Events
Dec
31
SME FINANCE FORUM
Immersion Program
Dec 31, 2021
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2021-12-30 19:00:00
2021-12-30 19:00:00
Immersion Programs
The SME Finance Forum's Immersion Programs are aimed at providing our members with 1-2 day exposure visits to high performing regional or global financial institutions or fintechs to gather in depth knowledge about an innovative aspect of their operations. The immersion visits will allow members to hear practical first-hand accounts from the host institution about the unique challenges they faced and the motivation and process for change, as well as lessons learnt.
The dates and program for the immersion visits in 2021 will be determined based on COVID-19 situation.
Learn more about our Immersion Programs>
2020
DBS Singapore - Postponed
2019
Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo, Size Up, Veem and Kountable, USA - Recap
DBS Singapore
JD Finance, China - Recap
ICBC, China - Recap
Yillion Bank, China - Recap
SME FINANCE FORUM
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Dec
31
SME FINANCE FORUM
Event
Dec 31, 2021
Online
Add to Calendar
2021-12-30 19:00:00
2021-12-30 19:00:00
Leader Dialogue Series
The SME Finance Forum’s Fireside Chat, now called "Leader Dialogues", is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector regulators.
Leaders interviewed in 2020
John Gachora, Group Managing Director, NCBA Group PLC
Learn from John Gachora, Group Managing Director at NCBA Group PLC. about his journey to become a leader in the banking industry, digitization, and how NCBA Group became the largest bank in Africa serving SME clients with mobile financial services, especially in Kenya. Click here to watch>
Henry Ma, Chief Information Officer, WeBank
As China's first digital bank, WeBank offers underbanked individuals and SMEs various convenient and high-quality financial services. Learn more about Henry Ma's early career in the Silicon Valley, the unique 'ABCD' capabilities of WeBank as a fully digital bank, and the cost and quality of financial services while serving 1.3 million SME clients in China. Click here to watch>
Irene Arias, CEO of IDB Lab, (former FOMIN)
Founded as the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, IDB Lab drives innovation for inclusion and co-creates life-changing solutions for vulnerable people affected by economic, social, or environmental factors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Learn more about how IDB Lab accelerates digitization for SMEs in Latina America and the Caribbean, how they provide solutions to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and why they value innovation labs. Click here to watch>
Joséphine Anan-Ankomah, Group Executive for Commercial Banking, Ecobank
Ecobank is a Pan-African banking conglomerate present in 36 countries and a leading independent regional banking group in West and Central Africa, serving wholesale and retail customers. Learn more about Ecobank’s role in serving SMEs in scale across all the different markets, their approach to the commercial bank business, their partnership with Google, and the role of digitalization. Click here to watch>
Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Head of M-Pesa Africa Leadership Team
M-Pesa is a mobile phone-based money transfer, payments and micro-financing service, launched in 2007 by Vodafone Group plc and Safaricom. Now M-Pesa is the largest mobile network operator in Kenya. Learn more about digital payments in Africa, how M-Pesa enabled SMEs and fintech communities to connect to the ecosystem, the impact of COVID-19 on access to working capital for SMEs, and the role of education on financial literacy. Click here to watch>
Herbert Wigwe, CEO of Access Bank
Access Bank is a Nigerian multinational commercial bank offering a full range of banking products and services in retail, business, and corporate banking segments. Learn more about Herbert Wigwe's experience dealing with the disruptions caused by the public health crisis and how Access Bank switched into a digital mode to protect their employees and customers. Click here to watch>
Michael Schlein, CEO of Accion
Accion is a global nonprofit leading the effort to improve the billions of lives through access to financial services and products. Learn more about Michael Schlein's decades of experience working with small business owners who are typically underserved by the big players in the finance industry, microfinance, moratoria, and the progress made at reducing global poverty. Click here to watch>
Selim Hussain, Managing Director and CEO of BRAC Bank
BRAC Bank is a private commercial bank in Bangladesh focused on SMEs. It was founded in 2001 to reach the large number of unbanked people whom traditional banks did not cover. Learn more about the role of digitalization in this era and how early decisions made in response to COVID-19 helped overcome the challenges and maintain business continuity. Prepare to hear a powerful story about how to turn even the most significant challenges into opportunities. Click here to watch>
Kathryn Petralia, Co-Founder and President, Kabbage
Kabbage has pioneered a financial services data and technology platform to provide access to automated funding to small businesses in minutes. Learn more about the latest developments in financing small and medium-sized enterprises. The conversation ranges over the US government-based Payment Protection Program, women in fintech, and the future of SME finance. Click here to watch>
Massimiliano Cattozzi, Executive Director and Head of Corporate and SME Commercial Department, Intesa Sanpaolo
