East Asia’s SMEs gearing up to challenges of new economy
July 8th, 2017 – Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have played a vital role in East Asia’s development. At first, they were traditional handicraft industries, or cottage industries that were mostly found in rural areas. As countries st...
The HLPF 2017 opens today to review the progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda
NEW YORK – July 10th, 2017 – The High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2017 is kicking off today in New York under the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world” – a core component of the 2030 Agenda for Sus...
New UN report encourages African countries to harness growing tourism sector
July 5th, 2017 – African governments should make it easier and safer for Africans to travel within the continent, the United Nations said in a new report released today, noting that tourism demand there is increasingly driven by Africans themselves. “...
Awareness Proving The Toughest Hurdle For Aussie Alt-Lenders
June 21th, 2017 – Australia’s market for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) is by no means easy. The nation is grappling with a late supplier payments problem and with regulators looking to accelerate corporate payments to SMEs, though with...
UN recognizes young entrepreneurs on Day for micro-, small, medium-sized enterprises
June 27th, 2017 – United Nations agencies today launched a new campaign to make it easier for the 70 million unemployed youth to get financing and learn new skills to start a business. The global campaign – launched by the the International Labour Org...
IBM Chosen As Banks’ Blockchain Partner
June 27 th, 2017 – Seven big European banks have selected IBM to build their blockchain-based platform with a goal of making trade finance transactions simpler and more streamlined for SMBs. HSBC and Deutsche Bank are among the very recognizable nam...
African experts urge incentives to boost uptake of green finance by SMEs
NAIROBI, June 21th, 2017 (Xinhua) – African governments should enact a raft of policy and regulatory incentives to encourage the continent’s small and medium sized enterprises to borrow money to implement green projects, experts said at a foru...
A Local Approach To The Universal Challenge Of SME Finance
May 25th, 2017 – From the U.S. to Mexico to India to sub-Saharan Africa, SMEs’ need for access to capital is universal. What differs across geographic markets, however, is how small businesses can gain that access. For some, it’s through their t...
5 Ways Europe Prioritizes SMEs, The ‘Backbone’ of its Economy
June 7th, 2017 – Europe considers small and medium enterprises – commonly referred to as SMEs – as the backbone of its economy. Considering these businesses represent around 99% of all the businesses in the region, it’s not hard to see why. In...
Global Growth Set to Strengthen to 2.7 percent as Outlook Brightens
WASHINGTON, June 4th, 2017 — The World Bank forecasts that global economic growth will strengthen to 2.7 percent in 2017 as a pickup in manufacturing and trade, rising market confidence, and stabilizing commodity prices allow growth to resume in commodi...