DigiLab Finance

Events

Jun
29
SME FINANCE FORUM
Event
24th MFC Conference – Microfinance Investing Through Uncertainty
Istanbul, Turkey
Add to Calendar 2022-06-28 20:00:00 2022-06-28 20:00:00 24th MFC Conference – Microfinance Investing Through Uncertainty Join our partner’s flagship networking event - 24th MFC Conference that will take place on 29-30 June in Istanbul, Turkey. We are thrilled that after long time of virtual meetings Microfinance Centre is bringing the microfinance world together again! We can’t wait for 24th MFC Conference – Microfinance Investing Through Uncertainty to begin! Click for all the information and registration link In Istanbul you will find out about the changing investment landscape and new investment opportunities, discuss the key predictions on how the sector will rise to the post-pandemic, economic, technological, green and other challenges, meet new leaders and forge exciting business partnerships. MFC conference is a dynamic platform for initiating and forging relationships among participants and their institutions. Upwards of 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference this year from 40+ countries around the world.The participants include microfinance practitioners,  policy makers, experts, investors, IT providers, donors, social finance enthusiasts and more. Istanbul, Turkey SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public
Jun
29
SME FINANCE FORUM
Virtual Roundtables
Algorithmic bias in Women-MSMEs Credit Scoring: Insights & Solutions Community of Practice (CoP)
Add to Calendar 2022-06-28 20:00:00 2022-06-28 20:00:00 Algorithmic bias in Women-MSMEs Credit Scoring: Insights & Solutions Community of Practice (CoP) Registration is open for members on the Member's portal Introduction The SME Finance Forum’s MSME Finance GAP estimates a $1.53 trillion finance gap for Women-MSMEs (W-MSMEs). Historically, women have been victims of conscious and unconscious bias in lending decisions resulting in a disproportionate lack of access to traditional credit facilities through banks and other traditional lenders compared to their male counterparts. Gender-based algorithmic bias happens when an algorithm creates results that are systemically prejudiced against people, with gender explaining the bias. Algorithmic bias is the result of prejudices introduced by individuals, analysts, and developers, due to unintended biases or real-life prejudices. Credit scoring has the potential to improve access to capital and financial inclusion for W-MSMEs. As financial institutions begin to have access to different types of data, the variety of credit scoring mechanisms have increased. One way that financial institutions have kept track of these alternative data and found ways to understand them is using algorithms and artificial intelligence. Innovative methods for credit scoring have the potential to expand access to capital and other financial services for W-MSMEs. However, their creation must be intentional and transparent to account for the possible biases that may arise from biased data or biased algorithms. Technology along with effective management and organizational processes, provides new solutions for bias mitigation in credit scoring. During our next session member FinDev Canada and their partners at 2X Collaborative’s Financial and Digital Inclusion and Tech Community of Practice will delve into biases propelled by technology and discuss possible solutions to address algorithmic bias, biased data and data quality in an attempt to facilitate increased financing, and open-up new credit markets to new and under-served W-MSMEs.   Objectives: · Share experiences on gender-based credit scoring models in lending to W-MSMEs · Showcase emerging technologies, models, and platforms · Deep dive into challenges and possible solutions to address algorithmic bias, biased data and improving data quality · Discuss Mitigation Strategies to address algorithmic bias · Role of Policy and Regulation · Facilitate CoP participants’ contribution in sharing unique experiences and solutions Speakers: Sonja Kelly,  Director of Research and Advocacy, Women’s World Banking (WWB). Sonja 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. (Source: Women’s World Banking).    Alfonso Martínez, Chief Growth Officer at Eticas. Alfonso is an experienced communication and sales director with an analytical and strategic mindset and a creative and holistic approach that he applies to every project he tackles. His educational background ranges from English Philology to a Master's degree in Digital Transformation through to an MBA and various certifications. As Chief Growth Officer at Eticas, he is responsible for the areas of PR and Communications, Marketing and Sales. His goal is to raise awareness of the projects and initiatives developed by the organization. Under his leadership in the area, the community outreach has doubled in a few months and the presence in the media has become stable and solid, growing internationally. He is also responsible for the market expansion of Eticas' main services, especially algorithmic audits.   Partin Pruthi,  Head of Legal Department, TEB Bank in Kosovo. Partin Pruthi is a legal expert specialized in the legal aspects of Information Technology, Finance, and Data Protection. His focus is particularly suited to the Cybersecurity and the Blockchain sector, since its a combination of his experience. Partin has advised many Kosovo startups and companies to streamline their operations and minimize their legal risk.     Moderator: Eugénie Viatchaninova, Sr Gender Advisor, FinDev Canada. Eugenie is an expert on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment at FinDev Canada, focusing on leading approaches on this thematic to support the private sector in emerging markets. Prior to joining FinDev Canada, Eugenie worked as a Digital Development consultant at the World Bank where she designed and implemented gender-focusing interventions and co-authored publications on gender inclusion. Overall, Eugenie collaborated on investment project financing and technical assistance projects across different ICT business lines in over 20 countries, from the world’s most fragile and low-income to upper-middle-income economies. Eugenie holds an MBA from HEC Montreal, with a specialization in technological innovation and commercialization from the Polytechnique Montreal. Formerly, a Ukrainian grantee of the Fulbright Program, she graduated from a signature Public Diplomacy program at Syracuse University, with a dual master’s degree in International Relations and PR from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.   Registration is open for members on Member's portal.   By registering for this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice.   SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public
