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Syed Abdul Momen
Additional Managing Director & Head of SME Banking
BRAC Bank, Bangladesh
Syed Abdul Momen is the Additional Managing Director of BRAC Bank PLC and a banking leader with over 30 years of experience in SME banking, digital transformation, and financial inclusion.
Since joining BRAC Bank in 2005, he has played a key role in building Bangladesh’s largest SME banking franchise, driving innovation and expanding access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises, women-led businesses, and underserved entrepreneurs. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of BRAC Afghanistan Bank, where he established SME banking operations and contributed to the country’s SME banking framework.
Syed holds a Master of Development Studies from BRAC University and is a graduate of the Chief Executive Officer Program at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. He also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Communications with Distinction from Middlesex University, UK.
He serves as a Governing Board Member of the SME Finance Forum (IFC/World Bank Group), is a Global SME Finance Awards judge, and is a frequent speaker on SME finance, digital banking, and inclusive growth.
Speaking At
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1:45–3:15pmTue 17 NovPublic-Private RoundtableRoundtable Room 4Open
Shaping Tomorrow's Innovation
Policy Meets Capital: Closing the SME Finance Gap
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Amira KarimHead of International Public Policy, Payments & Financial ServicesAmazon
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Arianne FerrerHead of External Affairs, Asia-PacificTala
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Erwan GelebartChief Executive OfficerAXIAN Digibank & Fintech
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Jiang FangfangAsia Lead for Digital Financial ServiceInternational Finance Corporation
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Nontobeko LubisiDirector, Financial InclusionNational Treasury of South Africa
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Ismail RifauMinister of State for Economic Development, Transport and TradeMaldives
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Jesse McWatersEVP, Head of Global PolicyMastercard
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Syed Abdul MomenAdditional Managing Director & Head of SME BankingBRAC Bank, Bangladesh
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H.E. Hem VanndyMinister of Industry, Science, Technology & InnovationKingdom of Cambodia
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Pamela Coke-HamiltonExecutive DirectorInternational Trade CenterModerator
About this session
SMEs in developing economies face a financing gap of about US$5.7 trillion, and it is growing faster than the economies themselves. Supply alone will not close it. Policy, data and market infrastructure must develop alongside it.
This roundtable brings ministers responsible for SMEs together with leaders from payments, fintech, banking and development finance. It looks at three questions:
- Which cross-border payment and trade-finance rails would help SMEs sell abroad?
- How can governments crowd in private lending at scale?
- What role should the public sector play in enabling digital lending, including alternative data and AI credit scoring?
As a Singapore stop on the Road to Geneva, the discussion will produce priorities for the 2nd Global SME Ministerial Meeting in May 2027 and for the SME Trade Finance Facility.
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