Call for Insights: SME Finance Outlook 2030

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26 October 2020 to 28 October 2020
Event Type: 
Partner Event
Location: 
Bangkok, Thailand

On 26 - 28 October 2020, the International Finance Corporation and the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion is hosting the Global SME Finance Forum 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This year’s Forum will explore avenues for SME financing a decade from now, focusing on products, delivery channels, institutions and enabling environments.

The Forum is launching a public "Call for Insights" on what SME finance will look like in 2030. Best articles will be shared in a special report to be issued at the conference, and the authors will be considered for speaking roles at the event.

The SME Finance Forum seeks thought-provoking, creative and impactful insights to help shape the debate on the future of finance for SMEs. Partcipants are encouraged to share their unique visions in 500-1,000-word essays. Authors of all submissions that are selected by the panel of judges will receive a complimentary ticket (worth US$2,000) to the Global SME Finance Forum 2020 in Bangkok, October 26-28 – where a new publication containing the insights will be launched. The most outstanding authors will be invited to address this meeting, and to share their perspectives with senior leaders from the World Bank and IFC (either during the event or at the Annual/Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group). 

Possible questions to consider (although any and all visions are encouraged):

  • Who will be the main providers of SME financing in 2030?  How will that compare to the dominant institutions of today? 
  • Will FinTech companies and traditional financial institutions be permanent competitors or durable partners in providing solutions for SMEs?
  • How will AI, Machine Learning and robots change the role of people in SME financing?
  • How will the role of governments and policy evolve to deal with innovations to come?
  • What will the SME finance gap look like in 2030, and why?

Submission requirements:

 To learn more about the selection criteria, please review the Frequently Asked Questions.