liquidity to the strategically important value chains. It also has strong potential to close finance gaps for SMEs, including the $1.5 trillion finance gap for Women-SME (W-SMEs).
The SME Finance Forum, together with IFC - International Finance Corporation organized a six-part training series, covering major areas important for building successful SCF programs for financial institutions. Building on this successful SCF program, the SME Finance Forum is organizing a webinar on Supply Chain Finance for Women-SMEs to showcase innovative approaches and initiatives in Supply Chain Finance for W-SMEs.
What you will learn
• Models and approaches in Supply Chain Finance for W-SMEs
• Unique products and structure across the supply chain for women entrepreneurs
• Role and integration of technology platforms, W-SMEs adaptation
• Legal and Regulatory considerations for W-SMEs
Host and Moderator
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
About the Speakers
Elizabeth A. Vazquez is the CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, a global network that connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world. She is a world leader in women’s economic empowerment and global supplier diversity and inclusion. As the head of WEConnect International, Ms. Vazquez is responsible for mission delivery and measurable impact. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with member buyers. The WEConnect International WECommunity supports and promotes women-owned businesses based in over 120 countries, including local support and certification in almost 50 countries across the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The organization also helps to develop the capacity of large buyers to source more products and services from underutilized suppliers, including women-owned businesses globally. Ms. Vazquez is the co-author of the book, “Buying for Impact: How to Buy from Women and Change Our World.” She sits on several boards of directors and councils including the Procter & Gamble Supplier Diversity Advisory Council. She “rang the bell” at the New York Stock Exchange in 2019 in support of women business owners around the world and is a W20 Representative to advance G20 commitments. She also served as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment from 2016-2017. Ms. Vazquez is an advisor to a long list of corporate, government and multilateral leaders, including WEConnect International members with over US$1 trillion in annual purchasing power. She has served as a trainer and guest lecturer on international trade and gender inclusive growth to graduate students at several business schools and universities such as American University, Arizona State University Honors College, Brown University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, MIT, Oxford University, Tufts University, University of Johannesburg, University of Ottawa, and more. She was born in Mexico, has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University, and was honored by the Barrett Honors College as an Inspiring Alumni for making significant contributions in her career and community. She has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University where she studied development economics and international negotiation as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and is the recipient of the 2018 Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award for outstanding graduates who are making a meaningful impact in the world. She also completed graduate seminars at Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government, the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea.
Ashish Gadnis is the Co-founder / CEO of BanQu, which was recently named to the TIME Magazine 2019 Innovations List and MB 2020 Leaders List. In February 2021 BanQu was named to be one of the top innovation for circular economy by World Economic Forum and Accenture. BanQu is the first ever blockchain-based (patented) Supply Chain & Economic Passport platform that enables transparency, traceability, equity and sustainability for farmers (especially women), workers, waste pickers/recyclers living in extreme poverty. BanQu has also become the leading platform for ensuring COVID-19 supplies are reaching the most vulnerable nations and communities in the MENA region. BanQu is being used in 40+ countries and over 1 million last-mile-first-mile beneficiaries today. Prior to his current engagements, Mr. Gadnis was the founder and CEO of multiple technology startups, the last one of which was acquired by a $1.5 billion global consulting firm in 2012. Over the past 25 years Ashish has been recognized for his private / public sector contributions with awards such as – MIT Innovate for Refugees (Syrian refugees) award, Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum), Minority Business Leader (Twin Cities Business), 40 under 40 (Business Journal), Change-Makers Innovator Award (Coding Schools in Refugee Camps in East Africa) and Battery Ventures Innovation Award – Democratic Republic of Congo (for Asili: a mobile / cloud-based business focused on reducing infant child mortality, improving maternal health and increasing livelihood in conflict zones). Ashish has a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from Bombay University, MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Carlson School and Executive Education in Global Leadership and Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Kathryn Petralia is a senior executive at American Express and co-founder of Kabbage, a cash flow technology company for small businesses. Her co-founder, Rob Frohwein, shared his idea for Kabbage with Kathryn in 2008 during the height of the financial crisis. While many doubted its success, Kathryn immediately saw the value in using technology to reexamine lending and provide marginalized small businesses easier access to financial products. She believed funding decisions could be automated based on analyzing real-time data rather than lengthy, manual paperwork. At the time of its sale to American Express in 2020, Kabbage was the largest online lending platform for small businesses in the U.S. and during the COVID-19 pandemic it became the second-largest Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lender in the nation, helping 300,000 small businesses retain nearly one million U.S. jobs. Before co-founding Kabbage, Kathryn spent nearly 15 years working with large and small companies focused on credit, payments and e-commerce. Also, an advocate for women in the workplace, a humanitarian and philanthropist, Kathryn was recognized as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World by Forbes magazine in 2007, serves on the board for CARE.org, PadSplit, Tricolor and the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival, is a member of the Digital Advisory Council at Fannie Mae, and is a trustee for the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta.
