2024年中小企业金融服务报告：数据与AI助力世界经济发展（英文版）-IBM商业价值研究院

IBMInstituteforBusinessValue|ResearchInsights

Bankingforsmallandmediumenterprises

ServingtheworldeconomywithdataandAI

Withtheexpertcontributionofthe

SMEFinanceForum,managedbyIFC

Bankinglndustryw,ArchitectureNetwork

Howwecanhelp

IBM

Modernfinancialinstitutionsdemandmodularity,security,openness,AI-drivencapabilities,and

collaborationonahybridcloud.AtIBM,weempoweryoutoelevatecustomerexperiences,modernizecorebankinginfrastructures,pioneerinnovativepaymentsolutions,

andtransformenterpriseriskmanagement.Learnmoreat

/industries/banking-financial-markets

BIAN

FinancialinstitutionsuseBIANasastartingpointtohelpdefineandorganizetheirITsoftwareandservicesneedsinastandard,rationalizedwayaroundtheBIANservicelandscape.Thisinturnincreasesanorganization’sagilitytodelivertheneedsofitscustomers.BIANprovidesan

industrymodelforcreatinganarchitecturalframeworkthatmakesintegrationofsoftwareandservices

capabilitieseasierandfasterthroughastandardsetofdefinitions.Themodelissupportedby250pre-definedAPIs.Learnmoreat

SMEFinanceForum,managedbyIFC

TheSMEFinanceForumwasestablishedin2012bytheG20andismanagedbytheInternationalFinance

Corporation(IFC),amemberoftheWorldBankGroup.ItsobjectiveistoscaleSMEfinancetodrivejobcreationandeconomicgrowth.AsthepremierSMEfinancenetwork,withover300membersandpartnersglobally,itsteers

industryinnovations,supportsreplicationofbest

practices,facilitatespolicyadvocacy,andfostersglobalknowledgetransfer.TheForumalsoempowersitsglobalpeerlearningmembershipnetworkbyconnectingthemwithrelevantpartners,investors,andpolicymakers.

Learnmoreat

3

Foreword

Smallandmedium-sizedenterprises(SMEs)formthebackboneoftheglobaleconomy,representing90%ofallfirms,employingapproximately70%

oftheworld’sworkforce,andcontributing50%toglobalGDP.1Despitetheirsignificance,SMEsfacemanychallengeswithinarapidlyevolvingeconomiclandscapethatdemandsinnovativebankingsolutions.

Realizingthis,banksareseizingtheopportunitytoredirectcoststoward

investinginexponentialtechnologyandecosystemplatforms.InresponsetotheneedsofSMEs,somebanksaremovingbeyondmerelyreacting

toshort-termtrendsandarestrategicallyredesigningtheiroperations.

However,manybankshaveyettofullycapitalizeonthetransformative

potentialofhybridcloud,data,andAI.ThereremainsahesitationtotransitionfromintegratingAIintoexistingbusinessfunctions(+AI)tomakingAIthe

foundationforallbusinessoperations(AI+).

OurresearchprovidesstrategicinsightsintothecurrentstateofSMEbankinganditsfintechfuture.ConductedbytheIBMInstituteforBusinessValue(IBMIBV)incollaborationwiththeBankingIndustryArchitectureNetwork(BIAN),thestudybenefitsfromtheexpertiseoftheSMEFinanceForum,managedbytheInternationalFinanceCorporation(IFC).

Weofferactionableinsightsintohowbankingstrategiescanembrace

innovationtomeettheevolvingneedsofSMEs.Oursurveydataisenrichedbyqualitativeinterviewswithseniorexecutivesatfinancialinstitutions,

bringingtolighttheperspectivesofkeydecision-makersinSMEbanking.

Lookingahead,thetransformationofbusinessculture,operatingmodels,andITsystemsisessentialtoalignwithadigitallydrivenglobaleconomy.Realizingthebenefitsoftechnology-ledinnovationinSMEbankingrequiresbotha

strategicperspectiveandpragmaticactions.