Jul
06
SME FINANCE FORUM
Marketplace
SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - July Monthly Session
Online
Add to Calendar 2022-07-05 20:00:00 2022-07-05 20:00:00 SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - July Monthly 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, each institution must have: An institutional profile (company profile and products/services offering) A personal profile (individuals representing the companies) Individuals on the Marketplace can explore products and services available (investment products, advisory services, technology solutions...etc. ) and reach out to one another to discuss potential collaboration and partnership. To learn how to set up a company profile, a listing and an individual profile, please read the User Manual in this link. Feel free to let us know should you have any questions or need any assistance to smefinanceforum@ifc.org.    July Marketplace Session This live marketplace session, scheduled on Wednesday, July 6th from 8 am - 9:00 EDT, will feature a series of members, who will present their products/services. Following the presentations, participants will have the opportunities to reach out directly to the presenting fintech to make inquiries or explore partnership opportunities based on their interests.  Presenters First City Monument Bank Limited George Ogbonnaya is a vice president and the Group Head, of Business Banking at First City Monument Bank Limited.  A Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration, a Senior Honourable Member of Chartered Institute of Bankers, and a certified coach in Game Thinking with over 23 years of experience in banking, cutting across commercial banking, credit sales, and product development, product management & electronic banking. He is responsible for the SME and Commercial banking segments of the bank’s business. In addition to having the responsibility for driving growth in commercial and SME segments, George is also responsible for developing new products/solutions and finding alternative sources of funding for SMEs. He drives the bank’s strategic goals in emerging sectors including Renewable Energy, Women-In-Business, and Technology. Under his leadership, the bank has progressed to a top-rated SME financial institution winning several awards in the SME categories.   Tiago Peroba is the Head of the Department for Institutional Relations and Credit Promotion for SMEs at the Brazilian Development Bank – BNDES. He has worked at BNDES for more than 18 years, with over 10 years of experience in dealing with the Brazilian financial system, working with public and private commercial banks, regional development banks, cooperative banks, and captive banks. He is also responsible for the relationship with more than two hundred business entities, having participated as a member of business committees and representative on boards in these entities. Tiago holds a Master's in Accounting from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and a Ph.D. from the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration. He was a professor in the postgraduate courses at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, from 2006 to 2020.   Nagla Mohamed Bahr is the Managing Director of the Credit Guarantee in Egypt (CGC-Egypt). With more than 30 years of experience in economic development, financial advisories and rating activities with a focus on emerging markets and economies in transition. Nagla has exceptional experience in MSMEs Finance, particularly in the credit guarantee field for 20 years. Her passion for MSMEs sustainable development motivated her mission to create the right ecosystem capable of facilitating their access to finance in suitable forms and with favorable conditions. With her experience in risk management and MSMEs unique characteristics, she was able to create innovative guarantee products, resulting in the boom of CGC-Egypt portfolio by more than 40x in 5 years, serving almost 160,000 MSMEs in 2022, and enabling their access to finance by USD 17 billion. Nagla is the Chairwoman of the EMGN (European-Mediterranean Guarantee Network) as well as one of the main founders of the MENA –Guarantee Network. She has B.Sc. in Economics and a Master’s degree in Professional Economic Development.   Owureku currently leads Digital Solutions for Ecobank Group Commercial Banking overseeing 33 Countries in Middle Africa. His role focuses on leveraging digital tools to provide financial access to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).  Prior to his current role, he was the Regional Head, Consumer Distribution for Ecobank Anglophone West Africa. During this role, he led the development of Xpress loan; a Digital lending product for Micro Enterprises and the financially excluded through a partnership with Ecobank, Jumo and MTN Ghana. Additionally, he Successfully managed a US$6 Million grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support Ecobank’s Mass Savings Projects in Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. He also led digital financial services and financial inclusion initiatives in more than 15 countries in Central, East and West Africa.  He is a seasoned subject matter expert and International Speaker on Digital financial services with over 18 years of experience in the sector, with a purpose to drive financial inclusion. This led to his role as a Co-founder and Director of Financial Inclusion Forum Africa; An African-based non-profit organization contributing to global and national efforts of providing access to the financially excluded.    Sameer Jooma, Executive, Trader Ecosystems Lead, Standard Bank Group.  