A summary of the event will be posted here>
For more information, please contact: Minerva Kotei or send us an email to smefinanceforum@ifc.org.
By registering to this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice.
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Mayo
21
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2021-05-04 20:00:00
2021-05-04 20:00:00
Open Webinar - Making AI-based Finance Work for Women
A discussion with Women's World Banking and Friends.
In 2020, Women’s World Banking began a journey to understand algorithmic bias as it relates to women’s financial inclusion. This topic is especially important as we speed into a digital finance future, accelerated in great measure by Covid-19. However, women are less likely to own a phone especially a smartphone, and less likely to access the internet. Moreover, there are certainly no guarantees that digital credit and AI-based underwriting will take into account women’s digital constraints as well as similar limiting conditions.
In this session, you will hear from executives at Women's World Banking, Tyme, Kaleidofin and Africa Fintech Foundry, about the risks of algorithm-based underwriting to women customers – fueled by conscious and unconscious bias. Finding bias is not as simple as finding a decision to be “unfair.” There are dozens of definitions of gender fairness, from keeping gendered data out of credit decisions to ensuring equal likelihood of granting credit to men and women. It is important to start with defining fairness because financial services providers need to start with an articulation of what they mean when they say they pursue gender fairness. Defining and pursuing fairness is then, followed by a recognition of where biases emerge. Finally, there are many implementable bias mitigation strategies relevant to financial institutions. Mitigating bias requires intentionality at all levels. These strategies are equally relevant for algorithm developers and decision makers alike.
What you will learn
What is algorithmic bias?
Why does it matter especially now?
Where does it emerge?
How might it be mitigated?
How do we make AI-based finance work for women?
Host & Moderator: Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
About the speakers
Sonja Kelly is the global lead for Women’s World Banking research. Through research on the financial sector, policy trends, financial services providers, and end users, Sonja and her team advocate for women’s financial inclusion. Before joining Women’s World Banking, she advised the U.S. Department of State on strategy for U.S. Embassy engagement in digital finance around the world. She has served as the director of research at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, has held consulting roles at the World Bank and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), and has worked in microfinance at Opportunity International. Sonja holds a PhD in International Relations from American University where she researched financial inclusion policy and regulation.
