The third annual conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Guarantee Network (EMGN) “Credit Guarantee Schemes in the Mediterranean: Pillars of Today’s Stability, Actors for Tomorrow’s Prosperity” was co-organised with the Credit Guarantee Company of Egypt (CGC) and took place on 12 December 2022, in Marriott Mena House, Cairo, Egypt.

The conference discussed how policy-makers view the role of guarantee schemes in mitigating current risks and uncertainties, how guarantee schemes are ready to handle their diversified role with a special focus on green-finance and innovative products of equity, and finally how guarantee institutions can secure their financial sustainability with the forecasted high risks and expanded role.

The conference opened with welcome speeches by H.E. Nasser Kamel, Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean and Ms. Nagla Bahr, Lead Representative, EMGN & Managing Director, CGC-Egypt and continued with the event sessions.

Session 1 was “Navigating Uncertain Times: Policymaker’s View of the role of the Guarantee Schemes in supporting SMEs’ growing vulnerabilities” and it was moderated by Roger Albinyana, Managing Director, (IEMed). Advocacy and Event Coordinator, (EMGN). Panelists: Mr. Nabil Badr, Deputy Director of Banking Supervision, Bank Al-Maghrib, Morocco, Ms. Rana Badawi, Sub Governor- Regulations Sector, Central Bank of Egypt, Egypt, Mr. Tarek Elkholy, Federation of Egyptian Banks, Mr. Tahar Ben Hatira, President Directeur General, SOTUGAR, Tunisia.

Session 2 discussed about “Greening Guarantee Schemes – for Green Finance”, after a presentation by Ms. Catiana Garcia-Kilroy, Lead Financial Sector Specialist & Ms. Ghada Waheed Ismail, Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank. The session was moderated by Ms. Nagla Bahr, Lead Representative, EMGN & Managing Director, CGC-Egypt. Panelists: Mr. Mohammed Al-Jafari, Director General, Jordan Loan Guarantee Corporation (JLCG), Jordan, Ms. Virginie Poncet, Representative, European Association of Guarantee Institutions (AECM), Mr. José Fernando Figueiredo, Co-coordinator, Global Network of Guarantee Institutions (GNGI), Mr. Javier Vázquez Duran, Head of the Financial Institutions Unit, Nacional Financier, Mexico.

Session 3 was about “Guarantee Institutions in Face of Innovative Products”, moderated by Dr. Khater Abi Habib, Chairman, General Manager, Kafalat S.A.L., Lebanon. Panelists: Ms. Virginie Poncet, Head of International Expertise Activities, Bpifrance, France, Dr. Jae Sik Lee, Director/Technology Appraisal Department (KOTEC), Korea, Mr. Constant NZI, Deputy Group CEO and Group CRO, African Guarantee Fund, Kenya Mr. Taoufiq Lahrach, Directeur Général Délégué, Tamwilcom, Morocco, CGC Team (Risk & Digital), CGC Egypt

Session 4 discussed “Guarantee Schemes & Financial Sustainability” moderated by Mr. Hayder Al-Bagdadi, Head of the GIZ Project on Financial Inclusion in MENA, GIZ – TA Coordinator, (EMGN). Panelists: Mr. Bernd Leidner, Managing Director, LANDT Group – EMGN/AMF Initiative supported by GIZ, Mr. Adham Khattaby, National Expert, KfW Development Bank. Ms. Atika Ben Maid, Head of Unit, Natural Resources & Sustainable Finance, AFD, Ms. Reem El Saady, Regional Manager, SME Finance & Development, EBRD

The Conference came at an end with closing remarks by Ms. Nagla Bahr, Lead Representative, EMGN & Managing Director, CGC-Egypt, Mr. Hayder Al-Bagdadi, Head of the GIZ Project on Financial Inclusion in MENA, GIZ – TA Coordinator, (EMGN), and Mr. Roger Albinyana, Managing Director, IEMed – Advocacy and Event Coordinator, EMGN.

On 11 December 2022 the EMGN Steering Committee, hold a hybrid meeting. Among other issues EMGN SC members discussed about potential new members, EMGN actions implemented in 2022 and upcoming activities in 2023, budget and financial issues and the creation of taskforces for Legal and Regulatory framework, Financial Sustainability and fundraising and for Communication. A special presentation on the first part of the feasibility study on a regional counter-guarantee also took place during the Steering Committee meeting.

The Euro-Mediterranean Guarantee Network – EMGN seeks to alleviate the region’s structural constraints for MSMEs to access to finance by gathering guarantee schemes active in the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean. EMGN is promoted by the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association – EMEA, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Link to presentations