Digitalization transforms businesses, reduces costs, automates processes, and brings down the reliance on manpower. In the financial industry sector, it helps reduce the high risk traditionally associated with financing small businesses, through technologies such as real-time data collection and machine learning.
In partnership with the National Bank of Cambodia, the SME Finance Forum is hosting the 9th Global SME Finance Forum. This year’s event will focus on the power of digital transformation in promoting inclusive, sustainable, and responsible finance for MSMEs, the backbone of the world’s economies.
Taking place on September 19-21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the three-day conference will explore how digitalization can promote and accelerate green finance, enhance supply-chain efficiencies, improve data security, automate processes, while also lead to a greater financial inclusion.
Join us on site to connect with an international network of SME finance experts and practitioners to share and learn from each other’s experience in SME financing in the aftermath of the C0vid-19 crisis.
Registration Open
SME Finance Forum Member’s Meeting
Lunch
Study Tours
Opening Cocktail Reception and Cultural Presentation
Registration Open
Welcome and Opening
Opening Remarks
Opening Keynote: Finance for an Equitable Recovery
The Digital Revolution is firmly in progress and while there seem to be endless opportunities that further financial inclusion and support for SMEs across all sectors and industries, there is a darker side as well, that must be acknowledged and addressed, among other things, the digital divide which leads to unintended negative consequences.
Plenary Panel: Transforming Supply Chain Finance through Digitalization
What tools are being used currently and are on the horizon, and how are they being used to expand financial access? An exploration of big data, analytics, AI, etc, while exploring whether to partner or build capacity internally.
Networking Break
Plenary Panel: Agricultural Digitalization
How can digital solutions help to reduce the traditionally high risks of agri-finance? How can digital technologies help lenders to better reach remote rural areas? A discussion of the state of digitization in the agri-finance sector.
Plenary Panel: Results from the Global SME Fund
Lunch + networking
Debate: Process of Digitalization – In-house or Outsourcing?
Fintech Pitches
Breakout Session 1: Increasing opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs through Digitalization
How can digitalization facilitate innovative and effective products and solutions so that they become better and more deeply “banked?"
Breakout Session 2: Role of digital transformation in Reaching the Underserved
How can the digital revolution aid in reaching and serving previously underserved populations, such as environmental and conflict affected migrants and refugees, and IDPs? What are the challenges and opportunities of digitalization to serve these environmental and conflict affected people?
Awards Ceremony
Dinner
Registration
Welcome and Day 1 Recap
Anchor Plenary: Responsible Finance and Digitalization
While digitalization offers convenience and can accelerate access to finance, it can also lead to issues and challenges, ranging from privacy to over-indebtedness. How can the benefits of digitalization be leveraged while mitigating and avoiding the downside of this revolution while promoting sustainable and responsible finance and investment in contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.
Breakout Session 1: Credit Bureaus Leveraging Digitalization
Credit bureaus face a huge challenge in building a fully digitized process. What can they do to get ahead of demand for digital services?
Breakout Session 2: What is the next payment innovation for SMEs?
What are some of the trends and innovations in payments that are facilitating greater financial inclusion, and that are enabling SMEs to grow their businesses?
Breakout Session 3: ESG Impact Measurement in SME Finance and the Role of Digitalization
Networking and Marketplace
Lunch
Anchor Plenary: Achieving and Sustaining Green Finance
Digitalization offers an opportunity to accelerate the green revolution. Under the moniker, the Twin Transition, this will be an exploration of how FIs are realizing their green banking targets through the use of digital tools.
Break
Fireside Chat: Government Response: Balancing Acts
What role does the government or the central bank play in ensuring an equitable, fair and transparent playing field for SMEs? An exploration of policy and regulation vis-à-vis credit guarantees, legislative reforms, Credit Infrastructure and more.
Plenary Panel: The Way Forward in a World on the Move
Looking at trends in digitalization and technology, SME finance practitioners and stakeholders opine on the “bets” they are making for their SME clients.
Closing Keynote
Featuring a futurist speaker to discuss “What’s the next frontier in the digital sphere.”
Closing Reception
Closing Reception
Closing Keynote
Plenary Panel: The Way Forward in a World on the Move
Fireside Chat: Government Response: Balancing Acts
Break
Anchor Plenary: Achieving and Sustaining Green Finance
Lunch
Networking and Marketplace
Breakout Session 1: Credit Bureaus Leveraging Digitalization
Breakout Session 2: What is the next payment innovation for SMEs?
Breakout Session 3: ESG Impact Measurement in SME Finance and the Role of Digitalization
Anchor Plenary: Responsible Finance and Digitalization
Welcome and Day 1 Recap
Registration
Dinner
Awards Ceremony
Breakout Session 1: Increasing opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs through Digitalization
Breakout Session 2: Role of digital transformation in Reaching the Underserved
Fintech Pitches
Debate: Process of Digitalization – In-house or Outsourcing?
Lunch + networking
Plenary Panel: Results from the Global SME Fund
Plenary Panel: Agricultural Digitalization
Networking Break
Plenary Panel: Transforming Supply Chain Finance through Digitalization
Opening Keynote: Finance for an Equitable Recovery
Opening Remarks
Welcome and Opening
Registration Open
Opening Cocktail Reception and Cultural Presentation
Study Tours
Lunch
SME Finance Forum Member’s Meeting
Registration Open
Our sponsors are industry experts from around the world. They are here to help you identify new challenges and learn best practices.
Become a Sponsor Now - Reach out to the team at
smefinanceforum@ifc.org
For most visitors to Cambodia, visa is obtainable upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport. At land crossing from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, visa can be obtained at International Check Point border.
Tourists also can get their visas prior to their arrival through a Cambodian Embassy or Consulate overseas or through online E-Visa before travelling.
Some nationalities are required to get visa in advance at Royal Embassy of Kingdom of Cambodia in their country: Afghanistan, Algeria, Arab Saudi, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Nigeria.
If you need help with visa letter, we would be happy to assist. Please reach out to the team through email at smefinanceforum@ifc.org
CEO
FinDev Canada
It's such a fantastic opportunity to surface new issues, bring in expert perspectives from really around the world
Executive Officer & RM-MSME
Prime Bank Limited
This forum is an excellent platform to know the unknown and make new friends all over the world. It helps to share our knowledge and new ideas so that it helps to do better in the organization and develop our personal skills...
Senior Vice President, Regulation and Public Policy
Experian
The SME finance Forum is a very good way of communicating with our potential clients and government leaders
