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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.
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
ronyg@panapps.co
America/New_York
public
de abril
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
Online
Add to Calendar
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.
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
America/New_York
public
de abril
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
Online
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2021-04-14 20:00:00
2021-04-14 20:00:00
Open Webinar – How Do We Better Support Women-led MSMEs post COVID-19?
Presentation of the IFC's Study on COVID-19 and Women-led MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining the Impact, Responses, and Solutions
Over 90% of MSMEs across sub-Saharan Africa are suffering harsh economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Women-led MSMEs have been especially hard hit, with many reporting revenue losses of over 50%, largely due to their smaller size, informality, and concentration in heavily affected sectors. IFC has implemented a number of COVID related interventions to support our FI clients and their end customers, which include the provision of stress testing capabilities for our key clients, developing NFS solutions, and conducting COVID-19 surveys in many countries across the region, among others. Many governments, businesses and DFIs around the world have taken major steps, to not only stem the spread of the disease but to proactively reach out to businesses and entrepreneurs.
In this open webinar, authors will present the findings of the report "COVID-19 and Women-Led MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining the Impact, Responses, and Solutions," which aims to understand whether these measures were enough, and whether there were any specific nuances that may be experienced by Women MSMEs.
Host: Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
Opening Remarks
Sharmila Hardi is the Global Head of Banking, Risk Management and Insurance in IFC’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG). In this position she is also responsible for managing global relationships and for mainstreaming gender across all FIG products. She leads a team of over 30 professionals in an area that is business critical to the corporation and delivering impact by providing access to finance for SMEs in emerging markets. Ms. Hardi has been with IFC since 1992 specializing in project finance and more recently heading IFC’s syndication team. IFC’s Financial Institutions Group ranks as a leading financier of private financial institutions in emerging markets. IFC’s Banking on Women business which is a growing segment has portfolio of over US$2.9 billion. Ms. Hardi also serves as IFC’s nominee director on the Global Climate Partnership Facility a Luxembourg based fund focused on green investments in emerging markets and the Financial Alliance For Women a consortium of financial institutions dedicated to supporting banks as they capture the opportunity of the Women’s Market.
Moderator
Colin Daley is a Global Advisory Specialist for IFC’s Banking on Women business in the Financial Institutions Group. He is currently working with financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa to enhance their strategies to attract, retain and grow women customer segments and ultimately differentiate themselves in their chosen markets. He was formerly an Advisory Partner at Ernst & Young EMEIA focusing on assisting financial services institutions to derive value from specialized segments, including SMEs, Retail. Colin was previously head of the Retail Banking Customer Journey Reengineering unit at HSBC UK and has worked as a management consultant in the UK, Poland, Norway, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa. Colin is a Doctorate Candidate (DBA) with Paris School of Business (France) and is an Alumnus of the Advance Management Programme, Lagos Business School (Nigeria) and a holds a BEng(Hons) Electronic and Electrical Engineering, from Loughborough University (UK).
Speakers
Anushe Khan is a Senior Operations Officer, SME Banking and Banking on Women Advisory, Financial Institutions Group, at IFC. Anushe leads advisory services for the Global SME Finance Facility, a joint investment and advisory platform focusing on SMEs including women owned SMEs, across several regions such as Sub Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa and South Asia. In her role, she oversees a portfolio of projects globally and continues to position IFC as a thought leader in this space. She further manages advisory services for several global investment and advisory services facilities such as the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility (WEOF), supported by IFC and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. She is based out of the Washington, D.C. office. She joined the IFC South Asia team in 2002, where she played a key role in setting up the access to finance program for South Asia focusing on SME Banking across four countries, where she implemented advisory services projects on SME banking with a number of key clients. In 2006, she moved to Washington D.C. to join the Financial Institutions Group, where she led a number of global advisory services programs in SME banking and Access to Financial Services. Prior to joining IFC, Anushe held several positions in commercial banking in the areas of credit, loans and guarantees. Anushe holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration in Dhaka.
Elizabeth Wasunna-Ochwa is the Business Banking Director of Absa Bank Kenya PLC. In this role, Elizabeth is responsible for Commercial and SME Banking, Trade and cash management, Islamic Banking, Vehicle and Asset Finance and Agri Business. Under SME, she is spearheading women in business proposition with partnership such as ITC (International trade Centre) under SHE Trades. Elizabeth’s banking career and experience spans over 25 years having started off her career in Barclays Bank of Kenya as a trainee. She has worked in the two other top tier banks in different capacities, most recently as the Head of Business Banking Standard bank Malawi. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration and a Master’s in Business Administration with emphasis in Marketing and Strategic Management both from USIU. In addition, she has membership with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce where she serves as a Patron Member, and in Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
Gladys Muchae is the Country Head of Credit at Stanbic Bank Uganda. Gladys is a seasoned and accomplished risk practitioner with over 18 years of experience in Asset and Risk management. Gladys is currently the Country Head of Credit at Stanbic Bank Uganda, where she is responsible for setting and implementing the risk appetite framework for the Corporate and Investment Banking portfolio as well as the Personal and Business Banking portfolio. Stanbic Bank Uganda is the leading bank in Uganda by assets and profitability. Prior to this, Gladys has served in various capacities within the Standard Bank Group working in Senior Risk management roles in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi. She has also managed portfolios in these additional countries: - Zambia, Mauritius, DRC and Zimbabwe. Gladys holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Administration from Daystar University and a Masters Degree in Strategic Management from University of Nairobi.