Wehopeourworkwilligniteproductivediscussionswithinyourorganizationandhelpyoubalanceambitionwithaction,leveragingtheopportunities

presentedbyAI+toredefineyourbankingexperienceandempowerSMEs,thevitalenginesoftheglobaleconomy,tothrive.

JohnJ.Duigenan

GeneralManagerFinancialServicesIBMTechnology

ShankerRamamurthy

GlobalManagingPartner

BankingandFinancialMarketsIBMConsulting

4

Notwithstandingtheir

pivotalrole,SMEsare

oftenoverlookedbybanks,whichcanbediscouragedbythesubstantialcosts

associatedwithservingthisdiversemarket.

Key

takeaways

SMEsaremajorcontributorstotheglobaleconomy

Theyare90%ofallfirms,70%oftheworkforce,

and50%ofGDPworldwide.2Theydemandinnovativebankingsolutionsthatcatertodiverseneeds

inrealtime.

Bankers’perspectivesdivergefromtheactualneedsofSMEs.

SMEswantaseamlessexperienceonintegrated

ecosystemplatforms.Bankersarelookinginwardandfocusingonriskmanagementandproductivity.

Bankscanincreasetheirrelevance

toSMEsbyembracingtech-led

innovation,whiletamingoperationalcostsandmanagingrisks.

Bankersprioritizefoundationallayers:cloudfor

business-criticalprocesses(63%),AIforcreditrisk

(56%),andmodularcorebanking(55%).Yet,theyriskdelayinginvestmentsinembeddedfinance(42%)andgenerativeAIforclientexperiences(38%)—key

opportunitiesthatcandictatedigitalwinners.

5

6

Contents

7

10

AnuntappedSMEmarket

Theimpactofinnovationonlaborproductivity

13

SMEsspeakout:Whattheyreallyneedfrombanking

14

Crackingthecodetoaperfectbankingmatch

16

SMEsseekbankswithexpertisetoaddressbusinessgrowth

18

Banks’contributionstosimplifyingandstreamliningSMEoperations

20

CompliancemadeeasiertohelpSMEsthrivewithprotection

23

Thetechfoundationsofbankingcompetitiveness

28

Enhanceprofitabilitywithdigitalengagement

30

Cuttingcosts—butnotservices—forefficientSMEbanking

32

AI-drivenriskmodeling:Thekeytoenhancedsecurityandcompliance

36Conclusion

37Actionguide

AnuntappedSMEmarket

Financialservicesareparticularlysusceptibletofluctuationsinmacroeconomicconditions,aphenomenonthatwasstarklyillustrated

bythe2008financialcrisisinwhichinterestratesprecipitouslydeclinedandimpacted

banks’profitabilityworldwide.

Bankingplaysavitalroleinthesmoothoperation

oftheeconomy,withhealthybanksfacilitatingthe

efficientallocationoffinancialresources.Conversely,whenbanksencounterdifficulties,theconsequencescanbefar-reaching,causingsignificantrepercussionsthroughoutlocalandinternationalecosystems.

ThisholdssignificantimplicationsforSMEs,whichtendtobeparticularlyvulnerabletoeconomic

fluctuations,fundingcosts,andcreditavailability.Asthebackboneoftheglobaleconomy,SMEs

accountforastaggering90%ofallfirmsand

accounts,employapproximately70%oftheworld’sworkforce,andcontributeasubstantial50%to

globalGDP.3Notwithstandingtheirpivotalrole,these

enterprisesareoftenoverlookedbybanks,whichcanbediscouragedbythesubstantialcosts

associatedwithservingthisdiversemarket.

7

FIGURE1

SMEspayastructuralcreditpremiumtolargecorporateswhenaccessingfundingopportunities–hereiswherenewdataandAIcanhelpreducethegap.

PercentagesindicatetheSMEcreditspreadpremiumtolargecorporateborrowing.

