Training focus on SME financing

Qatar Development Bank CEO Mansour Ibrahim al-Mahamoud (right) giving a certificate to a participant at the training programme

Qatar Development Bank and International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, held a three-day training programme for Al Dhameen partner banks and financial institutions to assess potential benefits of targeting the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and help them build and expand their SME business offerings. The training programme followed the recent launch of SME toolkit by QDB in collaboration with the IFC.The training programme provided an overview of the best practices in SME banking from around the world, QDB said. The training is part of QDB’s efforts in Qatar to speed up economic development by supporting the private sector through advisory services and investments. “As part of our commitments to promote sustainable private sector development in Qatar, we are very pleased of QDB’s collaboration with IFC’s advisory services department to strengthen the capacities of other banks/financial institutions in Qatar for SME financing,” said QDB executive director (strategic planning and control) Abdulaziz al-Khalifa. “We also had a number of financial institutions from different parts of the world such as the US, Egypt, Pakistan, India and Turkey who were here with us and attended this programme and it is through these international interactions that we hope we can have a robust dialogue and achieve maximum benefits from this training.”The training was specifically tailored to address the needs of SME banking in meeting the growing challenges of the private sector. It will also form a pillar in building the capacities and capabilities of participants to assess the potential benefits of targeting the SME sector and help them to build and expand their SME business offerings.IFC head (MENA banking advisory services) Kaiser Naseem said: “Our experience working with financial institutions globally shows that when the right systems are in place in an institution, targeting SMEs can be profitable as risks can be mitigated. IFC believes that SME banking is a huge opportunity for banks to tap.”