With 11.9 million customers and over 4,500 branches in Italy, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, is the country’s leading banking group. Learn more about how Intesa Sanpaolo has expanded its business in the past years in Italy and how it became the first-mover to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and alleviate the severe economic impact. Click here to watch>
Judy Hsu, CEO, Consumer, Private, and Business Banking (CPBB), Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group that operates across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to bank people and companies driving investment, trade, and wealth creation. Learn more about the impact of Covid-19 on the bank's business and the adaptations they have made. Judy Hsu also discusses the future of SME banking, partnerships with FinTechs and e-commerce platforms, the importance of diversity to the business, and what it is like to be a woman at the top of a traditionally male-dominated industry. Click here to watch>
Dr. Dae-Hee Yoon, Chairman and CEO, KODIT
KODIT is a Korean public financial institution that leads the development of the national economy by extending credit guarantees to promising SMEs which lack tangible collateral. Learn more about how KODIT has been pushing for data and platform-based financial innovation to keep up with the changes from the digital transformation, as well as their support to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and help SMEs overcome the pandemic. Click here to watch>
Philippe Le Houérou, IFC's former CEO
As a member of the World Bank Group, IFC is the largest global development institution advancing economic development and improving the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries. Learn more about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected IFC's activities, how IFC has been coping with those impacts and IFC's collaboration with existing clients and partners during the pandemic. Philippe Le Houérou also shares his expectations of the future IFC and his opinions of globalization and geopolitics. Click here to watch>
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
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Dec
31
SME FINANCE FORUM
Member Spotlight
Dec 31, 2021
Online
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2021-12-30 19:00:00
2021-12-30 19:00:00
Member Spotlights
The Member Spotlight is intended for individual member institutions to showcase their good practice examples that are relevant and useful to the global community of SME financiers. With a webinar-style format, sessions are designed and delivered by the members with the support of the SME Finance Forum team. Members, especially winners of the Global SME Finance Awards, will be given priority to be featured on the Spotlight program.
2021 Line Up
January 14th - Embedded Finance – Seeding a Digital Community of SMEs and bringing Banking to where the SMEs are. Member GlobalLinker
March 4th - How to Rule the SME Banking World - Member Strands
March 18th - How to Finance Sustainable Supply Chain - Member RootAnt
April 14th - (Spanish) En Foco con E-Factor: Supply Chain Finance por Medios Electrónicos
May 12th - The New Wave of CX in Banking: Automating Software Ecosystem Access for SMEs - Member FNB
June 30th - Member Spotlight with JUMO: Using technology to meet the finance needs of West Africa’s informal sector
August 11th - Member Spotlight with AB Bank Zambia: Digitalization for the Bottom-Of-The-Pyramid (with Spanish translation)
September 15th - Member Spotlight with Trefi (with Spanish translation)
November 10th - Member Spotlight with Sofihdes: The experience of one of the leaders in continuing education in Haiti
November 17th - Member Spotlight with vcita: Driving the adoption of digital payments for SMEs
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
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Dec
31
SME FINANCE FORUM
Study Visit
Dec 31, 2021
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2021-12-30 19:00:00
2021-12-30 19:00:00
Study Visits
The SME Finance Forum's study visits are an integral part of the peer learning opportunities to know more about the latest fintech innovations and good practice in SME banking and non-financial services from local institutions. During these visits, participants have the opportunity to learn about the latest fintech innovations and good practice in SME banking and non-financial services from local institutions.
Learn more more about the visits in the following links:
2020 - Virtual
U GRO Capital
Experian
2019 - Amsterdam
2019 - Turkey
2018 - Madrid
2018 - Africa
2017 - Germany
SME FINANCE FORUM
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Dec
29
SME FINANCE FORUM
Virtual Roundtables
Dec 29, 2021
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2021-12-28 19:00:00
2021-12-28 19:00:00
COVID-19 Roundtables
During this time of unprecedented crisis, the SME Finance Forum, as a global SME finance community, is committed to supporting its members and partners. In this repository, we will share resources, events, and other vital information relevant to the SME Finance ecosystem.
1. Virtual Roundtable Series - By invitation only
Over a period of less than two weeks, since COVID 19 was officially declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020, the number of people known to have been infected by the virus has tripled. That week, at least more than 330,000 are known to have the virus in over 150 countries and 14,000 have lost their lives to the virus. More and more countries have taken unprecedented and drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus by closing towns, cities, and national borders, disrupting not only the social lives of the people but also the economies, including millions of SMEs around the world.