Rachel Freeman is Executive Director and Chief Growth Officer of Tyme Global. Tyme Global is both the technology and solutions firm powering Tyme Bank, the first digital bank in South Africa with now 2.3 million customers. Rachel Freeman is an experienced and internationally recognized financial expert, particularly in the areas of financial inclusion and innovative financial technologies. Before joining Tyme, Ms. Freeman served as the IFC Financial Institutions Advisory Manager for Asia since 2014. In her role, she led IFC’s advisory program for existing and potential investee clients for value enhancement and development impact, to achieve IFC's goals in financial inclusion and climate change mitigation. In her role, Rachel was one of the founders of AFIN and the APIX Platform. Since 2001 she had several senior positions at IFC in Central Asia, Africa and Asia. Prior to joining IFC, Rachel was involved in several entrepreneurial ventures in the US and Russia She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School and a degree in International Politics and Economics/Russian from Middlebury College. She also attended Executive Education at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Dietmar Bohmer joined Tyme 5 years ago, currently based in Singapore he built up their analytics and data team as well as overseeing the design and build of the Data Lake and Advanced Analytics platform with ML pipeline. TymeBank is South Africa’s first fully licensed fully digital bank that is founded on simplicity, transparency and affordability. Dietmar has a BSc (Hons) in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Pretoria. He lectured in the Actuarial field for a couple of years before he joined the banking sector 17 years ago. He spent time at Nedbank and Standard Bank, leading and building various lending, data science, machine learning and big data teams.
Puneet Gupta is Co-Founder of Kaleidofin, a fintech platform that propels under-banked customers towards meeting their real life goals by providing intuitive and tailored financial solutions. Puneet is passionate about delivering financial services at scale. He believes that the power of technology can be harnessed to amplify the role financial services can play in the lives of customers. Prior to Kaleidofin, he co-founded the IFMR group and was the group CFO of IFMR Holdings. He conceptualized and started IFMR Rural Finance, a wealth management focused technology platform enabling deep customer centricity. He raised $150 million of equity funding for IFMR Group. He was part of the founding microfinance team at ICICI Bank, where he worked on development of new channels for reaching out to micro financial and rural financial services, also extensively worked on creating facilitative infrastructure for the delivery of micro financial services. He is a Director in the Governing Board of the IIT Madras’ Rural Technology Business Incubator. He has an MBA, Institute of Rural Management Anand.
Daniel Awe is the Head of Africa Fintech Foundry, an establishment with an overall objective to Scout, search, identify ideas that can be incubated and accelerated to add real value (commercialisation or social impact) to the eco-system or wider society. In addition, AFF is an Innovation Hub for new Technology Ideas that will shape the future of Financial Technology. Daniel is an experienced Payment Solution architect that previously led the Channels Solution Delivery Group in Access Bank before his appointment to Head Africa Fintech Foundry. Daniel spent the last 15 years innovating and creating cutting edge ePayment platforms in the financial sector. Daniel is equipped with a wealth of experience around Leadership, Management, Strategy, CX Transformation, Design Thinking, Solution Architecture, Enterprise Capability, Agile Project Management, and a unique forte to identify and nurture innovative opportunities. Daniel graduated with a B.Sc. Honors in Electronics with Computer Engineering from the Lagos State University and Advanced Leadership and Management program from the prestigious IMD.
A summary will be posted here>
For more information, please contact us at smefinanceforum@ifc.org.
The SME Finance Forum may collect, manage and share your information in accordance with Forum’s Privacy Policy (https://www.smefinanceforum.org/privacy). By confirming your registration to this webinar, you agree to allow the organizers to contact you as and when required for the administration of the webinar, for example, to let you know we have gone live with an event or to notify you about a service change. We will comply with our Privacy Policy with respect to your preferences and you will have the option to unsubscribe, this option can be found at the bottom of our emails. If you consented upon registration, some of your details may be provided to sponsors. If you are unsure about this, or if you wish to withdraw this consent after registration, please email to smefinanceforum@ifc.org prior to the webinar. For more information, see our privacy policy.
