Just six years ago, more than half of SME retailers’ transactions were paper based – in the form of cash or cheques. That world is long gone. Why? A large part is because Covid-19 gave digital payments a huge boost.
Matthew Gamser
Matthew Gamser is CEO of the SME Finance Forum, the world’s leading center for knowledge exchange, good practice promotion and public-private dialogue in this field. The SME Finance Forum is managed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, for the G-20 countries’ Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion. The SME Finance Forum’s network includes over 240 banks, fintech companies, development banks and other institutions involved in financing SMEs. Its members operate in over 190 countries and serve as key partners for the G20, APEC, OECD and other multilateral institutions in their work on small business financing and financial inclusion. Dr. Gamser has over 40 years’ experience in private enterprise and financial sector development. He has worked for IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, for 17 years in various positions from Washington, DC, and Hong Kong, where he has focused on SME finance and on financial sector development. Prior to that he spent 25 years in management consulting and in senior leadership in an international NGO. He holds A.B. and A.M. degrees from Harvard University, and M.Sc. and D.Phil degrees from Sussex University (UK), where his work focused on the management of technological change.