ICE is 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!
Category Archives: Banking & Finance
I have often found that service sector institutions can be much too fixated on supporting an ‘enterprise’, rather than the person running it, and moreover that even their focus on the business entity can be limited to the area most obviously related to their service, rather than encompassing the needs of the business overall. This linear approach to delivering business support services demonstrates, in my mind, a lack of empathy with the real dynamics of any small or medium enterprise, and represents a huge lost opportunity for both parties – and the macro-economy.
I was privileged to participate in an ‘SME Day’ which brought together leading economists and entrepreneurs in Nairobi in December 2015, on a quest to improve understanding of SME finance. Whilst SME loans represent almost a quarter of total loans in Kenya, innovation in the sector has been slow, a status quo that is difficult to change due to a lack of data across the board.
Much can be achieved if banks take action now to better serve women in business. With these 3 simple steps banks, their customers and the economy will gain.
With the UK’s move to portable bank account numbers, and a seven day account switching service, some banks are expected to experience a surge in new customers over coming months. Of course the improved power of business customers to move their account to their preferred supplier also poses a real threat – banks that don’t
Banks and providers of other financial services world-wide are increasingly aware that their future profitability and prosperity lies with the premium small business sector. In Europe and the USA for example, a substantial proportion of the total profits generated by the major banks derives from their small business customer base. As the commercial environment changes
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Women’s Business Networks and exciting developments in Beijing October 19, 2017
2nd successful year for Enterprise Summer School September 30, 2017
