Rural & Agriculture Finance

Washington D.C, May 20, 2024 – Amret Microfinance Institution, a Cambodia leading microfinance institution and one of the top 10 financial institutions in the country has joined the SME Finance Forum as the global membership network’s latest member. The 300+ 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.

“SME Finance Forum proudly welcomes leading microfinance institution for MSMEs in Cambodia to our network. It is with great pleasure I welcome Amret to SME Finance Forum which is in line with our strategy of onboarding leading MSME lending institution in emerging markets for impact,” said Qamar Saleem, Head of SME Finance Forum.

Amret is a leading microfinance institution and one of the top 10 financial institutions in Cambodia. A full subsidiary of the Advans Group, a leading international microfinance group, Amret has prestigious international shareholders and respected national and international reputations as a responsible and innovative institution. Throughout its evolution, Amret has stayed true to its mission - to provide underserved clients with financial services tailored to their needs.

“SME Finance Forum is a place where we could access various data source and get up-to-date information of current economy and fin-tech. Furthermore, as a financial institution we foresee that we could build up more network, get new business partnership, and lift up our brand image,” said Mr. Dos Dinn, CEO of Amret Microfinance Institution.

SME Finance Forum: Innovation & Partnership for MSMEs Growth 
The SME Finance Forum, set up by G20 and managed by IFC, is the leading global network of 300+ members/affiliates operating in 190 countries. Network comprises of SME focused institutions providing and enabling finance and services- banks, non-banks financial institutions, fintech, payment platforms, development institutions, credit guarantee companies, insurers, investment funds, supply chain linked players, banking and SME associations, policy advocates, regulators, academia, consulting houses, knowledge aggregators.

Our member, affiliates, and associated stakeholders benefit from learning/replicating best practices from across the world, innovating new products for business growth, acquiring risk mitigation tools, establishing partnerships, attracting investors, and being recognized amongst a peer group of global innovators. Our products consist of “members only” solutions (like innovation hubs, solutions clinics, peer group networks, study tours, specialized tools and trainings, member portal repository, partnered initiatives) as well as public good services (200+ publications library, 500+ videos, webinars, newsletters, trainings, annual awards, annual event etc.)

Discover the SME Finance Forum members/affiliates: 
https://www.smefinanceforum.org/members/member-list
https://smefinanceforum.org/about/partners

About Amret Microfinance Institution
Amret is one of the top 10 financial institutions in Cambodia with impact. Amret serves more than 600,000 clients ranging from low- income farmers to SMEs for both lending and deposit products. Amret has 150 branches in 24 cities and provinces nationwide employing more than 4,700 personnel. Amret has assets to almost USD 2 billion and deposits exceeding nearly to USD 1 billion. Amret is a subsidiary of the Advans Group, a leading international microfinance group providing financial services to low-income segments and SMEs that are underserved or unbanked. FMO and IFC are two other shareholders.
Learn more:
Website: https://www.amret.com.kh/
Telegram:  https://t.me/AmretMFI
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/amretmfikh
Twitter:  https://www.youtube.com/@amretmfi8179
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/amret/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/amret.mfi?igsh=MXhmNjhkNWZmMGN1aw==

Washington D.C, November 14, 2023 – Maldivian non-banking finance institution SDFC has joined the SME Finance Forum as its global membership network’s latest member. The 240+ members 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.

“SME Finance Forum is delighted to welcome SDFC, the first and only financial institution in the Maldives catered to providing financial solutions to MSMEs, into our network. I am confident they will further contribute towards our decade-long efforts in expanding access to financial services for SMEs. We have been building a global network of SME-focused institutions imparting knowledge, scaling innovations, sharing best practices and influencing policy shifts, and we are proud to welcome SDFC today,” said Qamar Saleem, CEO of the SME Finance Forum.

SDFC is a leading financial institution assisting and supporting the development of MSMEs in the Maldives for achieving inclusive, broad-based and robust economic growth. SDFC strongly believes in inclusive economic growth for the well-being of the entire population, and therefore gives priority to applications from women, youth and people with special needs.

“Through our association with the SME Finance Forum, SDFC aims to build its network with industry leaders, acquire new knowledge, foster new partnerships and further promote our brand in MSME finance,” says Mr. Ahmed Zeenad, Managing Director at SDFC.

About SME Finance Forum 

The SME Finance Forum was established by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in 2012 as a knowledge center for data, research, and best practice in promoting SME finance. As an implementing partner for the GPFI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was tasked with managing the initiative. The Forum operates a global membership network of +240 members that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs.  

Discover the SME Finance Forum members: 

https://www.smefinanceforum.org/members/member-list

About SDFC

SME Development Finance Corporation Private Limited (SDFC), is the ­first and only ­financial institution in the Maldives specialized in providing credit facilities to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Since inception in 2019, their key focus has been on providing ­financial solutions that enable the growth of MSMEs, prioritizing local tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, information technology, and ­fisheries sectors.

Learn more: 

Website: https://sdfc.mv/Home/En

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smedevfinacecorp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDFC.mv

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sdfc.mv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDFC_mv

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SDFCmv

The “SME Finance Virtual Marketplace” is an online match-making platform that promotes partnership and collaboration between financial institutions, fintech companies and development finance institutions/ investors.

