Financial Institution
All too often, despite their potential as a revenue source for banks, small businesses end up relying on banking services and products designed for consumers. Now two well-known SME Finance Forum members are offering banks digital cash management and commercial payment tools specifically designed for their small-to-midsize customers.
BBVA is Spain’s second largest bank and an innovative global financial group that provides financial services in more than 30 countries to 72 million customers, of which SMEs is a very important client segment. In recent years, the bank has reinvented itself as a digital business, and it aims to be as nimble as a fintech.
Bank of Palestine was established in 1960 to serve Palestinians of all socio-economic groups. With a network of 70 branches, 31 percent market share of deposits, 33 percent market share of loans and more than 890,000 customers, the bank serves retail, corporate, small and medium enterprises, microenterprises, and the Palestinian diaspora. The bank has been listed on the Palestine Exchange since 2005, and it is the second largest listed company.
EcoBank is known for its pan-African presence. Headquartered in Togo, it has operations in 36 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, 11 million customers and over 20,000 employees. Its scale and reach make it unusual among African banks and give it an advantage over competitors. But that scale and diversity has its drawbacks. When the bank took a look at how it was assessing risk in SME lending, it discovered it had 100 credit risk products, largely due to growth through acquisitions.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of many economies, especially in frontier countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. Despite their potential, these SMEs often face significant challenges, including limited capital, poor access to technology, and inadequate business knowledge. One to Watch (OTW) addresses these barriers by bridging the "missing middle" in finance and providing essential business support to entrepreneurs.
Produbanco is part of Grupo Promerica with a presence in 9 countries in Central and South America. Produbanco's purpose is to generate value with a sustainable approach to transcend people's lives; through its business segments: corporate, business, affluent high network, institutional, SME and consumer. During its 47 years of successful existence, Produbanco has received numerous local and international awards that endorse its prestige. Among the most outstanding are: First place in the PXI Ecuador 2024 ranking of the Praxis Xperience Index. Best Financial Institution for SMEs led by Women (2023) awarded by the SME Finance Forum; Best Bank Ecuador (2017 to 2024), Sustainable Finance Awards in the Country and Territory Awards category for Latin America for Ecuador (2024) awarded by Global Finance; Bank of the Year Ecuador for the fourteenth time (2002, 2007, 2009 to 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), Best Innovation in Retail Banking Ecuador (2017 to 2023) awarded by The Banker magazine, among others.
Business Partners was established in South Africa 1981, and to date has unlocked business value in over 71 000 business finance transactions, providing customized finance solutions to SMEs using debt, equity and blended finance as well as providing comprehensive technical assistance to help portfolio companies grow. Apart from our extensive experience in South Africa, Business Partners has also invested and managed various funds in East and Southern Africa over the last 20 years. The Global SME Finance Awards named Business Partners the 2019 Gold winner in the SME Bank of the Year – Africa.
Beltone SMEs offers tailored financing solutions for a wide range of products and services. Committed to client-centricity and innovation, Beltone SMEs empowers small and medium-sized enterprises to thrive in today's dynamic market. The company's mission is to support SME growth and development by providing the necessary financial tools and resources to achieve their goals. In Augst 2024, Beltone SMEs received a Small to Medium Enteirprises Finance License from the Financial Regulatory Authority.
Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) is the largest bank and the largest supplier of integrated financial services in Perú with approximately US$40 billion in total assets and a market share of 30.4% in total loans and 33.5% in total deposits. BCP has been leading the national financial system for more than 130 years. Throughout all this time BCP have contributed to the economic development of Perú, transforming plans into reality.
