Tools

INVEST: The Process & Toolkit for Unleashing SME Banking

INVEST is a comprehensive set of resources designed to help banks, funders and advisors understand SME markets and develop scalable, profitable, SME banking models.
Unlocking SME growth is paramount for inclusive economic transformation in emerging economies, yet SMEs remain trapped in the missing middle due to a $5.7 trillion financing gap.

The INVEST Process and Toolkit offers a proven technical assistance approach that has mobilized $ billions of in SME finance from banks’ own balance sheets. It draws on lessons from 20+ SME banking programs- highlighting success is the result of a process, not a product. The process includes market research, selecting banks for whom SMEs are strategic priority, and conducting  diagnostics to guide tailored change management. 

INVEST identifies six drivers of success: Incentives, Non-Financial Services, Versatile Implementation, Embed Relationship Banking, Segmentation, and Technology. The toolkit provides practical tools and guides for applying the process across diverse contexts.

By equipping banks and funders to make informed decisions and deploy assistance more strategically and catalytically, INVEST helps build large, profitable, inclusive SME portfolios. It is already shaping DFI programs, and is now available as an open resource.

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INVEST was developed by Dalberg, ConsumerCentriX, and the Argidius Foundation, with the SME Finance Forum as an implementing partner.