Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria has marked International SME Day 2026 with a dedicated client engagement session designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises sharpen their export capabilities and compete more effectively in international markets.
The session, themed “Scaling Beyond Borders in a Changing Global Market,” brought together regulators, industry experts, business leaders, and SME clients for substantive discussions on export development, trade facilitation, and cross-border growth strategy.
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What was discussed at the session
Conversations at the engagement centred on the shifting macroeconomic environment, the need for stronger collaboration across Nigeria’s trade ecosystem, and the role financial institutions should play in enabling smaller businesses to move beyond domestic markets. Acting Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Ayodeji Adelagun, opened the session by reaffirming the significance of SMEs to the Nigerian economy.
He noted that SMEs account for approximately 96 per cent of all businesses in the country, contribute nearly half of the national GDP, and employ a significant proportion of the workforce. Adelagun said the rapidly evolving global business landscape presents a defining opportunity for Nigerian enterprises to expand beyond local markets and compete with greater confidence across Africa and the world, driven by digital transformation, regional integration, and shifting consumer preferences.
He was direct, however, about the headwinds that stand between Nigerian SMEs and that potential. Currency volatility, evolving trade policies, supply chain disruptions, infrastructure constraints, technology adoption gaps, and limited access to affordable finance remain persistent obstacles. He said building resilience, strengthening adaptability, and investing in the right capabilities will determine which businesses are able to sustain international growth and which remain trapped by domestic limitations.
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The bank’s position on SME support
Head of SME Banking at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Bisi Oke, used the session to outline the bank’s commitment to supporting clients beyond transactional banking. She said the engagement was designed to provide SME clients with access to the insights, partnerships, and opportunities needed to grow and compete internationally. She described export-led growth as an important and underexplored pathway for Nigerian SMEs, and said the bank’s focus is on helping businesses unlock that pathway through the right combination of knowledge, networks, and financial solutions.
What it means for Nigerian businesses
International SME Day, observed annually on June 27 under the United Nations calendar, has grown in prominence as a platform for financial institutions, development agencies, and policymakers to restate their commitments to small business support.
Standard Chartered’s decision to use the occasion for a practical, client-facing engagement rather than a ceremonial event reflects a shift in how some institutions are approaching SME development — emphasizing trade readiness and market access rather than credit products alone.
For Nigerian small businesses, many of which continue to operate entirely within domestic markets despite producing goods and services with legitimate export potential, structured conversations of this kind with regulators and financial partners in the same room can provide both orientation and actionable steps toward internationalisation.
