In this blog post, we explore three innovative financing models for SMEs that have expanded funding for women-led productive activities: Konfío’s agile lending system in Mexico, Danper’s financial solutions for its suppliers in Peru, and Sicredi’s model in Brazil for small businesses committed to the Amazon biome.

IDB Invest finances and provides technical assistance to these initiatives, which target different socioeconomic contexts and SME categories but share a common goal: to facilitate access and promote financial health.

Konfío’s Express Loans for SMEs

In Mexico, Konfío’s platform offers a 24/7 system for applying for, approving, and disbursing loans in a single day. Konfío’s streamlined credit risk assessment process uses artificial intelligence to analyze company finances and business risk levels, and to estimate loan amounts, interest rates, and terms.

Konfío’s algorithm-based system, which makes decisions solely on credit risk, has enabled a higher approval rate for women-led SMEs. 

Another distinctive feature of Konfío’s model is its financing for new SMEs that have reported sales to tax authorities for at least three months. These improvements have increased access to credit and produced measurable impacts on business performance.

A study by IDB Invest on Konfío’s business model shows that, after two years, SMEs that received a loan increased their sales by an average of 19.4%. For women-led businesses, that growth reached 42%.

IDB Invest has supported Konfío’s credit management model since 2019 through financing and corporate governance advisory, enabling the platform to meet Mexico’s strict regulatory requirements and strengthen its operations.
 

Supporting Rural SMEs in Peru

In Peru, IDB Invest supports one of the most promising models for driving sustainable development in rural communities through strengthening SMEs integrated in Danper’s value chain. Danper is an agribusiness company with 10 processing plants and is a leader in food exports.

BID Invest financed Danper with $25 million to strengthen food purchases from MSMEs and an additional $10 million to fund early invoice payments through the fintech platform Efactor Network. Early payment of invoices is crucial to improving MSMEs’ growth prospects, as it enables them to plan their business operations and long-term investments.

Danper also stands out for promoting women’s participation in its supply chain. 30% of the company’s agricultural products come from women farmers who receive support through technical assistance and a financing program for input purchases.

IDB Invest provides technical and financial support to this program through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), which strengthens the capacity of women suppliers.
 

Financing SMEs in the Amazon

IDB Invest’s support for SMEs has reached Boca do Acre, Amazonas – a remote town of 38,000 residents with limited connectivity – through Sicredi, a credit cooperative with more than 8 million members in Brazil.
Sicredi has expanded credit to small businesses in remote Amazon regions, where financing is essential for developing sustainable ventures that protect the Amazon biome.

IDB Invest supported Sicredi’s operations with $30 million to strengthen SMEs, including $5 million for productive initiatives in the Amazon, with a focus on women-led projects.

In Brazil, as in the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, SMEs are the backbone of local economies, representing 99.5% of businesses and employing more than 60% of the region’s population. This is why a part of IDB Invest’s mission is to scale opportunities to strengthen SME development and boost women-led productive initiatives through financing and technical assistance.

Today, the convergence of technology, data, and new business models is transforming how financing expands. Digital platforms, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence enable both established and emerging financial actors to reach more SMEs with faster, more personalized, and evidence-based solutions.

This dynamism opens a new frontier: an ecosystem where innovation not only improves access to credit but also drives financial health, participation in value chains, and local development. Seizing this moment is key for women-led SMEs to become the engine of a more resilient, competitive, and sustainable economic transformation across the region.