Ada Osakwe is the Managing Partner at Agrolay Venture & The Nuli Juice Company. Ada is an award-winning food entrepreneur, investor and passionate African development advocate. She is the Founder of Agrolay Ventures, a principal investment firm that deploys capital to early-stage companies that have the potential to transform ecosystems they play. She’s also the founder of Nuli, an innovative African food company determined to transform agriculture and galvanize a healthier lifestyle for millions of people through fresh, locally-grown food. Her professional career spans public sector, as Senior Advisor on Investments to Dr. Akin Adesina, Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture, helping to attract over $4 billion of investment commitments to the sector, and leading the design and Launch of the Fund for Agricultural Financing in Nigeria, development finance as a Senior Investment Officer of the African Development Bank and private sector, first as a Vice President at Kuramo Capital and now as an entrepreneur and angel-investor. Ada sits on the Boards of Factor(e) Ventures, a tech-driven Venture-builder, the global agriculture non-profit, One Acre Fund, and the leading plant-based food distributor in Africa, Infinite Foods. She is a member of the African Development Bank’s Presidential Youth Advisory Group and leads part-time operations of the World Hunger Fighters Foundation. In 2021, Ada was namesd Forbes Africa’s Business Woman of the Year. She is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow of the Africa Leadership Institute. Consecutively between 2016 and 2020, Choiseul and Forbes Afrique listed her as one of the Top 100 Africans contributing to economic impact on the Continent . She was listed on Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa in 2014. Ada has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, MSc in Economics and Finance from University of Warwick and BSc in Economics (First Class Honours) from the University of Hull.
Jesman Chonzi (Jes) is an Investment banker with IFC (International Finance Corporation) a member of the World Bank Group. In her current role as Principal Investment Officer – Financial Institutions Group (FIG) East Africa, Jes leads new business development and investments within Financial institutions in the region. She also represents IFC on the Jeune Afrique Advisory Board whose role is to offer dynamic perspective and innovative ideas on the key issues faced by the African Financial Industry. Jes is a pan African financial markets specialist with over 20 years working experience across the continent. She holds a Global Executive MBA from IESE Business School (Spain), is keen reader, avid learner who also enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and is passionate about mentoring and coaching women.
Watch the video here> https://vimeo.com/537785543
Learn more about the IFC's Study on COVID-19 and Women-led MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining the Impact, Responses, and Solutions>
A blog summary will be posted in our website 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.
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
ronyg@panapps.co
America/New_York
public
de abril
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
Online
Add to Calendar
2021-04-07 20:00:00
2021-04-07 20:00:00
Open Webinar - Gender Lens Investing in Financial Intermediaries
Gender lens investing – an investment strategy that uses capital to address gender inequalities between women and men – is one approach that investors and financial institutions are increasingly adopting. Given the fact that women around the globe have been impacted more severely by the pandemic, it is more important than ever to direct capital towards solutions that drive gender equality. By considering the full scope of the business case, companies can unlock opportunities for increased profit, growth, and innovation.
On Thursday, April 8th, 2021, at 8 a.m. EST, we will hear from the Financial Alliance for Women, a global consortium of financial institutions driving women’s wealth creation; two SME Finance Forum members including Triodos, a globally active impact investor working to address critical sustainability challenges, and Lucy, a neobank built to help women who are overlooked, underestimated, and underbanked; and, from IFC’s Gender and Economic Inclusion Group at IFC, each of which will showcase techniques and best practices in delivering financing solutions with a gender focus.
This webinar is organized in partnership with IFC Gender and Economic Inclusion Group.
What you will learn about
• What are the key methodologies and best practices on gender-lens investing?
• Critical success factors incorporating a gender lens in investment decisions.
• The role of technology in gender lens investing
• Experience from diverse financial institutions including Fund Managers, Banks, Fintech, DFI/ IFI.
