geo/turkey
My participation at the WBAF 2020 world congress
I always try to attend our member World Congress WBAF 2020, because it presents a unique mix of angel investors (all successful entrepreneurs in their own right), senior government policymakers, and others focused on supporting dynamic SMEs.
SME Finance Forum member Ukrgasbank visits Sekerbank and TEB
The SME Finance Forum organized a two-day study tour for a selected group of Ukrgasbank’s branch managers to Sekerbank and Türk Ekonomi Bankası A.Ş. (TEB) in Istanbul, Turkey starting October 31, 2019. The tour was one of many, the Forum is organizing for its members as part of its knowledge sharing services.
IFC invested $75 million in a Gender Bond issued by Turkey’s Garanti Bank (a SME Finance Forum member). IFC details the story of how and why the investment with Garanti was a bold one. The bank, which is known in the market for its commitment to access to finance for women, is the first private sector bank in the world to launch a gender bond dedicated to financing women-owned small business in emerging markets. The bond has a six-year term maturity and was issued in line with IFC’s environmental and social guidelines and inspired by the ICMA Social Bond Principles.
Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum, was the keynote speaker at the ADFIMI International Development Forum on September 11-12 in Istanbul, Turkey. Under the theme, “SME Finance and Development in the Age of Digitalization,” the Forum analyzed the current state of knowledge about contributions of SMEs to economic and social well-being globally and in Organization of Islamic Cooperation Countries.
SME Finance Forum member Turkey’s Kredi Garanti Fonu (KGF), a credit guarantee institution, and the EBRD are joining forces to expand financing for small and medium-sized businesses led by women.
The partnership will enable the EBRD to unlock €300 million in new financing to support women’s entrepreneurship in a country where only 34 percent of women participate in the workforce.
Washington, D.C., February 21, 2018 – Kredi Garanti Fonu JSC (KGF) became the newest member of the SME Finance Forum, a global membership network that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs.
The W20 engagement group under the auspices of the G20 focuses on promoting gender inclusiveness and gender equality, essentially making a significant contribution towards a strong, sustainable and balanced growth trend globally.
Globally, two billion people remain unbanked and women lag behind men in terms of access to formal accounts, credit and savings products. 80% of women-owned SMEs have unmet credit needs, resulting in a credit gap of up to $320 billion. Closing the gender gap in financial inclusion could help reduce poverty and foster economic growth worldwide.
An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) will focus on angel investors partnering with private equity funds at the World Congress of Angel Investors in 2019. The discussions will explore how private equity funds can foster open innovation and deliver more business value through partnerships with angel investors, start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses and SMEs.
