Dun and Bradstreet Rating Agency Bangladesh (DBRBD) conducted a Knowledge Forum on ?Emergence of a New Era in the SME Ecosystem of Bangladesh? on the 20th of September at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). The Forum brought together senior D&B officials, top officials from Bangladesh Bank & SMEF, senior officials from various local banks, financial institutions, companies, prominent experts and thought leaders who play a crucial role in the SME Ecosystem of Bangladesh.

DBRBD is a D&B initiative in collaboration with leading local banks & FIs and has been established with the objective of strengthening the risk assessment framework of local SMEs and enabling Banks and FIs to enhance credit disbursal. It is the country's first rating agency that focuses primarily on SMEs. With strong impetus from Bangladesh Bank, which is encouraging the local banks and FIs to enhance and ensure increased target oriented disbursement of funds to the SME sector, DBRBD?s SME ratings aim to address the multi-faceted challenges faced by banks in SME lending by providing ratings that are comprehensive, transparent and reliable, thus facilitating greater and easier flow of credit from the banking sector to the SMEs.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Philip Strange, Group CFO, D&B South Asia Middle East, highlighted that growing economies need a thriving population of healthy SMEs. He said that the resilience displayed by Bangladesh during the recent financial and economic crisis which began in the US was exemplary.

Mr. Parag Patki, CEO of the Small and Medium Enterprises Rating Agency of India(SMERA) while explaining the importance of SMEs in developing nations, said: ?There is no choice in today?s global economy but to foster the overall development of SMEs. This is exemplified by the nature of impetus the respective governments and Central Banks are providing for all inclusive growth of the SME ecosystem which has caught unparalleled pace in the last two year's.

General Manager of SME & Special Programmes Department, Bangladesh Bank Mr. Sukamal Sinha Chowdhury said that the Central Bank of Bangladesh is giving much emphasis to Small and Medium enterprises because it is felt necessary that the role of SMEs is indispensable for economic development of a country like Bangladesh. Mr. Chowdhury emphasised the need for serious cluster studies in the SME segment.

The recently appointed dynamic MD of SMEF, Mr. Syed Rezwanul Kabir, commented that considering this big gap in investment for employment generation between SME and large industries, Government has considered SME as an employment generating vehicle and created the SME Foundation as an apex institution to promote SMEs in Bangladesh. Mr Kabir assured the full assistance of SMEF for promoting the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises of all the productive and service-oriented enterprises of the national economy for facing the challenges of free market economy and globalization.

Mr. Saikat Poddar, MD, DBRBD and Regional Director of South Asia, DBSAME, Dubai, said, ?D&B stands very firm in its commitment to play a pivotal role in the SME space in South Asia and establishment of DBRBD was a pioneering step in cementing this commitment in Bangladesh?.


Guest Speakers at the SME Knowledge Forum


Speech delivered by Mr. Sukamal Sinha Chowdhury- General Manager, SME & Special Programmes Department, Bangladesh Bank


Speech Delivered by Mr. Syed Rezwanul Kabir- Managing Director, Small & Medium Enterprise Foundation.