Broadband Boosts Business Performance and Access to Credit in Peru

Access to universal and meaningful broadband internet is a must for boosting economic growth and reducing the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean. It can also boost access to finance for the most excluded segment of the credit market: micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). A recent study supported by IDB and IDB Invest analyzed the effects of broadband expansion on the credit market in Peru, finding that smaller firms with limited credit histories benefited the most.

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The Way Forward: Four Lessons for Women’s Economic Empowerment

Based on the IDB Group’s track record with supporting women’s economic empowerment, here are four overarching lessons with a focus on private sector initiatives. Some may seem obvious at first glance, but there are still many institutions, both public and private, that don’t consider women´s particular needs.

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From Arepa Seller to Restaurant Owner: How to Help Women Entrepreneurs Grow

Female street vendors are the epitome of Latino micro-entrepreneurs, with a very clear business plan to someday set up their own stores or restaurants. During this crisis, the financial sector must take on an intermediary role by providing them with the financing they need to go digital.

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Why does the private sector need capital markets?

Across emerging markets, access to finance is one of the largest barriers to success for private enterprises. Business leaders cite scarcity of credit as their main concern for growth, outweighing issues like corruption, tax and political instability.

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From knowledge to reality: Leveling the playing field for women

What a coincidence that during the same week, the IMF published “Women, Work and the Economy”, the Clinton Global Initiative announced numerous initiatives to empower women and the IDB hosted Jackie VanderBrug to kick off a speaker series highlighting influential professionals who promote women in the private sector. While long overdue, the issue of gender is getting the traction it deserves.

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Five reasons FinTech companies are an opportunity for financial institutions and SMEs

By Greg Da Re Access to financing has been and continues to be the main obstacle facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). According to a recent survey, 90% of all banks surveyed in Latin America and the Caribbean consider SMEs strategically important for their business, yet 44% acknowledge that their portfolio lacks suitable financial products for such enterprises.

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