NMB Bank named SME Finance of the Year in 2023 global awards

The award coordinated by the SME Finance Forum was presented at this year’s edition of the Global SME Finance Forum, held from September 12 to 14 in Mumbai, India.

The Global Finance Awards 2023 (GSMEFF 2023) recognises financial institutions and fintech companies’ commitments and achievements in delivering outstanding products and services to their SME clients.

Themed: “Digital Ecosystems and the Future of SME Financing,” this year’s Global SME Finance Forum aligned with NMB’s commitment to SMEs as it explored how digitalization is changing the economic growth landscape.

Speaking about the awards, the bank’s CEO Ruth Zaipuna said the honour was testimony of the bank’s role in fostering SME finance in the country and its investment in impactful digital innovation.

”The awards and the recognition are evidence of NMB Bank’s proven track record of service excellence and its strong commitment to innovation,” Ms Zaipuna said in a statement.

Now in their sixth year, the Global Finance Awards were established in 2018 by the SME Finance Forum, whose strategic mission is to expand access to finance for small and medium businesses.

The CEO of the SME Finance Forum, Mr Matthew Gamser, said the competition was the toughest ever as it involved more participants and many countries.

Noted incoming CEO Qamar Saleem: “While all participants are winners in their rights, I want to congratulate awards recipients for leading the way in the industry.

“By supporting SMEs, we are not just providing access to financial services; we are also changing lives,” he noted.

The SME Finance Forum, managed by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), was established in 2012 by the G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). As the world’s leading SME finance network, it shares knowledge, spurs innovation, and promotes the growth of SMEs worldwide.