Argentine bank Galicia is aiming to boost its number of small-and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) clients some 40% to 38,000 by the end of next year, compared to its current SME client portfolio, according to the bank's senior VP of corporate communications Diego Videla.
Galicia is "working hard" to recover its leadership position among private banks in the SME segment and the 2004 target will see the bank beat its pre-crisis SME client portfolio of 32,000, Videla said.
The SME segment has been one of the business segments to show the fastest recovery in Argentina, as SMEs demand fewer amounts of credit while a favourable exchange rate has given their exports an advantage in world markets.
