I have been privileged over the last few years to be associated with FSD Kenya, an organisation wholly committed to supporting the development of financial inclusion in Kenya. FSD Kenya’s quest to harness financial solutions to meet the needs of lower income households and smaller scale businesses has led to wide-ranging initiatives, including the commissioning of detailed research into the banking sector and SMEs.
FSD Kenya recognises that the SME sector represents a significant growth opportunity for banks and, as importantly, that if the SME sector can be more effectively served by the finance industry businesses have a better chance of growth and long-term sustainability. Of course this, in turn, also sets to benefit the banking sector.
Insights into SME banking
My work through ICE has focused for many years on providing new insights into enterprise and entrepreneurship worldwide, to help financial, academic, commercial and government institutions to get closer to the small business community; to become more enterprising; and to introduce effective enterprise strategies and policy. I am passionate about sharing learning with the banking sector in the UK and internationally which has been drawn from extensive research commissioned by FSD Kenya; research has sought to understand more fully the nature and needs of dynamic growth companies, as well as their barriers to accessing finance to enable growth. As featured author this Summer on FSD Kenya’s website, I am therefore seizing my opportunity to do so!
Financing SME growth in Kenya
This briefing note (published June 2016) provides entrepreneurs’ recommendations for how financial institutions can deliver more effective solutions for growing businesses, and well as a profile of Kenyan SME entrepreneurs and their businesses and insight into their key drivers for growth and how they have financed this growth.
Click here to read Financing SME growth in Kenya
SME relationship banking approaches
This article (published December 2015), co-written by myself, Pat Richardson and Esther Nyauncho, recommends banks to help their staff to better understand the nature and needs of smaller growth businesses, if they are to develop much stronger mutually beneficial relationships with their customers and attract new growth business customers.
Click here to read SME relationship banking approaches
Understanding the SME customer
A technical note (published December 2015), co-written by myself, Pat Richardson and Esther Nyauncho, aims to help staff in banks and other financial institutions get a better feel of what it is like to be an entrepreneur.
Click here to read Understanding the SME customer
Growth oriented SMEs: Understanding their needs and risks
A presentation (published 2015) which presents key findings of research into the unique needs of growth oriented SMEs supported by two case studies of SMEs that have experienced significant growth.
Click here to read Growth oriented SMEs: Understanding their needs and risks
Image credit: FSD Kenya http://fsdkenya.org/publication/sme-relationship-banking-approaches/