4%

3%

2%

1%

0%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Majoradvancedeconomies

Canada

Italy

UK

Spain

France

US

US

Spain

France

UK

Canada

Italy

Advancedandemergingeconomies

Brazil

SouthKorea

Colombia

Mexico

Indonesia

Australia

Brazil

Colombia

Mexico

SouthKorea

AustraliaIndonesia

201020152021201020152021

Source:“FinancingSMEsandEntrepreneurs:AnOECDScoreboard.”OECD.

8

9

Asthefinanciallandscapecontinuestoevolve,anew

setofchallengesareonthehorizon.Oneofthemore

pronouncedisthedifficultyforSMEstoaccesssustainablefinanceduetotheheavyburdenofreportingrequirements.

MorethanadecadeofaccommodativemonetarypoliciescreatedanenvironmentwhereSMEshadaccesstofinancialservicesatalowercostinmostcountries.

Unfortunately,theescalatingcostofcapitalbecameapressingconcern,forcingbankstoprioritizetighterriskmanagementoverservingSMEsegmentswherecreditrisk

ishardertoestimate.ThediversityofbusinessscopewithinSMEmarkets,andthescarcityofgranulardatatoinformlendingdecisions,makescreditriskassessmentinherentlycomplex.

TheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(OECD)estimatedthatSMEstendtopayariskpremiumrelativetolargercorporateswhenborrowingfrom

financialinstitutions(seeFigure1).4

Thesituationbecameevenmorecomplexasthepandemicended.Policyratesrosesignificantly,resultinginareversaloffavorablecreditconditionsforborrowers.

Thiswasparticularlypronouncedinmajoradvancedeconomies,whererateshadlanguishedtonearzeroorevendippedintonegativeterritory.

Notably,banksstoodtobenefitfrominterestratehikes—atleastinitially—astheywereabletorecalibratebusinessloanconditions.Yet,diminishedclientappetite

forborrowingatsuchelevatedcostslimitedbanks’capabilitiestomaintainlendingportfolios.AccordingtotheOECD,lendingtoSMEscontractedinmostcountries.5

Asthefinanciallandscapecontinuestoevolve,anewsetofchallengesareonthe

horizon.OneofthemorepronouncedisthedifficultyforSMEstoaccesssustainablefinanceduetotheheavyburdenofreportingrequirements.Thisisaparadoxical

situation,asthegrowingdemandforsustainablefinancepresentsanopportunityforSMEstoaccessnewsourcesofcapital.

AccordingtoacomprehensivestudybytheWorldBank,SMEsneedtodomorethanmerelyaccessfinance.6Theymustalsoacquiretheskillsnecessarytointegrate

newtechnologiesintooperationsandinnovatetoexpandtheircustomerbase.ThechallengeforSMEsspansbeyondtraditionalbankingrelationships.Therefore,theopportunityforbanksistohelpSMEsbridgethegapbetweenbusinessintentandtech-ledproductivity.

10

Theimpactofinnovationonlaborproductivity

Throughouthistory,transformativetechnologieshaveconsistentlydrivenproductivityrates,measuredbyoutputperhourworkedandreflectedinGDPstatistics—ofwhichSMEsrepresent50%.7However,theproductivity

growthrateoftheglobaleconomyhascontractedsincetheturnofthecentury.8Thisisdespitetheimpactofthedigitalrevolutiononeverydaylife,markedbytheintroductionofthesmartphonein2007(seeFigure2).

Oneexplanationcouldbethetypicallylonggapbetweentheinventionofnewtechnologiesandthepoint

whentheymaterializeinmacroeconomicgains.Thishasbeenexperiencedinpasttechnologyrevolutions,asinthecaseofsteamengines(1765),lightbulbs(1879),andpersonalcomputers(1971).9

FIGURE2

Atimegappersistsbetweeninnovationanditsimpactonlaborproductivity.10

Percentagechangeofoutputperhour(9-yearcenteredmovingaverage)

Timelagbetweeninventionandpeakofproductivitygain

176017801800182018401860188019001920194019601980200020202040

%y/y

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

0%

-1%

1765

1879

1971

2007

Steam

Light

Personal

Smart-

engine

bulb

computer

phone

?

Co

●

40

years

>

30

years

100

years

>

>

Source:AIrevolution:productivityboomandbeyond.BarclaysandIBM.

