SME Banking Conference In Tbilisi

The SME Banking Club hosted a two day Caucasus SME Banking Club Conference on May 24-25 in Tbilisi, aiming to promote innovative non-financial services provided by banks, including providing businesses with practical guidance on how to grow sustainably and expand access to finance. 

Through its program on Non-Financial Services for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, supported the conference, while the Bank of Georgia was an exclusive financial sponsor of the event, bringing together more than 60 executives and officials from Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East; among which were managers, SME business leaders, and banking executives from Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Russia. 

Boris Dyakonov, CEO, Tochka Bank (Russia), Olena Prokopovych, from Non-financial Services lead in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, IFC, Manar Korayem, Women Banking Champions Program Lead, IFC, Zurab Masurashvili, Head of MSME Banking Department, Bank of Georgia, Eugen Metzger, Ukrgasbank Board member and Tamar Zhizhilashvili, Deputy Director of Marketing Communications & Business Banking, TBC Bank. 

Considering the diverse needs of SMEs prompting many banks to shift from simple lending to more comprehensive banking strategies, the conference focused on digital banking and innovations. It brought together key regional players to discuss innovations in digital, new lending and payment technologies for SMEs, as well as mobile solutions, e-banking, multi-channel strategies, and cooperation with fintechs and startups. 

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SME Operators Get Financial Education

Finca Microfinance Bank has urged operators of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to optimally use various training programmes to enhance their skills on capitalisation and business management.

Finca Microfinance Bank business manager Gershom Mpangala told participants in a training for the Kilimanjaro Vicoba Network (Kivinet) here at the weekend that by so doing their enterprises would grow and prosper.

"Finca Microfinance Bank is close to SMEs to ensure they grow. That's why we provide necessary financial education to SMEs to enable them to thrive and contribute accordingly to the national economic growth," he said.

Finca aims at meeting more than 10,000 Kivinet members to impart business skills to them so that when they borrow funds they can invest judiciously to generate profits.

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