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SME FINANCE FORUM
ronyg@panapps.co
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de abril
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SME FINANCE FORUM
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2021-04-27 20:00:00
2021-04-27 20:00:00
Open Webinar - Unlocking Digitalization Opportunities for Banks and SMEs
While many SMEs were already undergoing a digital transformation, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace of this digitalization of small businesses. Digital and cashless payments, ecommerce, and the pivot to a digital-first economy is unlocking new opportunities for banks, SMEs and customers alike. In this session, we will look opportunities in bridging the digital gap and leveraging technology for SMEs and how SME digitalization enables banks and financial institutions to create a long-lasting engagement with their SME customers, whilst giving them analytical insights and creating new cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
What you will learn
• Opportunities to utilize small business data for lending and banking
• How SMEs can take advantage of banking and fintech opportunities for better business experiences
• Tools and other value-added services beyond banking to support SMEs in building financial resilience
• Examine case study of best practice digital small business platforms and apps
Host & Moderator
Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
About the Speakers
Adi Engel is the Chief Marketing Officer of vCita. She is responsible for leading vcita’s strategic thinking and global marketing objectives in supporting micro and small businesses on their journey to success and digital transformation. Coupled with her business acumen, Adi has a host of experience and customer-centric product knowledge, which she constantly brings into new, innovative, company-wide, initiatives that are guided by her passion for enabling the inclusion of the underserved.
Driving a growth culture and mentality, Adi, together with her team, are helping to positively impact hundreds of thousands of small businesses around the world to build businesses they are proud of vcita. Championing digital inclusion and financial inclusion for SMEs, vcita is proud to be supporting the most #agile, #creative, and #resilient segment of entrepreneurs. Using its global footprint, vcita helps SME owners around the world manage the fundamentals of their day-to-day business - Money, Time, and Clients. By simplifying, automating, and creating bite-size learning opportunities, vcita support SMEs in digitalizing aspects of their business, freeing them up to focus on what’s important - creating great client experiences, and building sustainable businesses. vcita’s core belief is that we rise by lifting others.
Marcus O'Toole is the VP Head Small Business Segment Solutions Europe at Mastercard, United Kingdom. He is Vice President, Head of Small Business Segment Europe. In this role, he is responsible for the European development and commercialisation of the Mastercard innovative products and solutions that serve micro and small businesses. Mr. O’Toole is also responsible for forging key partnerships across the region to enable our distribution partners address the needs of Small Business owners. Mr. O’Toole spent 3 years in the USA with Mastercard responsible for our Global Small Business Enablement and Partnerships strategy. Having joined MasterCard in July 2014, Mr. O’Toole brings more than 17 years of financial services experience. He has held various general management, sales, product development and strategy development positions during his career. Mr. O’Toole spent 15 years working for Bank of Ireland in a variety of senior management roles which included regional sales manager, head of distribution channels sales & head of sales capability. After leaving Bank of Ireland Mr. O’Toole joined Mastercard as Head of Commercial Product Sales UK & Ireland. He was instrumental in his endeavors in helping Mastercard achieve number one small business payment provider moving market share from 4% to 59% through the formation of key partnerships. Mr. O’Toole is a member of the Irish American Association that raises funds for peace and reconciliation, community development, education and arts and culture in Ireland, and Efma. Mr. O’Toole holds a Degree of Business Management from University College Dublin. He lives with his wife and children in Surrey UK.
A summary will be posted here>. You can watch the recording here>
For more information, please contact Jessica Alfaro at jalfaro2@ifc.org or send us an email to smefinanceforum@ifc.org
The SME Finance Forum may collect, manage and share your information in accordance with Forum’s Privacy Policy (https://www.smefinanceforum.org/privacy). By confirming your registration to this webinar, you agree to allow the organizers to contact you as and when required for the administration of the webinar, for example, to let you know we have gone live with an event or to notify you about a service change. We will comply with our Privacy Policy with respect to your preferences and you will have the option to unsubscribe, this option can be found at the bottom of our emails. If you consented upon registration, some of your details may be provided to sponsors. If you are unsure about this, or if you wish to withdraw this consent after registration, please email to smefinanceforum@ifc.org prior to the webinar. For more information, see our privacy policy.
