Library
Non Financial Services
Gender Finance
Covid-19
Jan 15, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted many lives across the globe. In this blog we focus on women. Worldwide, the pandemic has hit women harder than men. Women run a higher risk of COVID-19 contagion due to their occupations in health-related activities. They are also overrepresented in jobs where social distancing has been more difficult...
Financial Inclusion
Jan 14, 2021
Fellow member Ant Financial has a very exciting program (cosponsored by IFC ) called 10x1000, intended to develop new fintech leaders for financial inclusion across emerging markets. The “ 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion Program ” is an open platform that encourages technology innovation and communication for future digital leaders. The program will...
Covid-19
Jan 14, 2021
The SME Finance Forum’s “Fireside Chat” is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector regulators. In this edition, Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director /CEO of Access Bank, talks with Yvonne Okwara, about the impact and disruptions caused by the...
Policy & Regulation
Jan 13, 2021
Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) joins the SME Finance Forum global network to enhance coordination with international institutions for more impactful interventions benefiting its member countries and the Muslim communities worldwide . Washington D.C., January 13th, 2021 - Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) , including ICIEC, IRTI, ISFD...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 12, 2021
In recent years, as more and more regulators have begun to assume the role of supervision and oversight over credit bureau(s), the World Bank Group has supported supervisors in understanding and carrying out their duties as it relates to this role. The WBG has supported the development of the credit bureau supervisory framework and the capacity to...
Policy & Regulation
Credit Risk & Scoring
Jan 08, 2021
Coordination between secured transactions law and rules regulating financial products and institutions is of primary importance to support establishing a sound and inclusive credit ecosystem. This Primer illustrates why coordination between secured transactions law reforms and prudential regulation is needed; introduces the rationale and key...
Non Financial Services
Jan 06, 2021
After a busy year, working with thousands of entrepreneurs across Africa in our ‘new world’, the African Management Institue (AMI) has been thinking deeply about the future of business development support, and how the crisis brought about by Covid-19 might in fact open up new opportunities to serve more SMEs, more effectively. Their new report – ‘...
Guarantees
Jan 01, 2021
Lending based on movable assets is much more common in developed markets. Through the work of the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation, the use of lending based on movable assets continues to expand throughout the globe. Many best-practice examples can now be found in emerging markets such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Vietnam,...
Fintech
Dec 23, 2020
Our member Raiffesisen Bank International’s Partnership Program Elevator Lab’s fourth round took place virtually in the second half of 2020. Elevator Lab had been selected as one of the “Best Financial Innovation Labs in 2020” by the Global Finance. The Lab aims at finding innovative fintech solutions and building mutually beneficial partnerships...
Financial Inclusion
Dec 22, 2020
Our member Kabbage plans to expand on the work done by researchers from NYU Stern on the kind of lenders that had the highest minority share among their Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans. They will work on exploring the reasons behind the found correlation between the lender type and borrower race. The current research note focused on...
Fintech
Dec 18, 2020
Washington D.C. December 18th, 2020 - Business finance marketplace Funding Options has joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. Small and mid-sized businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy and will play a pivotal role in driving economic recovery with access to capital central to that. As the UK adapts to a tiered system of...
Fintech
Dec 17, 2020
We are happy to share that our member Bitbond , Germany’s leading tokenization and digital asset custody technology provider, and Bankhaus von der Heydt (BVDH), one of Europe’s oldest banks, have joined forces to issue a Euro (EUR) stablecoin (EURB) on the Stellar network. The EURB stablecoin is the first stablecoin issued directly by a banking...
Dec 17, 2020
Washington D.C., December 18th, 2020 - SunTrust Bank joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME Financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide, through knowledge exchange and innovation. “40 percent of small and...
Covid-19
Dec 17, 2020
If you missed out on our conference or would like to rewatch our informative discussions, visit http://www.globalsmefinanceforum.org/2020/ or visit the Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7803227
Sustainable Finance
Dec 17, 2020
Washington D.C., December 17th, 2020 - We are excited to share that Investree joined the SME Finance Forum global membership network. The Forum brings together development financial institutions, banks, and fintechs from around the world to support SMEs through knowledge exchange, policy change, and impactful partnerships. “When we started in 2012...
Covid-19
Dec 16, 2020
The SME Finance Forum’s “Fireside Chat” is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector regulators. In this edition, Michael Schlein, CEO of Accion, talks with Yvonne Okwara, about decades of experience working with small business owners who are...
Sustainable Finance
Dec 15, 2020
As the world reflects on progress on climate action since the Paris Agreement signing, it has been clear that action by small and medium-sized companies is essential for accelerating the transition to a net-zero emissions global economy. The SME Climate Hub has joined forces with Oxford University to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (...
Covid-19
Dec 10, 2020
We are happy to share that our member U GRO Capital has recently entered into a strategic partnership with the Wadhwani Foundation, a global non-profit organization. The partnership between the two organizations will mutually benefit the micro, small and medium enterprises that are predominantly present in education, healthcare, hospitality,...
Covid-19
Dec 09, 2020
The SME Finance Forum's "Fireside Chat" is a new series of one-on-one interviews with CEOs, senior executives of financial institutions and technology companies as well as financial sector regulators. In this edition, Selim Hussain, Managing Director, and CEO of BRAC Bank, shared how early decisions made in response to COVID-19 helped overcome the...
Islamic Banking
Dec 08, 2020
We are happy to share that our member Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector’s (ICD) has established Finnovation Award to recognize, showcase and encourage financial institutions that provide an outstanding solution to the financial industry. Finnovation awards are a part of their new online platform “ Finnovation ” which...