Host: Matthew Gamser, CEO, SME Finance Forum
Moderator
Minerva Kotei leads the Women’s Entrepreneurship Finance work at the SME Finance Forum. She has over 18 years’ experience in emerging markets financial sector working in SME/Gender finance, leasing, capital markets, and institutional advisory services. She has worked on a broad range of financial sector interventions providing solutions to financial institutions and policy makers in several countries in East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, East and West Africa regions. She has led several knowledge management initiatives including the development of a Global Leasing Toolkit/Manual to disseminate IFC’s 40 years leasing experience. Prior to joining IFC, she worked with leading financial institutions in Ghana.
Speakers
Maritza Cabezas is Investment Strategist at Triodos Investment Management. She is responsible for emerging markets research and provides strategic direction for investments in emerging markets. Before joining Triodos IM, Maritza worked at ABN AMRO in the Netherlands at the Economic Research Division, as well as at the Dutch Central Bank in the Financial Stability Division. She speaks and publishes widely on economic and finance-related topics. Maritza has an undergraduate degree in economics and master’s degrees in development economics and public finance.
Heather Mae Kipnis is a Senior Operations Officer, Gender and Economic Inclusion at IFC. In this role, she is the global technical specialist advising clients, project teams, and partners on how to close gender gaps in entrepreneurship, with the goal of unlocking opportunities for increased profit, growth and innovation for both IFC clients and women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Additionally, she leads global product development, partnerships, and research for new advisory and investment solutions that support women entrepreneurs. Heather brings 15+ years of experience in international development and financial services across Latin America & the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to IFC, Heather managed the programs and educational activities for a network of 75,000 women-led small to medium enterprises and held positions in impact investing and private wealth management. Heather has an MBA in Global Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Science in Decision and Information Sciences from University of Florida.
Inez Murray was appointed chief executive officer by the Financial Alliance for Women’s board of directors in November 2012. As CEO, Inez, who had previously served the Alliance as Vice Chair of the board, is responsible for setting the strategic direction, implementing the board’s vision, and overseeing the Alliance’s day-to-day operations. She is a globally recognized expert in women’s economic empowerment, speaking and publishing widely on that topic, and is also a seasoned executive with nearly 20 years’ experience running complex global projects, incubating new initiatives, and raising more than $20 million in funding from public and private sources.
Debbie Watkins has 20+ years of experience in technology for finance, mobile-enabled products and services, and business and strategy consulting. working in over 35 countries. She has led customer-centric market research and product development engagements; supported clients in technology platform needs assessment and implementation; managed multi-million-dollar projects in Asia and Africa; and built multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams in a number of countries. She has lived in Asia since 2000, and is based in Singapore where she is the CEO and co-founder of Lucy.
After attending this open webinar, author Hamish Monk wrote this article that was first published on Finextra's website here.
Maritza Cabezas Ludena, the Investment Strategist at Triodos Investment Management, also published an article after participating in this webinar.
Watch the video here> https://vimeo.com/534536052
A blog summary is posted in our website here>
For more information, please contact Minerva Kotei at mkotei@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.
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
ronyg@panapps.co
America/New_York
public
de marzo
21
SME FINANCE FORUM
Online
Add to Calendar
2021-03-30 20:00:00
2021-03-30 20:00:00
Member Only Webinar - Insurance for SME Resilience and Recovery
by invitation only
While insurance is a critical financial tool to help (M)SMEs reduce their risk, it is also a financial instrument to help strengthen small business to get through tough times. This session will cover the role insurance can play in supporting the growth and resilience of (M)SMEs. One of the authors will present key findings from the 2020 Cenfri research paper on MSME insurance and we will hear from the world’s largest reinsurer and the co-founder of a broker about how new technologies are bringing insurance solutions to the SMEs.
What you will learn
Why insurance is important for (M)SMEs.
The opportunities and challenges are for the insurance industry in serving SMEs.
How new technologies are impacting SME insurance.
How reinsurers can support SME insurance.
Lessons learned from a variety of countries.
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
Jeremy Gray leads the resilience team at Cenfri. Jeremy’s focus is on better understanding how to improve the resilience of both individuals and enterprises across the developing world and on working with both the public and private sector to achieve this. Jeremy has a particular interest in the role of regulators and FSPs to improve the role of the financial sector to meet individual’s and enterprise’s resilience through innovation. He has conducted and managed research across a range of content areas throughout the developing world, including market diagnostics (financial inclusion and insurance) and discrete project work in the areas of insurance, retail payments, the measurement of financial inclusion and regulating for innovation.
