Publications
May 15, 2019
Since 2011, Myanmar has been on a path of transition from military rule and a state-controlled economy, towards democracy and a market-based economy whilst also managing the challenge of wealth creation. These transitions are taking place in a context of religious and ethnic diversity – the Burmese majority accounting for two-thirds of the...
May 14, 2019
This note analyzes the evolution of CISs, including the emergence of new technologies that use alternative data in credit decisioning and the opportunities and risks associated with these trends. This paper also predicts the potential development effect of these disruptive technologies and proposes a role for the World Bank Group in leveraging...
May 13, 2019
In this EY has outlined a number of questions they believe firms need to ask themselves with respect to how they can really help the SME community, considering how they can provide additional insight, tools and services that will best serve their customers. Firms that answer these questions the best are likely to come out on top, not just in this...
Apr 30, 2019
As part of UK FinTech week 2019, Oxford Economics is publishing a report, in partnership with Funding Circle, on the financial conditions facing small businesses in each of the online platform’s four markets: the UK, US, Germany, and the Netherlands. This report calculates the total economic impact of loans made to SMEs through Funding Circle in...
Apr 25, 2019
SME Finance Forum partner Women's World Banking has released "Acquisition and Engagement Strategies to Reach Women with Digital Financial Services." In this publication, Women’s World Banking outlined how they applied different approaches in Nigeria and Pakistan to increase both the acquisition of women customers as well as women’s engagement with...
Apr 23, 2019
Bibby Financial Services' SME Confidence Tracker surveys 1,000 of the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses on a quarterly basis. The tracker charts the confidence of owners and senior decision-makers of businesses in manufacturing, construction, wholesale, transport, and services sectors. The tracker includes an SME Confidence Index statistic...
Apr 22, 2019
BNY Mellon released its "Overcoming the Trade Finance Gap: Root Causes and Remedies" report, which finds that the trade finance gap remains a significant issue for global trade, according to 100 global, regional, and domestic banks, specialist trade providers and other market participants responding to its survey. The $1.5 trillion global trade...
Apr 09, 2019
The report is the most comprehensive assessment so far of the potential global market for impact investing. It estimates that as much as $269 trillion—the financial assets held by institutions and households across the world—is potentially available for investment. Channeling just 10 percent of this amount into projects focused on improving social...
Apr 03, 2019
This report – developed jointly by the OECD, ASEAN and national stakeholders – seeks to better understand the causes behind these persistent gaps and advances policy solutions to help close them. It is structured around three chapters: Chapter 1 provides an overview of progress made in achieving gender equality in employment and education,...
Feb 25, 2019
This International Monetary Fund paper highlights the macroeconomic relevance of SME financial inclusion in the MENAP and CCA regions and offers policy considerations to scale up SME financial access. "Financial Inclusion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Middle East and Central Asia" focus is primarily on the macroeconomic and policy...