Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) face ongoing challenges. In response, governments have developed schemes to help remedy market deficiencies where private sector sources are unable or unwilling to operate, by creating public development banks.
The Montreal Group is an international forum created to foster peer group exchanges, identify best practices and innovative solutions on key topic issues, and develop thought leadership material contributing to the global MSME ecosystem.
In addition, The Montreal Group leverages its member’s global outreach to offer client missions for entrepreneurs from all member countries, providing the opportunity to visit tier one companies, network, and exploit B2B opportunities with participants from nine countries operating in the same industry. Accompanying MSMEs is at the heart of any exchange.
The founding meeting was held in September 2012 in Montreal, Canada, in the head office of BDC. For the subsequent years: 2013 Mexico (NAFIN); 2014 Brazil (BNDES); 2015 France (Bpifrance); 2016 India (SIDBI); 2017 Finland (Finnvera); 2018 Canada (BDC); 2019 China (CDB), 2020 (virtual) and 2021 (virtual).
In pictures on the right, Executives of the founding members during the launch in 2012.
Our mission
Our mission is to bring MSME Development Banks together as thought leaders to foster the evolution of their respective practices to the benefit of MSMEs from around the world.
How we do it
To encourage collaboration among our organizations, The Montreal Group
- holds annual meetings, rotating across member countries
- develops thought leadership material and leads
- supports other initiatives that are in line with our mission and that benefits our members
Our Board of Directors / Officers
| Name | Organization | The Montreal Group |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Pascal Lagarde |
Executive Director, International, Strategy, Studies and Development Banque publique d'investissement (Bpi), France |
Chair of the Board & Director |
| Mr. Juuso Heinilä |
Executive Vice President, SME Financing Finnvera, Finland |
Vice-President & Director |
| Mr. Jérôme Nycz |
Executive Vice President, BDC Capital Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) |
Treasurer & Director |
| Mr. Ivan Cornejo |
Director, International Financial Institutions Nacional financiera banca de desarollo (NAFIN), Mexico |
Director |
| Mr. XIE Zhijun |
General Manager, Planning & Administration Department China Development Bank (CDB), China |
Director |
| Mr. Gabriel Ervilha |
Head of Investors Relations Banco nacional de desenvolvimento economico e social (BNDES), Brazil |
Director |
| Dr. Ibrahim Almojel |
Chief Executive Officer Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), Saudi Arabia |
Director |
| Mr. Hicham Zanati Serghini |
Director General Caisse centrale de garantie (CCG), Morocco
|
Director |
| Mr. Jean-Pierre Di Bartolomeo |
President Sowalfin (Belgium) |
Director |
| Mr. Tony Okpanachi |
Managing director / CEO Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) |
Director |
| Ms. Sandra Péloquin |
Director, International Relations Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) |
Secretary General |
