DPI & Open Data: SME Financial Identity

The expansion of digital public infrastructure (DPI) has created new pathways for inclusion by enabling digital identity, payments, and data exchange. However, its potential to transform SME finance remains constrained by fragmentation in data governance and lack of interoperability across systems. SME financial data is often locked within proprietary platforms, limiting portability and competition, while the absence of common standards prevents data from being used effectively for automated, scalable credit assessment. Cross-border trade and financing are further constrained by the lack of interoperable identity and data-sharing frameworks.

This session examines how to align DPI efforts with SME finance outcomes—focusing on the regulatory and institutional changes needed to unlock open, consent-based data sharing, machine-readable standards, and portable digital identities for SMEs. The discussion will explore how stronger data portability frameworks, interoperable systems, and governance models can enable SMEs to build verifiable financial histories across platforms, improve access to credit, and participate more fully in domestic and cross-border markets.