The virtual Marketplace is powered by GlobalLinker, an AI powered ‘Digital Ecosystem’ offering SMEs a range of services to build digital presence including e-commerce. 

How does the Marketplace operate?

To participate in the marketplace session, your institution must have an institutional profile (company profile) and personal profiles (individuals representing the companies) set up on the marketplace. Institutional profile shall also include products/services being offered.
Representatives of your institution can explore offerings available in the platform, such as investment products, advisory services, technology solutions...etc.
The virtual platform enables individuals to reach out to one another to discuss potential collaboration and partnership at their own convenience.  

 
Marketplace Pitch Sessions

The marketplace sessions are scheduled monthly and feature institutions (DFIs, fintechs, investors, etc.) who present their products/services during a 7-minute pitch.
Following the presentations, participants can reach out directly to the presenting institutions to make inquiries or explore partnership opportunities.

Washington D.C., December 26th, 2022 – Koltiva 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.

“When we started in 2012, we were in an exploratory phase for the first few years. Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our mission to build a global membership to support better SME financing. Since then, we’ve established a network with over 240 active member institutions, which operate in over 190 countries sharing the common purpose of helping under-served enterprises. We are delighted to welcome Koltiva to grow our mission further.” said Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum.

Koltiva is a leading AgriTech company enabling inclusive, climate-smart, and traceable global supply chains. It combines triple-tech (Agritech, FinTech, and ClimaTech) with “boots on the ground” services to improve producers’ outcomes and profitability while building more sustainable supply chains.

"Hundreds of millions of smallholder producers have faced low remuneration for their hard work and prices for their produce, resulting in extreme poverty. While rural communities need financial services the most, they remain the largest unserved market for financial services. Providing financial inclusion in these areas can unlock the economic potential of rural regions, ultimately increasing household income and job opportunities”, said Manfred Borer, CEO of Koltiva.

He added, with a strong vision to be the world's leading tech company in building ethical, transparent, and sustainable supply chains, Koltiva helps 6,000+ enterprises to digitize and verify global supply chains. At the same time, its support 750,000+ smallholder producers to improve their farm productivity and increase annual income up to 4x higher."

Since 2013, Koltiva has accelerated the highest integrity and environmental responsibility to make global supply chains traceable, inclusive and climate smart. Its human-centered technology and ‘boots on the ground’ services are designed to work in harmony with nature instead of harming it. Koltiva is able to improve producer’s livelihood by providing access to climate-smart agriculture practices from our expert agronomists and business support teams, access to high-quality inputs, financial services, quality premiums, and access to a sustainable market.

"Access to finance can be a powerful tool to develop the rural economy. It is essentially important for smallholder producers and MSMEs (collectors, traders, agri-input shops) to have access to financial services such as credit, savings, and insurance to invest in their farm businesses. By joining the SME Finance Forum, we hope to expand our services to more unserved communities addressing the financial needs of rural communities." said Markus Sauter, Chief Financial Officer at Koltiva.

About SME Finance Forum

The SME Finance Forum was established by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in 2012 as a knowledge center for data, research, and best practice in promoting SME finance. As an implementing partner for the GPFI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was tasked with managing the initiative. The Forum operates a global membership network of +240 members that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs. To see all SME Finance Forum members, please visit: https://www.smefinanceforum.org/members/member-list.

About Koltiva

Established in 2013, Koltiva is a leading agritech company for enterprises to make their global supply chains traceable, inclusive, and climate-smart, backed by our human-centered technology with boots on the ground professional service. Koltiva supports some of the largest multinational companies by digitizing and verifying global supply chains, focusing on enhancing traceability, inclusiveness, and sustainability. Koltiva combines triple-tech (AgriTech, FinTech, and ClimaTech) to improve producers’ outcomes and profitability while building more sustainable supply chains.

Press Contact: Vega Welingutami Media Relations & Partnership +62 878 7643 2821 Vega.welingutami@koltiva.com Website: https://www.koltiva.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pt-koltiva/

This report takes stock of the increasingly pluralistic landscape of agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprise (agri-SME) finance in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with the aim to establish a new perspective on the market overall - sizing and segmenting the market in new ways, reflecting on the rapidly accelerating imperative around climate, and identifying new priorities for action.

This report breaks down the market in a more comprehensive and holistic way to show where finance is specifically flowing, via specific types of products from specific types of funders to specific types of agri-SMEs, and indicates that there is a significant and very important role for commercial capital in this market.

Four long-term change priorities are suggested to systematically closing the agri-SME financing gap over time: (i) intentionally growing larger numbers of agri-SMEs into commercially investable prospects to anchor local bank markets for finance; (ii) developing capacity, incentives, and infrastructure for local banks and funds to profitably serve smaller, less commercial agri-SMEs over time; (iii) making blended finance more efficient and effective; and (iv) building the infrastructure around climate finance. These change priorities are expansive in scale and scope, and will require coordinated action from actors across the agri-SME finance ecosystem.