OECD held the first Roundtable to bolster digitalization of SMEs on Friday, 29 November, in which the Digital for SMEs Global Initiative was launched. The Event gathered Ministers from New Zealand, Korea and Ireland, as well as close to 100 participants, including 23 governments, 13 large companies, 28 SMEs, 5 incubators, 4 financial institutions and additional participants from academia and business sector associations. The OECD Digital for SMEs Global Initiative (D4SME) intends to promote knowledge sharing and learnings on how different types of SMEs can seize the benefits of digitalization, and on the role of government, regulators, business sectors and other institutions in supporting SME digitalization.

Through international benchmarking and country-level studies, the OECD can help governments assess conditions for digital adoption by SMEs and identify good practices to enhance effective use of digital applications, while mitigating emerging risks.