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SME FINANCE FORUM
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de abril
21
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2021-04-20 20:00:00
2021-04-20 20:00:00
SME Finance Virtual Marketplace Launch - First Session
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 session, each member of the SME Finance Forum must have 1) an institutional profile (company profile) and personal profiles (individuals representing the companies) set up on the marketplace. Institutional profile shall also include products/services being offered by the members. With institutional profile and personal profile, representatives of member institutions will be able to explore different offerings by other members such as investment products, advisory services, technology solutions...etc. The virtual platform will enable members to reach out to one another to discuss potential collaboration and partnership at their own convenience.
First Marketplace Session
This first marketplace session, scheduled on Thursday, April 21st from 8 am – 9.30 am EST, will feature a number of leading development finance institutions, particularly their investment products and support programs to rebuild MSMEs post COVID-19. Join the session to learn directly from them explore partnership opportunities! Participating development finance institutions include:
- AFREXIM Bank
Abah Ofon is the Manager-Export Development Advisory at African Export-Import Bank. Abah has over 22 years’ macroeconomic, commodities, trade and research experience in financial markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Prior to joining Afreximbank, he was lead analyst at the London firm Agribriefing, Head of agri-commodity research and Africa economist for Standard Chartered Bank’s global franchise based in London, Dubai and Singapore and Malaysia. Abah has provided advisory services on commodity markets to some of the largest agribusiness names and institutional clients including hedge funds and central banks. Abah is a prominent pundit in the financial and business media and was profiled in the UK’s Financial Times at the height of the 2009 commodity crisis. Abah is a graduate of the London School of Economics and has been a member of the UK Society of Business Economists as well as a Financial Advisor licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
- CDC
Wasim Tahir is a Financial Institutions Sector Strategist at CDC Group. Wasim is responsible for developing the investment and development strategy of CDC’s largest sector by Assets under Management. Wasim’s role covers CDC’s target geographies in Africa and South Asia with a product scope covering Equity, Debt, Guarantees and Funds. Wasim gained his experience in the sector through roles at Credit Suisse and Lloyds Banking Group, and through 20+ projects with Oliver Wyman and Boston Consulting Group. Wasim graduated from the University of Oxford and is a CFA® charterholder.
- DFC (Development Finance Corporation)
Rashanda Johnson is Director of Client Development in the Office of Development Credit at the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). As the Director of Client Development, Rashanda focuses on counseling U.S. companies seeking financing, evaluating new project proposals and loan applications, and developing new business opportunities. Prior to joining DFC, Ms. Johnson served at US Commercial Service and USAID. Her primary responsibilities were assisting in outreach to the U.S. business and trade communities, and facilitating new business opportunities.
Ms. Johnson holds an MPA with an emphasis on Policy and Management from Bowie State University and a Bachelor's degree in International Business from Wright State University. She also is alumna of a multi-country study abroad program which emphasizes global comparative study.
- FinDev Canada
Yolanda Banks is the Director of Corporate Affairs at FinDev Canada. She is responsible for managing practices related to stakeholder relations and reporting & disclosure. Previously, she was with Export Development Canada (EDC), the parent company of FinDev Canada, in roles related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Ms. Banks worked for several years with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada with foreign postings in London, Dhaka, Addis Ababa, with cross-accreditations to Burma (Myanmar) and Sudan. Ms. Banks serves in a voluntary capacity as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trade Facilitation Office Canada, the primary Canadian provider of information, advice and contact for exporters in developing and emerging economies. Ms. Banks holds a Master of Arts (International Affairs, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University), and a Master of Business Administration (University of British Columbia).
- FMO
Jeroen Harteveld is the Portfolio Manager for MASSIF, the financial inclusion fund that FMO manages on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MASSIF has a committed portfolio of over USD 550 million and is active in 40 different countries. Jeroen has been working at FMO for over 15 years. In this timeframe he worked as an Investment Officer in FMO’s Financial Institutions department. Prior, Jeroen worked at various other departments, including, Infrastructure, Manufacturing & Services and the Emerging Markets Fund. He is a Chartered Controller and has a master as well as an executive master in Finance & Control from Nyenrode Business University (The Netherlands). Jeroen wrote his thesis on managing distressed asset portfolios in emerging markets.
