There is not just one "missing middle" but rather multiple missing middles in terms of the financing needs for the diverse types of small and growing businesses (SGBs) in emerging and frontier markets.
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Members of the SME Finance Forum get a special $200 off the website price through end of August, $300 off the website price until September 7. Please get in touch with us or visit the members app to get your discounted code.
A special report, Fintech for Social Good, has been released as a follow-up to the Financial Inclusion in the Developing World 2018 Q2 report by Deep Knowledge Analytics. The report is focusesd on the following key elements as it relates to non-commercial activities:
SMEs that must be de-risked are experiencing issues with access to finance, however blockchain may be the answer to their problem. Dubai-Based Global Anti-Money Laundering, Risk, Governance and Compliance Professional, Maureen M., explores the benefits of blockchain and their ability to transform how SMEs are perceived by financial institutions (FI).
Money laundering plays a significant part in the lack of trust from FIs towards SMEs. According to the article, “Money launderers can explore these loopholes and set up SMEs in different countries and use them to launder funds.”
SME expert and Forbes contributor Elaine Polfeldt provides tips and tools to help SMEs beat the odds of financial downfall within the first and fifth year of business. Polfedt, says making a financial plan in advance to prevent unfavorable results is key. She mentions utilizing financial software tools such as, Quickbooks, PayPie and Xero (a SME Finance Forum member) to help with examining finances.
Take a look below for helpful tips:
Dev Raman, Managing Partner at Lastaki shares how to make the many moving parts to an SMEs financial area come together smoothly. Financial stability is key for SMEs, five tips on how to address financial indiscipline are below:
SME Finance Forum member, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) President and Chief Executive Officer Ray W. Washburne traveled to Zambia where he toured Zambia’s first utility scale solar power facility which is being supported by a $13 million OPIC loan and a $26 million loan from the International Finance Corporation to Neoen and Arizona-based First Solar, the joint developers of the project. The project supports the mission of Power Africa.
PYMNTS.com has released Mid-Year 2018 Checkpoint ebook that maps outwhat payments executives believe is next for the year. Half way through 2018, innovation within the payments space follows no timetable. PYMNTS.com asked several stakeholders across processing, banking, digital payments and other areas to share with us what trends shaped the first half of the year, and how they might shape the next six months before 2018 comes to a close.
Financial institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of non-financial services (NFS) in empowering women entrepreneurs to succeed. A critical component of these all-important NFS is education opportunities that can fill the business and financial knowledge gaps disproportionately faced by women SME owners and/or operators.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) evidence suggests that, in terms of data protection regulation, the optimal regulatory balance has yet to be achieved for small businesses. Many are struggling with current data protection regulations. And the cumulative burden will only increase as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force.
