Banking
Trade Finance for SMEs Still Limited, ICC Survey of 251 Banks Shows
The International Chamber of Commerce’s 10th annual Global Survey titled ‘Global Trade: Securing Future Growth’ has revealed that counter-terrorism and other international regulations are significantly inhibiting the ability of SMEs to trade internationally.
According to the latest ICC Global Survey, of 251 banks in 91 countries, trade finance remains constrained, with a key reason for the constraints being lenders’ requirements to comply with international regulations.
Of particular concern are regulations countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) as well as international sanctions stipulations. Some 87% of the respondents reported that complying with counter-terrorism and international sanctions regulations is a “major challenge” with respect to their ability to offer trade finance. And that this is especially harmful for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The constraints arise from the huge increase in resources banks must invest to ensure compliance with a wide range of often inconsistent regulatory requirements and expectations across jurisdictions. Perhaps more challenging, the interpretation of regulatory requirements can vary between senior policymakers and examiners assessing compliance. The effect is that banks apply large internal resources and incur cost to ensure compliance with standards that are at times unintended and unnecessarily stringent – a burden banks increasingly consider only worthwhile for their largest clients, leaving SMEs unsupported.
“Everyone accepts that access to finance is critical for business growth, particularly for SMEs,” says Chris Southworth, ICC United Kingdom’s Secretary General. “Yet here we see an example of well-meaning regulation having unintended consequences in the real economy. So while innovation and digital trade continue to support financial inclusion for SMEs by providing new ways of delivering finance to business, a more proportionate regulatory regime for the treatment of low risk trade finance would unlock more resource to fund trade, which will benefit the global economy.”
Writing in Global Survey, World Trade Organization Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, added his concern regarding financial inclusion for SMEs. Including micro companies (with less than 10 employees), he said: “Around half of MSME requests for trade finance are rejected by banks, and in more than 70% of the cases they seek no alternative financing, simply because it is not available. Persistent gaps in trade finance can mean exclusion from the trading system and that major trade and development opportunities are missed”.
The Global Survey concludes that SME exclusion is a major cause of the “trade finance gap” (calculated by the ICC and Asian Development Bank at US$1.5 trillion in 2017) between the demand and supply of trade finance.
“This year’s Global Survey consistently shows that regulatory issues are among respondents’ top concerns,” wrote John Denton, General Secretary of ICC in the survey’s foreword. “Looking at further research from ICC and other actors, it is also clear that some financial regulations governing banks have had the unintended consequence of widening the trade finance gap, making it more difficult for smaller companies and traders in the developing world to access much needed financing.”
However, the Global Survey findings also reveal strong positivity among trade-supporting lenders with respect to trade finance growth trends. Nearly three quarters of banks presented an optimistic outlook for the next 12 months, with respondents headquartered in Africa and Asia Pacific the most positive, at 89% and 81% respectively.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Registration for the second HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme (HAP 2.0) organised by Fidelity Bank Plc has commenced.
The Divisional Head of Product Development at Fidelity Bank, Mr Osita Ede, informed newsmen that the initiative was designed to empower women with sustainable entrepreneurship skills.
The lender created the flagship women-empowerment initiative to equip women with practical, income‑generating skills and structured pathways to entrepreneurship.
“HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 reflects our commitment to continuous improvement. Having evaluated feedback from the first edition, we have returned with stronger partnerships and deeper mentorship programmes to ensure that women acquire not just skills, but sustainable economic opportunities,” he said.
“At the heart of the programme is guided, real‑world learning. Participants will undergo intensive apprenticeship training under reputable institutions and industry experts across select fields such as hair styling, shoe making, auto mechatronics, and interior decoration,” Mr Ede added.
He noted that HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 goes beyond skills acquisition by offering participants a wide range of business advisory services. These include business and financial literacy training, mentorship support throughout the apprenticeship journey, access to Fidelity Bank’s women‑focused and SME financial solutions, as well as guidance on business formalisation and growth strategies.