11

Another—morepessimistic—interpretationisthatdigitalizationandportabledevicesmightnotcomparetopastproductivityrevolutions,suchastheautomobileorair

conditioning.Measurementerrorscouldalsoplayarole,astraditionalGDP

statisticsmaynotfullycapturethevalueofdigitalproductswithzeromarginal

costs.Thetruthmightinvolveamixofthesefactors,butthekeyquestionremains:CanwewitnessanewAI-driveneconomicrenaissance,onethatbenefitsSMEsandtheirfinancialinstitutionswithbetterservicesatlowercosts,propellingtheglobaleconomyforward?

AccordingtoIBMIBVandBarclaysanalysis,thisispossible.Mostofthetimegap

betweeninnovationandtheimpactonproductivityrateshaslikelypassed,sinceAIisnotanovelty:itsrootsdatebacktothe1950swhenAlanTuringfirstproposeda

testtomeasuretheextentof“computerintelligence.”11Whatisnew,however,istheaccessibilityofAIsuchaslargelanguagemodels(LLMs).

AIcanhelpbanksresolvecriticalhurdlestoservingSMEs,boostingtheirproductivityand,conversely,addingtoSMEproductivitybymakingfinancialservicesmore

intuitive,consumable,andrelevantfortheirbusinessdevelopment(seePerspective,“AI+foundationsforSMEbanking”onpage12).Forexample,bankshavenewmeans

tosecurepayments,addressingtheresilienceofinfrastructurethatisbusiness-criticaltoSMEs.Furthermore,AIcanenablebankstoaugmentSMEcapabilitiesinmakinginformedbusinessdecisions,contributingtotheirriskmanagement

andfinancialhealth.

Banksmuststaythecourse.NeobanksareincreasinglyshiftingcompetitivefocusfromretailbankingtoSMEbanking,startingtoservicetheneedsofmicro

businesses—thesesoloentrepreneursarealreadytheirclients.Giventheprowessoftheircloud-nativetechnology,neobanksarealsoraisingthebarofexpectationsforservingSMEsoflargersizeintermsofrevenueandnumberofemployees.12

AIcanhelpbanksresolvecriticalhurdlestoservingSMEs,boostingtheirproductivityand,conversely,addingtoSMEproductivitybymakingfinancialservicesmoreintuitive,consumable,andrelevantfortheirbusinessdevelopment.

Perspective

AI+foundationsforSMEbanking

AccordingtoIBMIBVresearch,astaggering78%ofbanksareworkingwithgenerativeAIbutlackacohesive,enterprise-wideapproachtoAIoverall,failingtointegratethistransformativetechnologyacrossmultiplebusinessdomainsandusecases.Only8%ofbankshaveasystematicapproach.13

TofullymobilizethecapabilitiesofAI,ashiftisrequired—aparadigm

transformationfrommerelyintegratingAIintoexistingprocesses(+AI)

tofundamentallyreimaginingtheseprocessesaroundAI(AI+).Thisapproachhasfar-reachingimplicationsforhowfinancialinstitutionsoperate,asAI

assumesapivotalroleineverystageofbusinessfunctions.

WhatdoesthisparadigmshifttoAI+portendforSMEbankingprocessessuchasonboarding,riskanalysis,andrelationshipmanagement?

Clientonboarding.

Asthe+AIeradawned,banksbegantomodernizetheironboarding

processes,leveragingAItoreducefrictionanddigitizeKYCandAML

checks.AIwasinitiallyemployedasasupportingtool,harmonizingwithtraditionalonboardingprocessesthatreliedheavilyonhumanverificationandjudgment.

However,thetransitiontoAI+marksaprofoundshift,oneinwhichAI

assumesthepivotalroleoforchestratingeveryaspectoftheonboardingexperience:fromclientcommunicationstoprefilledforms,requestsforadditionaldataandcreationoffollow-ups.

Creditriskanalysis.