- IFC (International Finance Corporation)
Angela Lumanau is a Senior Investment Officer at IFC. She is a seasoned investment professional with extensive experience in executing and managing equity and debt investments in emerging markets. Expertise in the financial services sector and experience throughout the full investment cycle. Track record in managing client relationships and leading teams in highly diverse and international settings. Passionate about the power of the private sector to drive sustainable impact at scale.
- ICD (Islamic Corporation Development)
Talal Karim Alobayd is a Principal M&E at the ICD. Talal is an Emerging Markets Investment Manager with focus on Development Effectiveness. His current role calls for him to monitor and evaluate the overall Development Impact of ICD interventions among its 55 member countries. In his previous capacity, Talal was SME Development Program Manager at the ICD.
- PROPARCO
Guillaume Barberousse is the Head of Financial Institutions at Proparco. Guillaume started his career with BNP Paribas 2000, working in the mergers and acquisitions consultancy department with particular responsibility for deals in the agro-industry sector, and in media and telecommunications, before becoming manager of the valuations team. Guillaume joined Proparco in the risks and portfolio division in 2007, before becoming deputy director of the corporate division with special responsibility for agro-industry. He took charge of the Istanbul office in September 2013. Guillaume has a degree in agricultural engineering and a Master’s in finance from ESCP business school in Paris.
Feel free to let us know should you have any questions or need any assistance to smefinanceforum@ifc.org.
A summary is posted here>
Core Features & Capabilities of the SME Finance Marketplace
Access the Marketplace Platform: As representatives from member institutions, you can access the Marketplace via your personal LinkedIn or Google accounts or simply by signing up via your work email address here> smeff-marketplace.globallinker.com/
Onboarding: Once the personal account is created, you will be guided through an onboarding process to set up the company profile.
Overview: Company Name, selecting head office from Google Maps, selecting member type, uploading logo.
Company Profile: to have a rich company profile, it’s recommended that you provide a brief description about the company. It’d be helpful to indicate what your company offers or what it’s looking for from potential partner institutions. It’s advisable to add digital addresses like website, company’s LinkedIn profile or FB business page links if available.
Marketplace Offerings: Creating service listings across 8 categories, adding a brochure, video links, cover image etc., if available.
Individual User Profile: as representatives of your institution, you shall have your personal profiles on the marketplace platform to enhance networking opportunities. It’s important to add your designation, job role/designation, time zone to schedule meetings, digital addresses like personal LinkedIn profile, profile photo etc. *Company profile set up is a one-time exercise and any colleague joining from the same company thereafter can simply select the company name and all the details will be prepopulated.
Marketplace: All listings on the marketplace are classified under 8 categories. You can choose to view all listings, or a particular category based on your interests/needs. You could send enquiries directly to companies that you’re interested in or schedule meetings with the key contacts/representatives of the company
Enquiries: Interested members can send enquiries directly to the company by clicking on the "Send Enquiry" button on the listing and the enquiry is sent via direct message and an email notification.
Member Directory: You can browse through the member directory to learn about their work or products/services they offer. You can filter members by their types, review offerings & requirements, visit company profiles, user profiles or listings pages to know more about the company.
Schedule meetings: You can send request for meetings on the platform by selecting the participants you wish to invite. You can upload attachments if helpful.
Messages: Members can send instant messages to other members on the platform to network or explore opportunities. If a specific member is online, their profiles will be carrying a green "Online" tag.
Invite Colleagues: you could invite your colleagues to create their profiles so to expand your company’s presence on the marketplace. While creating their profiles, they have to simply select the company they belong to and all the details set up by you will be pre-filled.
If you have any questions or to learn more, read the User Manual in this link.
Materials are available for members on Member's Portal.
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