Our events

SMEs are the backbone of economies worldwide and contribute significantly to job creation. Access to financial services is cited as the key barrier to most SMEs inhibiting their growth. Financial Institutions have a significant role to play, especially in the face of the $5.7 trillion MSME finance gap.  

As we have seen across multiple financial institutions, when the SME finance business is driven by the CEOs of the institutions, it gets the right focus, builds strong business momentum and delivers lasting market impact.

Hence, we plan to bring together CEOs from members institutions of the SME Finance Forum to give a view from the top and hear how the SME agenda is being driven in their organization. CEOs will share how they leverage the latest trends and enablers towards market impact, creating livelihoods and ensuring SMEs succeed, create jobs and grow, while ensuring responsible and sustainable solutions are rendered to the market. 

Speakers:

• Navin Uttamchandani – President & CEO, Esquire - Philippines 
• Ram Iyer – CEO, Vayana – India 
• Ashraf Abdelfattah – CEO, Beltone – Egypt 
• Ravi Valecha– CEO, India Factoring – India 
• Yemisi Edun – Managing Director, FCMB – Nigeria 
• Mashrur Arefin – CEO, City Bank - Bangladesh  
• Qamar Saleem — Global Head SME Finance Forum, World Bank Group (Moderator)