Asthe+AIeraemerged,SMEbankersbegantoharnessthepowerofAI

toanalyzenewdatasetssuchascashflowstoenablemoreaccurateriskassessments.AIwasinitiallyemployedasasupportingtool,harmonizingwithtraditionalriskmanagementmethods.

However,thetransitiontoAI+heraldsaparadigmshiftinwhichAIsystemsassumefullagency,autonomouslymanagingfinancialanalysis,performingriskassessments,andempoweringcreditriskmanagerstomanagemore

informedandtimelylendingdecisionsacrossdigitalchannels.

Relationshipmanagement.

SMEbankersstartedusingAItostreamlineaccesstoclientandsector

information,liberatingrelationshipmanagersfrommundaneresearch

tasksandempoweringthemtofocusonhigh-valueactivities.AIwas

initiallyemployedasasupplementarytool,awaitingbankerinstructionstoinitiateresearchrequestsandgenerateanalysis.

However,thetransitiontoAI+organicallychangesthewayofworking,

whereAIsystemsproactivelyinitiateoutreachcampaigns,screenclients,andcategorizethemforpotentialfinancialneeds.Thisintegrationenablesrelationshipmanagerstomakemoreinformedandtimelydecisionsfor

12

greaterefficiencyandadeeperunderstandingofclients’needs.

SMEsspeakout:Whattheyreallyneedfrombanking

TheIBMInstituteforBusinessValue—incollaborationwithBIANand

theexpertcontributionoftheSMEFinanceForum,managedbyIFC—

surveyedalmost700bankingexecutiveswithbusinessresponsibilitiesinSMEbankingdomainsandconducteddirectinterviewswithselectedexecutivesabouttheirstrategies.

Wealsosurveyedmorethan1,000SMEownersandmanagersacrossdifferentworldeconomies.Thisenabledauniquecomparisonbetweenbankers’opinionsandclients’expectations,providinganuancedunderstandingoftheSMEmarketlandscape(see“Studyapproachandmethodology”onpage40).Thestudy

investigatedcrucialquestions,including:DoSMEownersandmanagerspreferface-to-faceconversationsormobileapps?Whatdotheyvaluemostfromtheirbank?

13

14

Crackingthecodetoaperfectbankingmatch

OurfindingsrevealaninterestingdisparitybetweentheperspectivesofbankersandSMEswhenitcomestochoosingabank.Overall,SMEsexpectbankerstounderstandtheiruniquebusinessneeds,offertailoredsolutions,andfacilitatenetworkingwith

businesspartnersandclients.

Incontrast,bankerstendtofocusonthefoundationalaspectsofbanking,such

aseasy-to-useapps,dedicatedbankingmanagers,andtheproximityofbranches(seeFigure3).

Lookingintosurveydatabyjurisdiction,weobservenuancesinthetopthreechoices.SMEsintheUS,theUK,France,andChinaalsoreportbranchproximityasoneoftheirtopthreepreferences.Manybankbranchesinmajoradvancedeconomieshaveclosedduetodigitaladvancementsandindustryconsolidation,oftenatapacethatdoesnotalignwithhowquicklyclientsareadaptingtodigitalservices.Conversely,SMEsin

Indiahighlyvalueeasy-to-usemobileapps,asthegovernment-ledintervention

accelerateddigitaladoptionthroughoutsociety.Notably,abank’ssocialresponsibilityisappreciatedinIndiaandBrazilmorethaninothermarkets.

Thesedifferencesspeaktotheneedforbankerstobetterunderstandlocalnuances

thatinfluencethecalculusthatdrivesSMEdecision-making,thusbetteradaptingtheirbrandingapproachtomeettheevolvinganddifferingneedsofthesevitalbusinesses.

Overall,SMEsyearnforatrustedrelationshipbuiltonprofessionalunderstandingoftheirbusinessdomains.Byembracinganecosystemapproach,bankscantranscendtheirroleastransactionalprovidersandbecomevaluedpartnersinthegrowthanddevelopmentoftheirSMEclients.