Starting Thursday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. EST, and initially, for the next six weeks, the SME Finance Forum hosts an hour-long Webex-based Virtual Roundtable Series for Members on COVID-19 crisis. Each meeting features a speaker, who describes their institution’s mitigation actions and efforts. Speakers present for the first 10-15 minutes, and then we open the floor for discussion to share best practices and concerns in this challenging time. Hence, the weekly sessions are organized to provide our members with opportunities to share and learn from each other’s experiences in a continuous and real-time basis.
Each meeting focuses on several themes (examples below), though all and any questions are accepted:
Collections/grace periods/other adjustments
Managing disruptions to supply chains and their financing;
Regulator relations/adjustments to prudential norms
Risk management for both existing borrowers and first time (previously non-borrowing) clients
Loan classification and credit information sharing;
Government initiatives
Development finance institutions’ responses
These sessions are open to all members, who can suggest other institutions who might benefit from joining as participants, and/or as presenters. The Forum prepares a written summary after each discussion, that is shared on our Members Portal, with access only to members and speakers.
Schedule (Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. EST)
2021
February 4th - The Evolving Role of Credit Guarantees – from Relief to Recovery
March 11th - Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 on Women Entrepreneurs
May 19th - Government Support for Alternative Financiers in COVID Recovery
May 26th - Handling Insolvency during Crisis. What will SMEs need?
June 2nd - The role of alternative data in ensuring access to finance for SMEs post COVID
July 14th - Bank & Big Tech Partnerships Post-COVID
July 28th - Transitioning from Relief to Recovery
2020
March 26 - IFC and Kabbage efforts
April 2 - Lessons from Asia
April 9 - Alibaba and Ant Financial - Integrating market and financial assistance
April 16 - DBS: Digital Relief
April 23 - Risk Sharing in the Biggest Crisis Ever
April 30 - Banking Women Entrepreneurs during COVID-19
May 7 - Making Adjustments: Collections Strategies, Credit Scoring and Regulatory Forbearance
May 14 - DFIs Preserving SMEs Liquidity and Solvency
May 21 - SME Finance Businesses Thriving amid Chaos
May 28 - Serving Women-Owned Micro Businesses (Part II)
June 4 - Insuring SMEs
June 11 - Global Microfinance Networks Coping with COVID-19
June 18 - LAC: New Digital Delivery Models for COVID-19
June 25 - Agri SMEs Weathering COVID-19
July 2 - The Macro Picture for Small Business
July 9 - Deep Dive: Collections and Risk
July 23 - Digital Banks dealing with COVID-19
August 6 - Going Beyond Finance under COVID-19
August 13 - New Lending into a Crisis
September 3 - Technology to bridge the Gender Finance Gap
September 10 - Bank & FinTech partnerships post COVID
September 24 - Bank & FinTech partnerships post COVID - Part II
November 12 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Information and Credit Risk
December 17 - SME Loan Repayment Holidays
2. Online Repository
Weekly Summaries
NEW - Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - September 28, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - September 21, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - July 6, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 22, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 15, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 8, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - June 1, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 25, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 18, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 11, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - May 4, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 27, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 20, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 13, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - April 6, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - March 30, 2020
Weekly Member Update Summary on COVID-19 - March 23, 2020
Blog articles
Lifeline amid Public Health Emergency
How members are getting SMEs online – and out of danger
Roundtable Recap: Lessons from 2008 for the COVID-19 crisis: Illiquidity is as dangerous as insolvency
Roundtable Recap: Earlier rather than later: SME lenders are reacting quickly in Asia
The world needs new partnerships to protect SMEs from COVID-19's impact - The Banker
Roundtable Recap: Beyond Finance: What Alibaba and Ant Financial Can Teach Us About Responding to COVID-19
What should be the first immediate steps that banks should do to help SMEs?
