IMPACT

ConnectAmericas is the first social network for businesses in the Americas, dedicated to promoting foreign trade and international investment. It seeks to help SMEs strengthen their businesses, by providing them access to communities of clients, suppliers and investors in the region and all over the world, segmented by industry. It also provides useful and simple information about procedures and regulations for international commerce, and about the financing opportunities available in IDB member countries.

How can digital finance, mobile money and innovative financial tools help expand basic services and utilities to poor people? At this event moderated by CGAP CEO Tilman Ehrbeck, innovators from bKash, Airtel Money - Africa and Mobisol showcased how their businesses are tackling big development challenges. Then, a panel including Walt Macnee, Vice Chairman at MasterCard, and Arjuna Costa, investment partner at the Omidyar Network, discussed ways these new business models can be scaled to make a real difference in improving the lives of billions worldwide.

Bank Alfalah and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have launched the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) Toolkit in Pakistan. It is an online solutions platform, which provides value-added resources, including business advice, local and global best practices and opportunities, to both existing and potential SMEs to grow and improve their businesses. This launch is part of Bank Alfalah and IFC’s effort to strengthen the SME sector in Pakistan through holistic solutions that provide access to more than just financial services.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently unveiled ConnectAmericas, a new digital social networking platform to help companies, especially small and medium-size businesses throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, expand to international markets. ConnectAmericas offers members access to potential clients, suppliers, partners and investors throughout the region and around the world.

Financial inclusion has become a major subject of interest among policymakers, researchers, and other financial sector stakeholders. Many countries, for example, have recently adopted explicit financial inclusion strategies with targets for financial inclusion. The interest reflects an increased recognition that financial inclusion can be a driver of economic growth and poverty alleviation, and that many individuals and firms are excluded unnecessarily from even basic financial services.

The Global SME Survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete.  It gauges the impact of financial markets on SME business conditions around the world.

New Zealand’s rural sector continues to find the going tough as it faces a high dollar, uncertain international markets and rising production costs. However, things are looking up, with more than double the proportion of SMEs expecting an annual revenue rise as had experienced one in the prior 12 months.

This is a study of small businesses across six countries: the UK, USA, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and France. This year's study revealed tougher trading and reduced optimism.

Do small and medium-sized enterprises indeed play a major role in the creation of new jobs and the reduction of poverty in developing and emerging countries? To answer these questions, we have performed a literature review of recent empirical studies. Our literature review shows that there is still too little empirical evidence available to either support or deny this claim. One the one hand, empirical evidence indicates that the role of SMEs is considerable when compared to the role of large enterprises.