We are pleased to announce the Finalists of the Global SME Finance Awards 2025
| Absa Bank, Ghana | Evocabank |
| Access Bank, PLC | Export Development Bank of Egypt - EBank |
| Agência de Fomento do Paraná S.A. – Fomento Paraná (Parana Women's Bank) | Figopara - Figo Commercial Information and Application Platform Inc. |
| Akbank | FINCA Impact Finance |
| Al-Amal Micro-Finance Bank | First National Bank (FNB) |
| Al-Kuraimi Islamic Microfinance Bank | IPDC Finance PLC |
| Allica Bank | Joint-Stock Innovation Commercial Bank ”Ipak Yuli” |
| Amartha | Jordan Ahli Bank |
| Aye Finance Ltd | Jordan Kuwait Bank |
| Banca Intesa ad Beograd | Jordan Loan Guarantee Corp. (JLGC) |
| Banco Cooperativo Sicredi | JSCB Ukrgasbank (UGB) |
| Banco de Crédito del Peru (BCP) | Kaleidofin Private Limited |
| Banco do Brasil | Kapitale - Pague com Kapi |
| Banco Promerica, El Salvador | NCBA GROUP PLC |
| Banpro Grupo Promerica | Palestine Monetary Authority |
| BANRESERVAS | Parwaaz Financial Services Limited |
| BAOBAB SENEGAL | Qatar Development Bank (QDB) |
| BRAC Bank PLC | Raiffeisen Bank International AG |
| City Bank PLC | Receivables Exchange of India Limited |
| Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd | Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation |
| Cooperative Bank of Oromia | Shenzhen Credit Service Co., Ltd. |
| CredAble | Social Development Bank |
| CredibleX | TEB Faktoring |
| Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) | The Bank of Punjab |
| Drip Capital Inc. | WEMA Bank |
Affiliated with
Award Categories
Sample questionnaires, please do not complete. Questions may differ depending on regional and institutional choices.
Key Dates
- April 9: Inaugural Awards Information Session 2025 – Best Financier For Women Entrepreneurs (Video)
- April 16: Awards Information Session 2025 – SME Financier of the Year (Video)
- April 30: Awards Information Session 2025 – Product Innovation of the Year (Video)
- May 14: Sustainable SME Financier of the Year (Video)
Submissions Open:
April 7, 2025
Submissions Deadline:
June 13, 2025
Winners Announced:
September 15 – 17, 2025
Guidelines
1.The competition is open to any and all financiers serving SMEs - banks, NBFIs, development financial institutions, fintech companies, etc.
2. Each institution can apply in up to three categories
3. . Each nomination form is valid for 1 entry only. If you are applying in three categories, please enter each entry separately.
4. Applications must be in English.
5. Nomination is free of charge.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Reach
What is the number of SMEs served/financed and volume of financing provided/loan outstanding to the
SMEs both directly and indirectly?
Uniqueness & Innovation
Has the project introduced new or cutting-edge innovation? How original is the idea compared to
solutions that are currently in use?
Effectiveness & Impact
Did the project/product/service achieve its objectives and targets? What measures have been used to
assess its success? What was the impact to your company and industry?
Dynamism & Scalability
Is the strategy, project, service or product flexible to changes and progressive opportunities?
Best Financier for Women Entrepreneurs
Launched in 2018 this IFC Banking on Women Initiative, seeks to highlight the successful approaches and models financiers are implementing to better serve women-entrepreneurs in their markets.Product Innovation of the Year
The Product Innovation of the Year award recognizes financial institutions for their innovative products or services for SME clients. Both the types of institutions and types of solutions are extremely varied and recognized at the global level.
SME Financier of the Year
The SME Financier of the Year award recognizes financial institutions for providing exceptional support to SME clients in their region, demonstrating market leadership.
Sustainable SME Financier of the Year (New)
Launched this year, the Sustainable SME Financier of the year category aims to recognize market leaders and trailblazers that demonstrate a sustained commitment to serving the SME sector in the industry.