Providing strategies to enhance the bank’s value proposition to SMEs Since November 2019, the CCX team has been collaborating with BPR Bank Rwanda (formally KCB Rwanda) on enhancing the bank’s capacity to deliver financial and non-financial services (NFS) that meet the needs of its SME customers, under the funding of Argidius Foundation.

The building blocks of the project revolve around:

– Building the capacity of the staff on SME relationship management;
– Strengthening the bank’s NFS strategy and implementation, and;
– Tailoring the SME value proposition for different segments.

Since the launch, the CCX team has assisted the bank in redefining its SME segments, deepening relationship banking, sales, and credit analysis skills of the retail and credit teams through extensive training and integrating NFS solutions within the bank’s business model. CCX’s hands-on experience in SME lending and business development provided fundamental support and know-how in designing customized lending approaches and non-financial services for the target groups. While the capacity building focuses on training, coaching, and mentoring staff of different departments and roles through an “SME Excellence Center”, the NFS work focuses on fostering clients’ financial and business skills in order to help them grow and become more resilient. The CCX team also launched the SME Response Clinic in response to the pandemic’s issues of access to information, business skills training and development, and finance. The online portal provides a centralized source of information and opportunities targeting entrepreneurs in Rwanda.

CCX’s effort to deliver technical assistance to BPR Bank through implementing a holistic banking model and addressing the financial and non-financial needs of SMEs aims to ultimately foster entrepreneurship in Rwanda by providing access to finance, business skills, information, and networking opportunities for SME owners.