Date: Thursday 1 July 2021

Time: 14:00-16:00 CEST

Small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world were hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis, often relying on government support to survive the initial shock, prolonged restrictions and a drop in demand for their products and services. Yet, they remain critical to forge the path to recovery, provide employment and be part of innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, such as the climate crisis, while also ensuring that no one is left behind. Sustained access to a diverse range of financing instruments will be crucial to continued contributions by SMEs and entrepreneurs to sustainable and inclusive growth.

This webinar, organised by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship (OECD/CFE), SMEs, Regions and Cities and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), will bring together experts, policy makers, financial institutions and SME representatives to discuss some of the key issues around SME financing today.

Agenda

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Moderated by Céline Kauffmann, Head of the Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Tourism Division, OECD/CFE

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14:00-14:15

Introductory remarks by Monica Scatasta, Director of the Technical Assessment and Monitoring Directorate, CEB

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14:15-15:05

Panel 1: Mobilising SME finance for recovery

Moderator: Isabelle Brun, Head of Strategic Development and Special Topics, CEB

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Addressing the SME finance impacts of the crisis and priorities for a sound recovery

Miriam Koreen, Senior Counsellor on SMEs, OECD/CFE

Role of local institutions and governance in fostering SME access to finance

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Princesa de Asturias Chair and Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics

Mobilising SME finance for the sustainability transition

Rodney Boyd, Senior Manager – Policy, British Business Bank

SME challenges and priorities

Gerhard Huemer, Chief Economist, SMEunited

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15:05-15:55

Panel 2: Understanding and addressing the risks of SME over-indebtedness and insolvency

Moderator: Stephan Raes, Policy Analyst, CFE/OECD

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Expected growth in SME insolvencies and potential policy responses

Federico J. Diez, Economist, Structural Reforms Unit, IMF Research Department

Identifying viable firms post COVID-19

Felix Haas Vincon, Head of Unit, European Association of Guarantee Institutions - AECM

Government responses to rising SME debt

Rudy Aernoudt, European Commission

Banking for a resilient SME sector

Martin Godemann, Head of Group Funding, ProCredit Holding

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15:55-16:00

Wrap-up and conclusions by Céline Kauffmann

This webinar is part of a series of virtual events organised by the OECD and partner organisations to explore critical issues for SMEs and entrepreneurship, building on the platform of the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day 2021. Events start on Monday, 28 June, with the UN MSME day event, and run until Friday, 2 July. They will cover themes critical to the economic recovery, such as resilience and dynamism of SMEs and entrepreneurship in the time of COVID-19, women’s entrepreneurship, digitalisation, access to finance and skills.

Find out more here.