First City Monument Bank (FCMB), has provided a platform for Nigeria-based Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to expand beyond the shores of the country. Recently, the bank organised virtual seminars for SMEs aimed at connecting them with globally recognized experts and business entities.
The match-making seminars were organised in collaboration with the Nigeria-Belgian Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) and recorded a number of quality businesses in attendance.
In a statement signed by the Group Head, Corporate Affairs of FCMB, Mr. Diran Olojo, the Bank explained that the seminars provided platforms to expose and connect its SME customers to lucrative globalopportunities with European and Middle East based businesses. This is to enhance growth, competitiveness and sustainability of Nigeria based SMEs in the global environment.
The first virtual seminar, tagged “Energy Catalyst”, held from June 1 to 5, brought together over 50 SMEs based in Nigeria and 12 United Kingdom based ones to explore opportunities to partner in the execution of renewable energy projects along with the possibility of receiving grants from Innovate UK , a research and innovation agency in the UK. The webinar featured informative discussions covering topics like; Energy access situation in Nigeria, how to do business in Nigeria (etiquette, environment, culture).
Among the experts that provided insight and solutions were the Chief Executive Officer, All On, Dr. Wiebe Boer; Partner, Tax, Regulatory & People Services at KPMG Mr. Adewale Ajayi; Executive Director, Business Development, FCMB, Mrs. Bukola Smith: Group Head, Business Banking, of the Bank, Mr. George Ogbonnaya, among others.
The second seminar, which took the form of a virtual trade fair, was held on July 7. It focused on enlightening SME on the vast opportunities of manufacturing in Qatar and the numerous partnership possibilities with leading manufacturers in construction, building materials & plastic industries based in the Middle East region. A total of 34 SME businesses were exposed to new markets and relationships in Qatar and the Middle East.
The speakers urged SMEs in Nigeria to look beyond their immediate environment by forming alliances with other businesses across the world to tap from the vast opportunities that globalisation offers.
FCMB remains a top player in the SMEs segment. The Bank emerged as the best in customer experience for SMEs in the year 2019, based on the Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience Survey (NBICES) report from KPMG, a leading international consulting firm, published in December 2019.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) is a member of FCMB Group Plc, which is one of the leading financial services institutions in Nigeria with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their respective segments. Having successfully transformed to a retail banking and wealth management led group, FCMB expects to continue to distinguish itself through innovation and the delivery of exceptional services.
