Day 1 of the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 saw panel discussions and key note addresses by some of the renowned names as speakers. The SME Finance Forum, a dynamic platform fostering SME financing, kicked off its three-day conference today in Mumbai. The theme for this year’s event is "Digital Ecosystems and the Future of SME Finance". Over the three-day event, 700 participants will attend, from senior bankers and tech luminaries to thought leaders from 70 countries and 250 institutions, to discuss digital ecosystems and the future of SME finance. Dr. Bhagwat Karad MoS, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, highlighted that "MSME plays a very important role in the development of the Indian economy. Currently, around 6.3 crore MSME enterprises are working in India and have generated around 11.1 crore employment opportunities. Around 30% of GDP comes from MSME, and the growth rate every year is 10 percent."