SME Business Banking is emerging as the most exciting area of retail banking. It’s not a surprise, as the gap between banks and SMEs is enormous: the potential is also enormous, because banks have rarely provided good services to SMEs. The feeling is mutual. Incredibly, research suggests that an SME that is turned down by a bank will never approach that bank again. Moneylenders, friends and family often must fill the gap that banks cannot cover.

Despite the fact that globally, there are 400 million small and medium businesses that employ most people around the world, SMEs are the equivalent of the unbanked masses in the world of consumer banking. They are often seen as low-margin and difficult clients. Research shows indeed that an SME that approaches a bank and is turned down is unlikely to ever approach another bank.

Among the big themes that we will be addressing in London in September:

• The emergence of new business models for SME lending
• Credit Risk Management in SME lending
• Dynamic scorecards: the digitalisation of credit scoring
• In transition: is it possible to go from corporate lending to SME lending?
• How to learn what SMEs really need
• The emerging bank-fintech partnerships in SME finance
• The Retailers’ Dilemma: Will Silicon Valley’s tech giants be best partners to small business — and take financing away from banks?
• Lending to Entrepreneurs: The gold dust of banking
• Balancing automation & relationship-based services

We’ll be sharing more details with you through over the next few months. Speaker requests should be directed to ronan.lynch@lafferty.com.