Mar 25, 2026
AI agents are poised to make sophisticated money decisions for customers, reshaping banking and affecting billions of dollars in revenue. Agentic AI—technology that can perform tasks and solve issues largely on its own—will be able to handle complex requests like the one above, shifting AI from reactive helper to proactive financial agent for...
Mar 25, 2026
Financial institutions have been using artificial intelligence (AI) for many years. Three AI use cases are worth highlighting: customer support chatbots; fraud detection, including for purposes of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); and credit and insurance underwriting. Use of AI for chatbots and fraud...
Mar 25, 2026
Basel III—the international standard for banking regulation—has strengthened global financial stability but has also led to unintended consequences that may hinder progress toward key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper examines how Basel III’s regulatory framework may restrict bank lending to SMEs (impacting SDG 10) and constrain...
Mar 25, 2026
Stablecoins are an emerging alternative to major payments and settlement networks globally. The supply of stablecoins is around $300 billion, having grown from under $10 billion five years ago. Approximately 10 million blockchain addresses make a stablecoin transaction every day. The vast majority (>99 percent) of stablecoins reference the dollar...
Mar 23, 2026
March 23, 2026: INBONIS RATING has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 250+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation. "The SME...
Mar 20, 2026
Access to credit is one of the most powerful drivers of economic opportunity – but only when it is delivered responsibly. At the heart of sound, inclusive financial systems lies a critical yet often overlooked piece of infrastructure: credit information sharing (CIS). Credit information sharing through credit bureaus and registries reduces...
Mar 17, 2026
March 17, 2026: The Global Council for Business Resilience (GCBR) has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 250+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge...
Mar 11, 2026
March 11, 2026: The Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest affiliate. The 250+ members/affiliates of the Forum are SME financing experts operating in 190 countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge...
Payments
Mar 05, 2026
Across disciplines and economies, there is broad agreement: trade is good. In our digital era, digital trade is opening new opportunities for economies to play to their strengths. For example, digital trade significantly lowers barriers to entry, enabling small businesses in remote areas to access global markets through online platforms, bypassing...
Sustainable Finance
Mar 05, 2026
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are vital to economic growth, job creation, provision of goods and services, and poverty alleviation in emerging markets. MSMEs make up over 90% of all firms and account, on average, for 70% of total employment and 50% of GDP worldwide. The MSME finance gap now stands at $5.7 trillion – a number...