COVID-19 and Credit Reporting: Suppression is Not the Solution
DFI leadership during the COVID-19 crisis
Roundtable Recap: COVID-19 - A Catalyst for Digital Transformation in the SME Lending Ecosystem
Supporting Firms: From Crisis to Recovery
Roundtable Recap: Risk Sharing during COVID-19: the Need for Uncommon Measures
Expansion of digital transactions through e-Wallets and COVID-19 pandemic
Embracing partnerships to tackle challenges during COVID-19
Roundtable Recap: Reducing financial vulnerabilities for women entrepreneurs during COVID-19
Webinar Recap: SME policy response speed, critical to economic recovery
Pregunta a los expertos: negocios en tiempos de crisis. El caso del Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (Available only in Spanish)
Roundtable Recap: Credit Integrity and the Future of a Healthy Financial System
Data Story: The importance of supporting MSMEs during the pandemic
Roundtable Recap: The Critical Role of DFIs in Preserving SME Solvency in a Pandemic
Roundtable Recap: Serving the Unique Needs of Micro Businesses
Roundtable Recap: Thriving Amid Chaos
Webinar Recap: Achieving financial stability and long-term relationships in MFS
Roundtable Recap: A wakeup call to expand insurance services to SMEs
Webinar Recap: Building data-driven digital systems to expand lending capabilities
Supporting Women-Led Rural Micro-Enterprises Through COVID and Beyond
Roundtable Recap: COVID-19: Digital Finance Models to the Rescue of SMES in Latin America
Roundtable Recap: Microfinance Institutions vs. COVID-19: The Real Asset Lies in the Global Networks
Rountable Recap: The perfect storm to accelerate the digital revolution for Agri SMEs
Rountable Recap: Opportunities for growth within a “new normal”
The Importance of Going Digital for SMEs
What we learned so far from our Virtual Roundtables on COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts
Rountable Recap: The Evolving Collections and Risk Landscape
Webinar Recap: Data Trends in Analytics, Risk, and Privacy in a Post-COVID 19 World
Rountable Recap: The Changing Face of Your Banker
Rountable Recap: Going Beyond Financing in Support of SMEs During and After COVID-19
NEW - Webinar Recap - Payments Technology: Expanding Access for SMEs in Africa
NEW - Roundtable Recap - Informed credit decisions in times of COVID-19
International Organization's COVID-19 Hubs
UNCDF Guidance Note for Immediate Action: Plug and Play E-Grants for SMEs at Scale
The World Bank Group and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
World Health Organization on Coronavirus Outbreak
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on COVID-19
OECD Online Policy Hub in Response to Coronavirus Crisis
Member's Information
NEW: COVID-19 EconData Kenya, supported by FSD Kenya
Member Kabbage Report on the Results of the Paycheck Protection Program
Member PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned U.S. businesses
Member Tyme launched its new website including COVID-19 resources
Member Standard Chartered: How we’re helping SMEs during COVID-19
Member Survey Results on the Impact of COVID-19
Member Tyme Bank response to COVID-19
Member Ant Financial working to help SMEs affected by the coronavirus crisis
Member DBS: Supporting Our SME Community Amid A Crisis
Other resources
NEW: The Alliance for Financial Inclusion: COVID19 Member Mitigation Plans
Free COVID-19 Business Survival Bootcamps (Africa)
Information and resources available for American small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits (US)
COVID-19 Notes – Finance Series - Impact and policy responses in support of private-sector firms – World Bank/IFC
Special resources for members
Free resources and other relevant information for members
SME FINANCE FORUM
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Dec
10
SME FINANCE FORUM
Event
Dec 10, 2021
Online
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2021-12-09 19:00:00
2021-12-09 19:00:00
Webinar - Scaling Up Financial Inclusion of MSMEs for a Sustainable Recovery in the Mediterranean Prospects and Challenges
The MED Confederation, the alliance of Euro-Mediterranean institutions and organisations promoting socioeconomic cooperation in the Mediterranean region, has been encouraging research and dialogue in order to promote awareness, best practices, and innovative initiatives to address the issue of financial inclusion as one of the main pillars of the development agenda in the Mediterranean region.
Following two previous webinars dedicated respectively to the impact of the COVID-19 on financial inclusion and youth financial inclusion in the Mediterranean, the alliance is organising a third edition untitled “Scaling Up Financial Inclusion of MSMEs for a Sustainable Recovery in the Mediterranean: Prospects and Challenges.” The final objective of the event is to draw a set of policy recommendations based on lessons learnt and successful experiences, that can contribute to enlighten policy-making processes in the post-COVID-19 context.
This event will provide a space for dialogue where experts and practitioners from institutions and organisations across the Mediterranean region and beyond will debate the prospects and challenges for enhancing the financial inclusion of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) as the fundamental condition to spur the post-COVID-19 recovery in the Mediterranean region.
Jessica Alfaro, our financial sector specialist at the SME Finance Forum, will participate in the main panel discussion together with representatives of Société nationale de garantie et de financement de l’entreprise (SNGFE) – Morocco, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC - Tunisia) and Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).
Agenda
More information here> https://www.iemed.org/events/scaling-up-financial-inclusion-of-msmes-for-a-sustainable-recovery-in-the-mediterranean/
The recording of the webinar will remain available on the YouTube channel of the IEMed.
Online
SME FINANCE FORUM
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