Blog

World SME Forum completed its “Georgia SME Advancement Programme: Contribution to the EU Programming in the Economic Sector”

WSF had initiated a regional program for Georgia with a holistic focus on SME advancement in the framework of the “Facility for the Implementation of the Association Agreement in Georgia” EuropeAid/136107/DH/SER/GE.

What is the Business Community recommending to G20 Leaders on SME development?

The 2016 China B20 SME Development Taskforce (‘SME Taskforce’) builds on the work of the 2015 Turkey B20 . After months of analysis, debates and deliberations, the SME Taskforce members identified a set of challenges which constitute major impediments to SME development in both developed and developing countries; these challenges require the attention of G20 Governments.

Are SMEs getting the most out of the eTrade opportunity?

Signaling a strong level of enthusiasm for unlocking the potential of eCommerce at the global level, more than 100 delegates from over 30 countries – representing governments, international organizations, NGOs and the private sector – gathered last week in Geneva for UNCTAD’s eCommerce Week.

“China-Turkey Cross-Border E-Commerce Launching Ceremony” Held in Chongqing, China

Four months after the signing of the MoU on China-Turkey e-commerce pilot, a launching ceremony was held in Chongqing, China, on March 31, with the high level participation of NDRC, Chongqing Municipality, WSF and DHgate. It was a pleasure to be in Chongqing to witness the inauguration of this landmark project…

The World SME Forum: A global platform to support and bridge SME development between Turkey B20 and China B20

With the kickoff of the 2016 China “Business 20” (B20) proceedings in Beijing a few days away, this is an opportune time to reflect on some of the key accomplishments of the 2015 Turkey B20.

SMEs as a Platform For Inclusive Economies

B20 has been a strong supporter of the SME agenda since Turkey 2015, continuing in China 2016 and Germany 2017, with the introduction of the SME Task Forces and Working Group and the creation of the World SME Forum. G20 Governments have also started recognizing the crucial role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a recipe for inclusive, healthier economic growth, but more needs to be done: if SMEs cannot realize their full potential and adapt to new ways of doing business, they will lag behind, with growing socio-economic pains.

SMEs and Cross-border E-commerce Zones

Cross-border e-commerce zones have become the rage in digital trade circles. China has already launched 12 of them. The WSF is supporting the creation of one in Turkey. And other countries are starting to look at this experiment as a possible recipe to unleash SMEs’ growth potential. But how much is it really known about this model?

Bringing SMEs to the center of policy debate

Until recently, SMEs have lacked an organization that would champion their cause, despite their pivotal role in inclusive economic growth and job creation. When B20 and G20 leaders supported the creation of the World SME Forum (WSF) in 2015, SME-focused advocacy was one of the main tasks they had in mind for the new entity.

Cross-post: Micro Businesses Go Global

This post was originally published on April 7, 2016 on the Jobs & Development blog of the World Bank Group

Across the globe, small businesses and entrepreneurs face a myriad of challenges including competition from large multinational retailers…

China G20/B20: Moving Full Speed on SME Development Agenda

The Chinese Presidency of the G20 has begun. During the last week of January 2016, over 300 business executives gathered in Beijing at the kick-off of the Business 20 (B20) outreach group to the G20 China, to discuss key policy priorities of global business for the twenty systematically most important economies of the world.

Newsletter

WSF Newsletter - Issue 6

World SME Forum continues engagements and operations in the United States in a globally more operational legal/institutional framework, WSF organised a session at the 2017 WTO Public Forum and Welcome to New WSF Affiliates

WSF Newsletter - Issue 5

SME.Market Global Online Platform, Turkey – China Cross – Border E-Commerce Pilot Project, WSF-IDB-WB-SDSN and ADFIMI on “SDG Financing” Panel and more…

WSF Newsletter - Issue 4

WSF – Oman Chamber of Commerce – World Bank – Islamic Development Bank and Al-Ghazali Investments co-organize the Global Islamic Economics and Finance Forum and more…

WSF Newsletter - Issue 3

WSF is the Network Partner for 2017 Germany Cross-Thematic Group on SMEs, WSF at 2016 WTO Public Forum, SMEs and Standards and more…

WSF Newsletter - Issue 2

In this issue, you will find a preview of the latest recommendations of the business community to G20 leaders, and updates on WSF’s recent high level advocacy efforts at WTO, OECD and CIFTIS.

WSF Newsletter - Issue 1

Welcome to the first issue of the World SME Forum’s Quarterly Newsletter. In each issue you will find information about projects, activities and events at the World SME Forum, and general information about developments in the SME world.