Washington D.C., November 24th, 2021 - Development Bank of Namibia joins the SME Finance Forum as the newest member of our global membership network. Our members are SME financing experts from 80+ countries who share the common goal of expanding access to finance to small businesses worldwide through knowledge exchange and innovation.
“When we started in 2012, we were in an exploratory phase for the first few years. Since 2016, we’ve been implementing our mission to build a global membership to support better SME financing, and since then, we’ve established a network with over 230 active member institutions, which operate in over 190 countries sharing the common purpose of helping under-served enterprises. We are delighted to welcome Development Bank of Namibia to further grow our mission.” said Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum.
The Development Bank of Namibia is mandated to contribute to the development of Namibia, and the socio-economic wellbeing of its citizens. In order to achieve its vision of prosperity, the Bank continuously evolves and develops its capacity with the aim of being an exceptional agent of economic development.
“These are challenging times. Development Bank of Namibia’s mandate is to support economic activity with finance for long-term sustainable initiatives. Covid-19 has interrupted much of Namibia’s economic activity, so the Bank has unveiled a raft of measures to support enterprises, including repayment holidays and Covid-19 Business Relief Loans. The DBN would like to benefit from the various learning opportunities (networking and training) that SMEFF offers, especially product development for women, green energy, access to international SME data, and the body of knowledge in terms of managing and de-risking the SME book”, said Martin Inkumbi, CEO of the Development Bank of Namibia.
About SME Finance Forum
The SME Finance Forum was established by the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in 2012 as a knowledge center for data, research, and best practice in promoting SME finance. As an implementing partner for the GPFI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was tasked with managing the initiative. The Forum operates a global membership network of +230 members that brings together financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions to share knowledge, spur innovation, and promote the growth of SMEs.
To see all SME Finance Forum members, please visit: https://www.smefinanceforum.org/members/member-list
About Development Bank of Namibia
The Development Bank of Namibia is mandated to contribute to the development of Namibia, and the socio-economic wellbeing of its citizens. In order to achieve its vision of prosperity, the Bank continuously evolves and develops its capacity with the aim of being an exceptional agent of economic development. The DBN’s vision sets the scene for the most desired future state whilst the mission provides the overall framework within which the Bank’s strategies are formulated. The values are the operating philosophies and driving principles that guide internal conduct as well as its relationship with stakeholders. For more information, please visit: https://www.dbn.com.na/