“What’simportantisthatyoudon’tjustdesignforthemarket;youdesignwiththemarket.Youneedtoembedyourselfintherealitiesofthesebusinessesandthewaythesebusinessownersruntheiroperations,andthendesigntailoredsolutionsfor

them,keepinginmindthedynamicsofnotjustthebusinessownersbutalsotheentireSMEecosystem.”

AyodeleOlojede

DivisionalHeadofRetailandSMEs,WemaBank

15

FIGURE3

SMEsvaluebanksthatdemonstratedeeper

understandingoftheirsectorandbusinessecosystems.

BankeropinionsSMEexpectations

1

2

3

4

5

6

Easy-to-useapps

Dedicatedmanager

Tailoredoffers

Networking

Branchproximity

Understandingsectorneeds

Networking

Immediatefundsavailability

Branchproximity

Dedicatedmanager

Understandingsectorneeds

Tailoredoffers

7SocialresponsibilityEasy-to-useapps

8ImmediatefundsavailabilitySocialresponsibility

Q.WhicharethemostimportantprioritiesforSMEclientswhenchoosingabank?

OursurveycoversSMEswithmorethan50employeesanddoesnotspecifically

includemicrobusinesses.Microbusinesses(enterprisesthataresoloentrepreneurs)areasignificantpartoftheoverallSMEmarket,andtheyoftenexhibitbehaviorsimilartoconsumers.Inarecentstudy,wealsoqueriedconsumersaboutwhatcould

persuadethemtoswitchtheirprimaryaccounttoanotherbank.Wefoundapreferenceforbettercustomerservice,theabilitytoinstantlytransferfunds,andfrictionlessmobileaccess.14

Itislogicaltoinferthatasmicrobusinessesgrow,theirhabitswillinfluence

expectationsofthehighertiersoftheSMEcategory.Thisindicatesthatbanksmustcarefullyfine-tunetheirservicestomeettheuniqueneedsofSMEsalongtheirdifferingpathstogrowth.

16

SMEsseekbankswithexpertisetoaddressbusinessgrowth

Whenitcomestothebankingservicesthatcanfacilitategrowth,SMEownersandmanagerstendtoemphasizetheimportanceofexpertsupportinplanningfor

expansioncorroboratedbymarketandeconomicanalysis(seeFigure4).

IntheUS,keyprioritiesincludeguidanceforcreditscoring,flexibilityoffundingoptions,andexpertsupportinplanning.

Overall,SMEsrecognizetheroleofbankingstewardshipastheyseektrustedadvisorswhocanprovidecounselandnavigatethecomplexitiesofbusinessexpansion.Fast

accesstofundsalsorankshighontheirlistofpriorities,asSMEsneedtominimize

bureaucratichurdlesandsavetime.Forthesedynamicentrepreneurs,everymomentcounts,andcumbersomecreditapplicationscanbeanobstacletoovercome.

FIGURE4

Bankerslookinward,underestimatingtheSMEneedforfastmoneyandexpertadvicetogrowtheirbusinesses.

Financial/businessplansupport

BankeropinionsSMEexpectations

1

2

3

4

Financial/businessplansupport

5

6

7

Creditscoreguidance

Markets/macroanalysis

Flexiblefundingoptions

Fastaccesstofunds

Duediligencesupport

Fastaccesstofunds

Networking

Flexiblefundingoptions

Markets/macroanalysis

Creditscoreguidance

Networking

Duediligencesupport

Q.WhichservicesshouldbeimprovedtobettersupportthebusinessgrowthofSMEs?

17

“IfwetrulywantSMEstothriveandflourish,weneedtorecognize

theirimmensepotential…whilewe’removingintheright

directionbyfacilitatingmoreinformedlending,Ithinkthere’sstillalotmorewecandotosupportthesevitalbusinesses.”

ChallaSreenivasuluSetty

ManagingDirector(InternationalBanking,GlobalMarkets&Technology),StateBankofIndia

Accordingto2023IFCresearch,30%ofenterprisesintheformalsectorstruggled

withcreditconstraints.Amongthe70%offirmsthatwerenotcredit-constrained,

52%reportedhavingsufficientfunds,renderingloanapplicationsunnecessary.

