AI-powered SME platform GlobalLinker partners with Hong Kong's AMTD to develop and boost Asian SMEs

Mumbai-based AI-powered SME platform GlobalLinker on Monday announced a strategic collaboration with Hong Kong-headquartered financial institution AMTD to enable long-term development and competitiveness of Asian SMEs. A press release stated the partnership will contribute to the Business Sans Borders (BSB) initiative under the framework set by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

"BSB utilises Artificial intelligence (AI) to enable SMEs to discover prices and sales opportunities in a larger global marketplace, access various supply chains, and easily source and utilise relevant digital and financial solutions," the statement read.

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According to the press release, the collaboration will see GlobalLinker join and become a permanent and core member of AMTD's proprietary SpiderNet ecosystem. Simultaneously, AMTD will join GlobalLinker’s SME network. Together, they will attempt to help accelerate the global expansion of Asian SMEs.

Calvin Choi, Chairman and CEO, AMTD, said, the strategic partnership would leverage AMTD’s strong foundation in the Greater Bay Area and connectivity with the global markets. According to him, the collaboration will "help SMEs to accelerate their digitisation, provide them with full lifecycle solutions, empower their globalisation, and contribute to Business Sans Borders.”

Sameer Vakil, Co-Founder and CEO, GlobalLinker, said,

“Our strategic partnership with AMTD will bring an entire ecosystem of like-minded companies and capabilities from AMTD and SpiderNet to GlobalLinker SMEs. Likewise, we will offer the best of GlobalLinker to all the SMEs within the AMTD ecosystem. This combined power will allow us both to better serve the business growth ambitions of SMEs."

GlobalLinker was founded in 2015 by Sameer Vakil and Summi Gambhir. It is a fintech platform that digitises SMEs and makes a vast network by connecting them to one another. Currently, the platform hosts over 3,00,000 SMEs from over 150 countries through co-branding with financial institutions, corporations, trade associations, and governments.

In March 2020, it launched an SME forum in partnership with Wadhwani Advantage to help businesses become better equipped to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The forum allows SMEs to access knowledge resources, perspectives from experts, transactional solutions such as a free ecommerce store, a fully-digitised supply chain for brands, a B2B marketplace listing for wholesale transactions, and more.