Pranav Pasricha is the Global Head P&C Solutions for Swiss Re Group. From 2014 to July 2020 Pranav was the CEO of Intellect SEEC, an Insurance Technology company serving data, machine learning and cloud-based solutions to Commercial P&C and Life Insurance clients globally. Prior to that Pranav was responsible for strategy, technology and operations for QBE Insurance across Australia Asia Pacific. Earlier on he worked in strategy and operations consulting with Booz Allen and A.T. Kearney across high tech, financial services and telecoms. Pranav grew up in India, is no stranger to travelling and has lived in six countries to date. He speaks three languages and is a dual citizen of Australia and New Zealand. For the last seven years, Pranav has been living in NJ, USA. He is married to Tulika, with 2 boys – Shrey 20 and Ayush 16. His interests include photography, golf and cooking.
Kapil Mehta is the Co-Founder of SecureNow Insurance Broker Pvt Ltd. Kapil is the co-founder of SecureNow, an award-winning insurance broking firm that uses technology-based distribution to sell commercial insurances to MSMEs in India. Kapil writes regularly in the media, specifically on matters that impact policyholders. He is a director of the Insurance Broking Association of India, a policyholder representative on the Policyholder Protection Board Subcommittee of a life insurer and on the SME advisory board of a leading general insurer. He is also active in several industry associations. Kapil was formerly the managing director of Prudential Financial’s life insurance company in India. Still earlier, he has worked with Max New York Life, McKinsey & Company and Unilever. Kapil has studied at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Delhi. His wife is an eye surgeon, elder daughter is studying law and younger son wants to be a doctor.
For members, please register on Member Portal.
For more information, please contact: Jessica Alfaro.
See other recent resources on the topic, below:
Virtual Roundtable Series on COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts #11 - Insuring SMEs
A wakeup call to expand insurance services to SMEs
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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2021-03-29 20:00:00
2021-03-29 20:00:00
Training Series on Supply Chain Finance Innovation
Supply Chain Finance (SCF) is an effective solution to extend access to finance to small businesses by developing a technology-driven low-risk product aimed to channel liquidity to the strategically important value chains. Automated supply chain finance programs enable FIs to better assess, measure and manage risks of extending finance to SMEs thorough the transparency of the full value chain, and visibility of the commercial and financial relationships among the parties. In addition, credit and payment risk is decreased by shifting the focus from FI-SME relationship to a tri-party FI-anchor-SME relationship, hence leveraging the trade and payment between larger anchor and SME supplier / distributor. Supply Chain Finance has a strong potential to close the finance gap in developing countries, which per IFC estimates can reach up to ~20% of the total finance gap, i.e. over $1 trillion.
To extend awareness and increase knowledge about SCF in the countries of its operations, the International Finance Corporation, together with the SME Finance Forum, is organizing a training series, covering major areas important for building successful SCF programs for financial institutions, starting on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. EST for five weeks.
This is a regional event for Middle East and Africa members and IFC clients. Participants who attend the 5-week program will be issued a “certificate of attendance”.
Training Program
02/23 - Session 1. Supply Chain Finance Defined
The session will cover the foundations of SCF: definitions, working capital analysis, benefits of SCF for corporates, SMEs and FIs; outline of the SCF products and product mapping along the supply chain; practical implications of SCF (legal, risk, credit, pricing, collateral, capital adequacy / Basel III); trends, challenges and opportunities.
03/02 - Session 2. Building SCF Program for Financial Institutions
The session will take the participants through the full cycle of SCF program development: market size and business case, assessment of legal and regulatory environments, developing an operating model, selection and developing the product, selection and integration of technology platform, process mapping, sales and onboarding. Several case studies will be shared.
03/09 - Session 3. Legal and Regulatory Considerations for SCF
The session will highlight the key prerequisites for the legal, institutional and regulatory framework in the country, which should enable SCF, i.e. secured transaction law and underlying legislation, collateral registries, e-signature, e-invoicing, secure payment system. It will highlight the regulatory challenges that FIs may face in the countries of IFC operations in MEA. Register here: http://bit.ly/SCF-Mar9
03/16 - Session 4. Technologies transforming SCF
The session will review the various technologies, surrounding SCF, including digital infrastructure (connectivity, payments, e-invoicing), standardization and interfaces (APIs, distributed data management, identity management and verification), analytics (big data and artificial intelligence), and platforms. Register here: http://bit.ly/SCF-Mar16
03/23 - Session 5. SCF Digital Platforms
The session will do a deep dive into the SCF Platforms, i.e. describe typology and functionality pf the SCF platforms (SaaS, licensed, internally developed, cloud, on-premises, etc.), selection and RFP process and highlight the key considerations in selecting SCF technology partner. Register here: http://bit.ly/SCF-Mar23
03/30 - Session 6. Application of tech in SCF Lifecycle
The session will go over the other types of technologies supporting SCF development, e.g. customer acquisition and engagement, credit decisioning and instruments, processing and collection. Register here: http://bit.ly/SCF-Mar30
For more information, please contact Aksinya Sorokina at asorokina1@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.
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
ronyg@panapps.co
America/New_York
public