Register for Global SME Finance Forum 2016

Wednesday 24th August 2016

The Global SME Finance Forum 2016 will take place in Beijing, China from September 19-21. This annual flagship event of the SME Finance Forum will bring several hundred senior bankers, fintechs, development bankers and policymakers together to discuss the latest trends, witness demonstrations of fintechs and consider specific investment and partnership proposals.

The Global SME Finance Forum’s rich agenda is packed with forward-thinking speakers from every region of the world. Sessions focus on urgent and emerging trends that impact small business finance, especially during this time of economic volatility around the globe.

Topics include:

• Impact of global regulations on SME finance
• Impact of global economic volatility on SMEs
• Opportunities for blockchain and distributed ledger technology
• Financing women entrepreneurs
• Asset-based lending
• Incorporating customer input into new product design
• Angel investors and venture capital funds
• Global trade and supply chain finance
• Emerging trends in fintech solutions

Some of committed speakers include:

• Ning Tang, CEO of CreditEase, the world’s largest (and China’s oldest) peer-to-peer lender
• Carol Realini, Pioneer Software Executive, Venture Capitalist and Fintech Investor (recognized as one of the 50 Top Women in Technology by Corporate Board Member magazine)
• Michael Casey, Author of The Age of Cryptocurrency, Senior Advisor, MIT Media Labs Digital Currency Initiative (and former senior financial reporter, The Wall Street Journal)

They are joined by IFC’s Global Director of its Financial Institutions Group, Marcos Brujis, and a host of other senior bankers, regulators and innovators, including GBA Chief Executive Inez Murray, who will facilitate a panel on the “Business Case for the Women’s Market,” featuring case studies from GBA members BLC Bank of Lebanon and Bank of Luoyang of China, as well as Bank Center Invest of Russia.

The event begins with study tours to CreditEase, Bank of China, and DHGate (a leader in eCommerce in the Asia-Pacific region) for deep dives into their SME financing and other support work.

The agenda also includes a marketplace for financial institutions and fintechs to meet potential investors, and site visits to cutting-edge marketplace lenders and other local SME finance providers in Beijing. Networking opportunities will be incorporated throughout.

The latest information on the agenda, speakers and registration can be found at http://www.globalsmefinanceforum.org/2016/

• Do you have 2+ attendees from the same institution? If so, use discount code SMEgroup2016 to get 30% group discount.
• Is your association a Member of the SME Finance Forum? If so, you can get 20% association discount. Contact us for your discount code.
• Are you a Member of the SME Finance Forum? Contact us for your free member admission code.

Contact smefinanceevent@ifc.org with any questions.