Experienced Innovation and Analytics executive with a history of working across industries and geographies for multinational corporations. He is a specialist in strategic analytics, an excellent curator of innovative technologies and has demonstrated the ability to bring innovation to life, for impact. He has a deep understanding of technology and also experience in large-scale enterprise analytics projects. He leverages this combination to deliver data-driven innovation initiatives. He is passionate about driving financial inclusion and developing start-ups on the African continent and believes that technology and ecosystem development are pivotal in enabling this.     Brett Matthew, Trader Direct Platform Lead, Standard Bank Group.  Techie, bean counter, problem solver, “get it done” guy, lover of Africa – rolled into one. I’m passionate about using technology to grow the biggest employment sector in Africa – micro & small businesses. Using my experience in building and guiding small businesses from within big corporations, it is humbling to be able to work alongside people in SBG and Nomanini to not just digitize a market, but potentially play a role in uplifting livelihoods and societies.       Other presenters from BPB and First Bank Nigeria will be announced soon! Online SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public
Aug
03
SME FINANCE FORUM
Marketplace
SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - August Monthly Session
Online
Add to Calendar 2022-08-02 20:00:00 2022-08-02 20:00:00 SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - August Monthly 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.     Monthly (Thirteenth) Marketplace Session This live marketplace session, scheduled on Wednesday, August 3rd from 8 am - 9:00 EDT, will feature a series of members, who will present their products/services. Following the presentations, participants will have the opportunities to reach out directly to the presenting fintech to make inquiries or explore partnership opportunities based on their interests.    Presenters will be announced soon!     Having problems registering, use this link>   Relive the previous session here>   For more information, please contact us at smefinanceforum@ifc.org   By registering to this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice.   **   Core Features & Capabilities of the SME Finance Marketplace To learn how to set up a company profile, a listing and an individual profile, please read the User Manual in this link.   Feel free to let us know should you have any questions or need any assistance to smefinanceforum@ifc.org.       Online SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public
Sep
19
SME FINANCE FORUM
Annual Conference
Global SME Finance Forum 2022 - Registration Open to our Members!
Phnom Penh
Add to Calendar 2022-09-18 20:00:00 2022-09-18 20:00:00 Global SME Finance Forum 2022 - Registration Open to our Members! Registration is open for members on the Member's portal   Digitalization transforms businesses, reduces costs, automates processes, and brings down the reliance on manpower. In the financial industry sector, it helps reduce the high risk traditionally associated with financing small businesses, through technologies such as real-time data collection and machine learning. In partnership with the National Bank of Cambodia, the SME Finance Forum is hosting the 9th Global SME Finance Forum. This year’s event theme is Harnessing Digitalization for Sustainable and Inclusive SME Finance. Taking place on September 19-21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the three-day conference will explore how digitalization can promote and accelerate green finance, enhance supply-chain efficiencies, improve data security, and automate processes, while also leading to greater financial inclusion.  Join us on-site to connect with an international network of SME finance experts and practitioners to share and learn from each other’s experience in SME financing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. The team is ready and motivated to deliver a memorable in-person executive program.  Visit the event website to discover the AGENDA and travelling tips > Global SME Finance Forum Conference Register NOW to secure your spot – space is limited! By registering for this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice. Previous Forums 2021 - Virtual Edition - SME Finance 2021 - Greening SME Finance 2020 - Virtual Edition - SME Finance Outlook 20302019 - Amsterdam - The Convergence of the Real and Financial Sectors in SME Finance2018 - Madrid -  Reaching the Informal: the Role of Finance in Improving the Growth and Productivity of SMEs2018 - Regional (Kenya) - Harnessing Innovation 2017 - Berlin - Digitization of SME Finance2016 - China - Emerging Trends that Impact Small Business Finance2015 - Turkey - Partnerships and Innovation for SME Finance    Phnom Penh SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public
Oct
05
SME FINANCE FORUM
Marketplace
SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - October Monthly Session
Online
Add to Calendar 2022-10-04 20:00:00 2022-10-04 20:00:00 SME Finance Virtual Marketplace - October Monthly 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.     Fourteenth Marketplace Session This monthly marketplace session, scheduled on Wednesday, October 5th from 8 am - 9:00 EDT, will feature a series of members who will present their products/services. Following the presentations, participants will have the opportunities to reach out directly to the presenting institutions to make inquiries or explore partnership opportunities based on their interests.    Presenters will be announced soon.     Having problems registering, use this link>   Relive the previous session here>   For more information, please contact us at smefinanceforum@ifc.org   By registering to this event, you agree to the SME Finance Forum/IFC Event Privacy Notice.   **   Core Features & Capabilities of the SME Finance Marketplace To learn how to set up a company profile, a listing and an individual profile, please read the User Manual in this link.     Online SME FINANCE FORUM ronyg@panapps.co America/New_York public