What The Montreal Group does

The Montreal Group (TMG) is a not-for-profit international association founded in 2012 in Montreal, Canada, at the headquarters of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). It operates as a global forum exclusively for public development banks focused on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), currently comprising 14 member banks across 14 countries and 5 continents, including BDC (Canada), Bpifrance (France), BNDES (Brazil), CDB (China), SIDBI (India), NAFIN (Mexico), and CDP (Italy). Its core offerings are peer-exchange programs organized around three Key Topic Working Groups — the Chief Economists Roundtable, the Sustainability Advisory Group, and the Innovative Solutions Group — supplemented by annual Summits, CEO Gatherings, AGM events, and a stream of research publications and benchmark reports.

TMG's underlying technology is deliberately minimal: it is a collaboration platform, not a software vendor. Its infrastructure consists of a public website (themontrealgroup.org), a members-only digital repository (the Members' Area launched in 2024), email and newsletter communications, YouTube for event recordings, and a LinkedIn presence. There are no APIs, SDKs, mobile applications, or proprietary AI/ML systems. The Secretariat, headquartered within BDC's offices at 5 Place Ville Marie, consists of a Secretary-General (Karen Kastner, since April 2023), a Head of Operations (William Polushin), and an Advisor (Jane Preteroti), with additional support staff hired on a need basis.

The organization's business model is a non-profit membership association. Revenue is generated from contributions paid by member institutions, with the specific fee structure not publicly disclosed. The value proposition is access to a unique peer network of state-owned MSME-focused banks, enabling knowledge exchange, benchmarking, joint research, and strategic planning support. TMG grows primarily through community-led membership recruitment, with new members admitted via an application process reviewed by the Secretariat against criteria including legal status, government ownership, MSME focus, and meaningful size in the applicant's jurisdiction. The organization does not sell products or services to non-members and is governed collectively by its members, each of which appoints a representative to the Board of Directors.

Name

The Montreal Group

Legal name

The Montreal Group Inc.

Website

https://themontrealgroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Montreal Group is a not-for-profit international association founded in 2012 that serves as the only global forum for public MSME-focused development banks, enabling peer exchange, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among 14 member institutions across 14 countries and 5 continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Bank Association / Public Banking Forum

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Development bank network
• Public banking forum
• MSME financial institutions
• Peer learning platform
• Bank association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: The Montreal Group is a not-for-profit association. Its operations are funded through contributions from member institutions. The specific membership fee structure is not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Montreal Group is a not-for-profit international association that brings together publicly owned development banks focused on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). It provides a global platform for collaboration, mutual learning, and exchange of technical expertise and best practices through working groups, an annual summit, CEO gatherings, and collaborative research publications such as white papers and benchmark reports. Its members gain access to a members-only digital repository and a network of peer institutions across multiple continents.

Product overview

The Montreal Group is an international not-for-profit association and global forum — not a technology product company. Its offerings consist entirely of collaborative programs, knowledge products, and event platforms: Working Groups (Chief Economists Roundtable, Sustainability Advisory Group, Innovative Solutions Group) facilitating peer exchange among member public banks; a Publications/Knowledge Hub producing research papers, benchmark reports, and member spotlights on topics such as SME financing, sustainability, digital transformation, and crisis support; and an annual Summit and Annual General Meeting series as the primary in-person convening formats. There are no standalone software products, modules, platforms-as-a-service, APIs, or named digital product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Montreal Group Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 member institutions across 14 countries and 5 continents as of 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, The Montreal Group has been a knowledge partner of the OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability. The platform helps local and national governments unleash the potential of entrepreneurs and SMEs, promotes inclusive and sustainable regions, and provides data and analysis to develop policies facilitating sustainable growth and competitiveness. TMG contributes research and expertise to this partnership.
• Finance in CommoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, The Montreal Group has been a member of the Finance in Common Executive Committee. Finance in Common is the global network of all Public Development Banks (PDBs), aligned with the financial flows of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. It aims to build partnerships among PDBs to accelerate convergence toward common standards and best practices, and to support banks' commitments to reorient strategies toward sustainability.
• UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNEP FI gathers a broad network of banks, insurers and investors that collectively catalyses actions across the financial system to create a more sustainable global economy. The Montreal Group partnered with UNEP FI to offer training opportunities to members and to advance sustainability practices among public MSME banks.
• INSMEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINSME is a non-profit organization that supports SMEs with best practices in innovation, and that catalyzes information on opportunities, latest trends and insights in innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship. The network also aims to foster transnational cooperation and public-private partnerships among economic actors and intermediaries.
• SME Finance ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SME Finance Forum is a global network that shares knowledge, stimulates innovation, and promotes the growth of SMEs. It has over 240 members (financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions) and is dedicated to accelerating access to finance for SMEs.
• UN Women & UN Global Compact (Women's Empowerment Principles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Montreal Group is a signatory of the UN Women's Empowerment Principles — a set of seven principles providing guidance on advancing gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Launched in March 2010 through collaboration between UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the WEPs are based on international labor and human rights standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ADFIAP (Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific): Regional association of development financing institutions in Asia-Pacific. Comparable to TMG in mission (peer exchange among development banks) but geographically narrower; both serve as membership-driven knowledge-sharing platforms for public development finance institutions.
• SME Finance Forum: Global network of 240+ financial institutions, technology companies, and development finance institutions managed by the IFC to accelerate SME access to finance. Directly comparable to TMG on the MSME-finance mandate, though membership is open to a broader set of institution types.
• INSME (International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises): Non-profit network supporting SMEs through innovation best practices, transnational cooperation, and public-private partnerships. TMG lists INSME as a partner; both target SME ecosystem development and operate as membership-driven, knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Finance in Common: Global network of all public development banks aligned with the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement; TMG sits on its Executive Committee. It overlaps directly with TMG's public-bank peer-exchange mandate but covers a much broader PDB universe beyond MSME-focused institutions.
• International Development Finance Club (IDFC): Network of 27 national and regional development banks focused on sustainable development financing. Like TMG, it convenes public development banks for knowledge exchange, peer benchmarking, and joint positions on climate and development finance.
• OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability: OECD-led platform helping local and national governments enable SME sustainable finance; TMG is an official knowledge partner. Overlaps with TMG on the SME sustainability-finance agenda and serves a comparable convening and research role for member institutions.

Emerging players

• Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS): Network of central banks and supervisors working on climate-related financial risks. Thematically adjacent to TMG's sustainability workstream but focused on central banks rather than public development banks; useful comparator for membership-driven convening models in development finance.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): Global membership organization for impact investors, including development-finance institutions. Comparable as a membership-based knowledge and standards body, though GIIN serves investors across the impact spectrum rather than exclusively public MSME banks.

Regional players

• European Long-Term Investors Association (ELTI / LTIIA): Association of European long-term public and semi-public financial institutions. Comparable peer-exchange model for public financial institutions, though the geographic mandate is regional (European) rather than global and membership is broader than TMG's MSME-bank focus.

Broad incumbents

• UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI): Broad UN-convened network of banks, insurers and investors catalysing sustainable finance action. TMG is a formal partner for member training. UNEP FI is far larger and broader in scope than TMG's public-bank niche but shares the sustainability-finance agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@themontrealgroup9712/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-montreal-group
• Xx.com/Montreal_Group_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Montreal Group