Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent about 90% of businesses globally and are the key enabler for employment creation in a rapidly changing global economy.  They generate more than 50% employment worldwide. 7 out of 10 jobs in emerging markets are created by SMEs.

Recognising the importance they hold, the 2020 edition of the Singapore Fintech Festival is shining the spotlight on this category of businesses, with a special segment called ‘Digital SME Global Insights’.

These sessions will entail keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions intended to deep dive into insights on key SME issues and their available digital solutions. The focus is on changing trade flows, a need for supply chain resiliency, adaptation to new platform dynamics, establishing global trust and accessing integrated financial solutions. Insights will be drawn from policy makers, economists, investors, trade leaders, financiers, marketplaces and central bankers.

Here’s everything you need to know about all SME-related sessions at SFF 2020.

The road to global recovery: A special focus on SMEs: Digital Finance, Digitalisation & Digital Policies

Date: 7 December

Time: 8:05 pm - 8:45 pm (SGT)

Speaker: Mairead McGuinness - European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, European Commission

Details: Mairead McGuinness will share her vision of Europe's recovery path in a post-pandemic world, driven by the accelerated shift to digital transformation and fundamental shake up in the business landscape, particularly for SMEs.

Date : 7 December
Time: 8:45 pm - 9:30 pm (SGT)
Speaker: Raghuram Rajan - Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, University of Chicago’s Booth School

Details: Distinguished economist Dr Raghuram Rajan will give his opinion on how different countries are dealing with the economic impact of the pandemic, especially in the context of SMEs.  

Digitisation of the Afro-Asia SME Trade Corridor: A multi-trillion economic zone

Date: 7 December

Time: 6:55 pm - 7:35 pm (SGT)
Opening address: Dr Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison -Governor, Bank of Ghana

Speakers:

Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari -First Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana

Paula Ingabire - Minister of ICT & Innovation, Republic of Rwanda

Dr Ajay Sahai -Chief Executive Officer & Director-General, Federation of Indian ExportOrganisations

Dr Justo Ortiz -Vice Chairman, UnionBank of the Philippines

Details: Discussion on the value of creating a stronger Afro-Asia trade corridor; the demands of future trade - necessary structures, digital trust and government cooperation needed to connect SME ecosystems and economies in achieving a trillion dollar trade potential.

Reimagine your SME into a Resilient Business, Connected Globally

Date: 8 December
Time: 4:20am – 4:35am (SGT)
Speaker: Scott Russell -President, SAP Asia Pacific Japan
Details: Exploring how organisations are becoming more resilient by driving deeper visibility across supply chains, more digitalised to have immediate access to business-critical information in real-time, and more diverse to create long-term sustainable businesses.

Unleashing the Power of Women Owned Businesses: Growing The $33+ Trillion Female Economy

Date: 8 December
Time: 9:20 pm - 9:40 pm (SGT)
Speaker: Sallie Krawcheck - CEO & Founder, Ellevest
Details: A look at how entrepreneurship allows women to harness their latent energies and power to potentially propel the world economy further and how women owned businesses are becoming a catalyst for wider structural recovery.

Institutional Insights: SME Access to Digital Finance

Date: 8 December
Time: 9:40 pm - 10:20 pm (SGT)
Speakers:
Ning Tang - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CreditEase

Ari Sarker -Co-President, Asia Pacific, Mastercard

Neil Daswani - Global Head, Business Banking & Corporate Partnerships - Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank

Rajat M. Nag - Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Forum, Washington, DC
Details: Business leaders discuss the post-pandemic path in building increased resilience amongst SMEs and better access to finance through improved information and digitisation.

Inclusive Digital Finance for SMEs 

Date: 9 December
Time: 7:20 pm - 7:30 pm (SGT)
Speaker: Achim Steiner -Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Details: Insights on how current crises create opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into key structural changes, introduce adoption of innovative technology solutions and improve SMEs’ access to financial and digital tools.

Redefining SMEs Through the Integration of Technology and Diversity 

Date: 10 December
Time: 8:00 am - 8:50 am (SGT)
Speakers:
Amy Radin - Director, Advisor, Author, Daily Innovator LLC

Inez Murray - Chief Executive Officer, Financial Alliance for Women

Nicole Wakefield - Partner- Global Financial Services Advisory Leader, PwC

Bradley Busetto - Director, UNDP Global Centre
Details: Insights on how integrating technology and diversity among SME businesses are key to survive, thrive and trade in the economies of tomorrow.

SME Sector Recovery - Are Investors and Banks Doing Enough?

Date: 11 December
Time: 8:10 am - 8:50 am (SGT)
Speakers:
Anthony Thomas - Chairman, Momo

Michael Lints - Partner, Golden Gate Ventures

Nikhilesh Goel - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Validus

Haryanto Suryonoto - SME Business Head, Danamon Bank
Details: Exploring the survival and growth challenges of the SME sector and how pivotal the support by Investors and Banks is in guiding the transformation journeys of small businesses in 2021 and beyond.

Integrated Technology Platform Powering SMEs (Marketplace, Financial Services and Digital Services)

Date: 11 December
Time: 2:25 pm – 3:05 pm (SGT)
Speakers:
Ahmed Mazhari - President, Microsoft Asia

Mohit Singla - Chairman, Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI)

Daniel Yu - Founder and Global Chief Executive Officer, Sokowatch

Sameer Vakil - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GlobalLinker  
Details: Insights on the shrinking world of business and how digital eco-systems are helping ‘level the playing field’ for SMEs with big business dreams. Today, SMEs enjoy access to capabilities and cloud services like never before and there is value in an open global initiative, to intelligently connect diverse platforms, ecosystems and the combined power of several enterprises in helping SMEs access a much larger community of buyers, sellers, logistics providers, financing, and digital solution providers.

SAARC & ASEAN – Emerging Economic Epicentres & SME Powerhouses in the Making? - 2 Billion Opportunities

Date: 11 December
Time: 7:00 pm – 7:40 pm (SGT)
Speakers:
Cesar Purisima - Asia Fellow, Milken Institute

Baijayant Panda - Former Parliamentarian and Author

Chi Hsia Foo - Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority

Selim Hussain - CEO, Brac Bank (Bangladesh)
Details: Insights on the changing world order and the emergence of the SAARC and ASEAN sub regions as economic powers with a large SME base to support sustained growth.

The Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) is the world’s largest fintech festival, that brings together the biggest names and brightest minds from around the world. With ‘Digital SME Global Insights’ the focus is clearly on SMEs of the world. Don’t miss this opportunity to gather insights from eminent thought leaders of the world.