WFE Webinar: Developments in the Global SME Market over the last decade

Presenter: Dr Ishak Demir, Economist, Research, The World Federation of Exchanges

Summary: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the economy of many countries in the world due to their importance in growth, job creation, innovation, international trade, and balanced regional development. At the same time, they face significant challenges. One of them is access to sustainable and affordable finance, a limitation that can curtail their ability to survive and grow. The consequences of such limitation became evident during the pandemic, when cashflows dried up and many SMEs could not survive without government support. The conditions for SMEs may also worsen as monetary policy tightens and interest rates go up. In the past decade, the WFE has produced a series of reports studying the factors that drive the evolution of SME markets across the world, the strategies that exchanges have adopted to support them, and the different initiatives that policymakers can adopt to stimulate their growth. Join Dr Ishak Demir, the Economist from the WFE Research team who led this project, as he discusses the paper’s key findings and shares learnings from the initiatives our members around the world have introduced to help support and encourage SME listings in their jurisdictions. 

Format: There will be a 30 min conversation followed by an audience Q&A.

This is for members only. Our members are encouraged to share with colleagues inside your organisation who may be interested.