Further emphasising the bank’s vision, Mr Ede said, “By integrating structured mentorship with entrepreneurial development, Fidelity Bank is positioning women not just as trainees, but as future employers, innovators, and economic contributors within their communities. This aligns with our mandate to help individuals grow, businesses thrive, and economies prosper.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new branch of The Alternative Bank (AltBank) has been opened in Ondo State as part of the expansion drive of the financial institution.
A statement from the company disclosed that the new branch would support export-oriented agribusinesses through Letters of Credit and commodity-backed trade finance, ensuring that local producers can scale beyond state borders.
For SMEs, the bank is introducing robust payment rails, asset financing for equipment and inventory, and supply chain-backed facilities that strengthen working capital without trapping businesses in interest-based debt cycles.
The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by his Chief of
Staff, Mr Olusegun Omojuwa, at the commissioning of the branch, underscored the importance of financial institutions in economic development.
“The pivotal role of financial institutions to economic growth and development of any economy cannot be overemphasised. It provides access to capital, supporting small and medium-scale enterprises and encouraging savings.
“Therefore, I have no doubt in my mind that the presence of The Alternative Bank in Ondo State will deepen financial services, create employment opportunities and stimulate economic activities across various sectors,” he said.
In her remarks, the Executive Director for Commercial and Institutional Banking (Lagos and South West) at The Alternative Bank, Mrs Korede Demola-Adeniyi, commended the state government’s leadership and outlined the lender’s long-term vision for Ondo State.
“As Ondo State steps into its next fifty years, and into the future anchored on the sustainable development championed during the recent anniversary celebrations, The Alternative Bank is here to be the financial engine for that vision. We didn’t come to Akure to hang banners. We came to fund work, farms, shops, and factories.”
With Ondo State’s economy anchored largely on agriculture, particularly cocoa production, poultry farming, and other cash crops, alongside a growing SME and trade ecosystem, AltBank is deploying sector-specific financing solutions tailored to these strengths.
For cocoa aggregators, processors and poultry operators, the bank will provide production financing, facility expansion support, machinery lease structures, and structured trade facilities under its joint venture and cost-plus financing models, with transaction cycles of up to 180 days for commodity trades and longer-term structured asset financing for equipment and infrastructure.
The organisation is a notable national non-interest bank with a physical network now surpassing 170 locations, deploying capital to solve real-world challenges through initiatives such as the Mata Zalla project, which saw to the training of hundreds of women as electric tricycle drivers and mechanics.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, announced on Tuesday that the country’s banking sector is making strong progress in the recapitalisation drive, with 20 banks now fully compliant.
Mr Cardoso disclosed this during a press conference at the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of 2026, where he also highlighted positive developments in the nation’s foreign reserves.
On March 28, 2024, the apex bank announced an increase in the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks with international licences to N500 billion.
National and regional financial institutions’ capital bases were pegged at N200 billion and N50 billion, respectively.
Also, CBN raised the merchant bank minimum capital requirement to N50 billion for national licence holders.
The banking regulator said the new capital base for national and regional non-interest banks is N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively.
To meet the minimum capital requirements, CBN advised banks to consider the injection of “fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issue and/or offer for subscription”.
Following the development, several banks announced plans to raise funds through share and bond issuances.
In January, Zenith Bank said it had raised N350.46 billion through rights issue and public offer to meet the CBN minimum capital requirement.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), on July 4, said it had successfully priced its fully marketed offering on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
In September, the CBN governor said 14 banks fully met their recapitalisation requirements — up from eight banks in July.
With one month to the central bank’s March 31, 2026, recapitalisation deadline, 13 Nigerian lenders are yet to cross the finish line.
Additionally, the governor noted that 33 banks have raised funds as part of the ongoing recapitalisation exercise, signalling robust capital mobilisation across the sector.
He stated that gross foreign reserves have climbed to a 13-year high of $50.4 billion as of mid-February 2026.
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