Conversely,27%offirmsweredeterredfromapplyingduetounfavorableloantermsandconditions.Theanalysisalsorevealsthatcredit-constrainedfirmstendedtobe

smallerandexhibitedanegativecorrelationwithperformance.Furthermore,thedatasuggeststhataseconomiesbecomemoredeveloped,theshareofcredit-constrainedfirmsdecreases.15

Whenaskedhowtheymakeimportantfinancialdecisions,almost60%ofSMEs

rankedtheirrelianceonabanker’ssupportandonlinesearches,withonly23%of

SMEsreportingrelianceoninternalexpertisetomakethesedecisionsautonomously.Asnewcompetitorsrelyondigital-onlyengagement,financialinstitutionscandiffer-entiatethemselvesbyempoweringbothclientsandrelationshipmanagerswiththe

bestcombinationofhumananddigitaladvice.

“Werealizedthatcustomersareinterestedinmorethanjustfinancing;theywanttoseehowtheir

businessisprospering.”

FrancoFasoli

HeadofSMEBanking,SantanderBrazil

18

Banks’contributionstosimplifyingandstreamliningSMEoperations

Inthepursuitofoptimizingbusinessefficiency,SMEsplaceapremiumoninstantpaymentsandstreamlineddigitalaccesstoallbankingandnon-bankingservices.Assuch,comprehensivesuperappsseemtoappealtoSMEsnotonlyinemergingmarketsbutalsoacrossEUcountries.Thesecentralizedplatformscouldprovideawealthofbenefits,includingenhanceddecision-makingfacilitatedbydata-driveninsightsandcashflowforecasts.

FIGURE5

SMEsrecognizethevalueofintegratedecosystemplatformswithbankingandnon-bankingservices.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Superappacrossnon-bankingandbanking

7

BankeropinionsSMEexpectations

Instantpaymentfor

alloperatingexpenses

Instantpaymentfor

alloperatingexpenses

Superappacrossnon-bankingandbanking

Aggregationofbankaccounts

Analysis/forecastforalloperatingexpenses

Analysis/forecastforalloperatingexpenses

Tailoredinvestmentsforidlecash

Collectionofdelinquentreceivables

Hotlinefinancialqueries

Aggregationofbankaccounts

Collectionofdelinquentreceivables

Tailoredinvestmentsforidlecash

Hotlinefinancialqueries

Q.WhichservicesshouldbeimprovedtobettersupporttheoperationalefficiencyofSMEs?

19

Whilepaymentsefficiencytendstodominateoverall,thereareinterestingdistinctionsacrosscountries.IntheUS,wherechecksarestillarelevantpaymentmethod,SMEs

valueservicesthatfacilitatecollectionofdelinquentreceivables,whereasincountrieswithestablishedOpenBankingcharters,accountaggregationtendstobevalued.ThisisthecaseintheUK,Spain,Brazil,andalsoJapan.

Overall,bankersagreeontherelevanceofinstantpaymentsandcashflowanalysis.

However,theydon’talwaysrecognizeclientappetiteforsuperappsthatintegrate

bankingandnon-bankingservices(seeFigure5).SMEs,ontheotherhand,dodesireaunifiedplatformtoharmonizetheirfinancialoperationsbeyondbanking.Aplatform

experiencethatembedsbankingandnon-bankingservicesinthecontextofthedailylifeofSMEbusinessescanliberatethemfromburdensomecomplexitythatcanstifleproductivityandinnovation.Withaone-stop-shopsolution,SMEscanredirecttheirenergiestowardstrategicgrowth,creativity,andcompetitiveness,ratherthanbeingboggeddownbyadministrativetasks.

“ManySMEsdon’thaveaprofessionalpersonontheir

payrolltohandlethesetasks,whichrequiresomeexpertise.Whenweprovideagenuinesolution,it’strulyappreciated.”

GokhanKoca

GlobalHeadofSMEBanking,BBVA

20

CompliancemadeeasiertohelpSMEsthrivewithprotection

Finally,thesurveyuncoversa