The World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI-ESBG) used a United Nations SDG Fair panel in New York to set out how savings and retail banks support access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and to argue that regulatory frameworks should better support inclusive MSME lending. In remarks by CEO Peter Simon, WSBI framed MSMEs as essential actors for economic resilience and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, rather than only recipients of development finance. The intervention pointed to member-bank practices across Thailand, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Zambia, Chile, and India, and emphasized the need for “fit-for-purpose finance” over one-size-fits-all approaches. WSBI argued for relationship-based models combining tailored financial products with non-financial support such as financial literacy, digital tools, and business development services, and cautioned that prevailing prudential and sustainability trends can unintentionally constrain inclusive finance; it also stressed that fintech-led digital innovation should be paired with trusted local financial institutions to reach last-mile communities. WSBI also flagged an upcoming learning paper by its Scale2Save Development Unit and LAPO Microfinance Bank on lessons from a 12-month pilot on climate-smart rural finance, including improved data embedment and lending-process insights and a focus on financial services for women smallholder farmers.
World Savings and Retail Banking Institute 2026-04-23
World Savings and Retail Banking Institute highlights savings banks’ role in MSME finance and calls for development-aligned regulation at UN SDG Fair
The World Savings and Retail Banking Institute used a United Nations SDG Fair panel to argue that regulatory frameworks should better support inclusive micro, small, and medium enterprise lending, highlighting MSMEs as core to economic resilience and SDG delivery. It promoted relationship-based, “fit-for-purpose” finance combining tailored products with non-financial support, and cautioned that current prudential and sustainability trends and purely fintech-led models may constrain inclusion. WSBI also announced an upcoming paper on a 12‑month climate-smart rural finance pilot focused on women smallholder farmers.