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Nivanne Mortagy
Regional Industry Head of Operations , Financial Institutions Group, Africa
International Finance Corporation
As Regional Industry Head of Operations for IFC’s Financial Institutions Group in Africa, Ms Nivanne Amr Mortagy provides operational and strategic guidance for IFC’s investment and advisory business in the financial sector in Africa. Her senior management role serves the overall implementation of IFC’s global strategy, which focuses on unlocking market bottlenecks to stimulate the flow of private capital investments for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Prior to joining IFC in 2020, Ms. Mortagy served in leadership positions in the private and public financial sectors in the Middle East and North Africa region. She has over 20 years of experience in the public and private financial sectors.
Speaking At
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1:00–3:00pmTue 17 NovLaunchpadLaunchpad RoomOpenModerator
Others
SME Finance in the New Era: From Asian Innovation to Global Scale
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Alfonso Garcia MoraVice President Europe, Latin America & the CaribbeanInternational Finance Corporation - World Bank Group
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Allen ForlemuRegional Industry Director, Financial Institutions Group, Asia & PacificInternational Finance Corporation
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Badhurudheen HassanChief Executive OfficerSME Digital
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John David YapExecutive Vice President & Segment Head, Business Banking SegmentSecurity Bank Corporation
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Kalina B. MillerManager, FIG Southern AfricaInternational Finance Corporation
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Mehdi CherkaouiRegional Manager, Financial Institutions Group - Upstream and Advisory - APACWorld Bank Group
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Paula Maria Leynes FelipeRegional Manager, Upstream and Advisory Services, FIG Eastern and Southern AfricaInternational Finance Corporation
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Shrikant PatilChief Executive Officer, Managing DirectorDigiAlly
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Syed Abdul MomenAdditional Managing Director & Head of SME BankingBRAC Bank, Bangladesh
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Hourn ThyBusiness LeadSME Finance ForumModerator
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Nivanne MortagyRegional Industry Head of Operations , Financial Institutions Group, AfricaInternational Finance CorporationModerator
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Qamar SaleemGlobal Head, SME Finance ForumWorld Bank GroupModerator
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Samantha SangsterMembership CoordinatorSME Finance ForumModerator
About this session
Asia is at the forefront of a new generation of SME finance solutions. From fast payments and digital infrastructure to alternative data, AI-enabled underwriting, and public-private risk sharing, new models are transforming how SMEs are reached, assessed, and financed.
This discussion will explore what is working, what makes these solutions replicable, and how they can be adapted and scaled across markets, particularly from Asia to Africa and beyond. It will examine how proven innovations can accelerate SME finance globally, making SMEs more visible, connected, enabled, and funded. We would also explore the role IFC and World Bank can play especially in light of new WBG MSME strategy.
Session Objectives
- Showcase proven and emerging SME finance innovations from Asia and identifying scalability challenges.
- Explore how digital infrastructure, payments, and data can make SMEs more visible and connected to finance.
- Examine how AI-enabled underwriting and alternative data are enabling cash-flow-based SME lending.
- Consider how public-private risk sharing can help financial institutions reach underserved SMEs at greater scale.
- Draw out lessons especially for Africa, including what needs to be adapted rather than simply replicated.
Proposed Run of Show
[1:00PM to 1:05PM] Welcome and Opening Remarks
Moderator: Qamar Saleem, Head SME Finance Forum
[1:05PM to 1:20PM] Opening Perspectives: From Strategy to Scalable Solutions
Speaker(s): Alfonso Garcia Mora, Vice President for Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group
Alfonso Garcia Mora will frame the discussion through the new World Bank Group MSME Strategy and its ambition to make MSMEs more visible, connected, enabled, and funded. He will highlight how digital infrastructure, data, policy reform, partnerships, and innovative financing approaches can address persistent barriers to MSME growth and expand access to finance at scale and the role WBG plans to play in the new 2030 strategy.
[1:20PM to 1:30PM] Q&A
[1:30PM to 2:30pm] Practitioner Perspectives: From Innovation to Proven Solutions
A panel discussion focused on real-world solutions and implementation experience.
Round 1: Panel Discussion with Asia SME Finance Forum Co-chairs Practitioners
- Fast payments, alternative data, AI, tokenization, cashflow-based lending
- What has worked and where the leading practices in Asia – opportunities and challenges in scaling
- What role can development finance institutions like World Bank Group can play in the new era of digitization and in replicating models across regions
Round 2: Panel Discussion with IFC - Financial Institutions Group, Managers
- Asia Perspectives: Public-private risk sharing, blended structures, and new instruments - what are the success stories, and which are innovative investment and advisory solutions being scaled in Asia.
- Africa Perspectives: What leading SME finance innovations from Asia can be replicated and any unique aspects to consider; What new funded (debt and Equity) solutions and how risk participation are needed and planned
[2:30PM to 2:35PM] Closing
[2:35PM to 3:00PM] Networking
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