Sustainable BusinessRecent posts
Artificial Intelligence for Health Care: Diagnosing Tropical Diseases in Remote Amazon Regions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the global health landscape, particularly in remote Amazon regions, where a new technology can diagnose cutaneous leishmaniasis using a cellphone without requiring an internet connection.
Reimagining the Future of Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean
At the FinnLAC Forum 2025 in Miami, the IDB Group hosted over 500 industry leaders and experts to help redefine the future of finance in Latin America and the Caribbean. The event focused on improving the ability of individuals and companies to better manage their finances, withstand economic shocks, and invest in their long-term prosperity. By highlighting innovations that broaden access, strengthen resilience, and promote overall financial health, the forum set the stage for more sustainable financial systems across the region.
Fixing the Broken Rung: How Data Can Help Advance Women’s Careers in Latin America and the Caribbean
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the greatest disruption in women’s career progression occurs during the transition into managerial roles. A collaboration between IDB Invest and LinkedIn, within the framework of the Development Data Partnership, uses large-scale labor-market data to identify where women’s participation declines and what barriers exist across sectors and career stages.
What does paternity leave have to do with a company’s success?
Companies in Latin America cannot find the human talent they’re looking for. An international survey of 41,000 companies found that more than 60% of employers in countries like Brazil and Peru have problems filling vacancies. In Costa Rica, more than 45% of the companies surveyed are dealing with this—they simply cannot find the right people.
Five lessons from the expansion of the Panama Canal
By Rachel Robboy Many aspects of the Panama Canal expansion make it stand out. The 7-year project to add a third lane to accommodate giant ships with triple the cargo capacity is the largest infrastructure project in Latin America and the Caribbean, costing over $5 billion. It brings in 22 percent of Panama’s national gross domestic product, allowing the country to grow at 6 percent in a year when the rest of the region is slowing down.
Why is there growing demand for Central American cocoa?
In pre-Columbian times, cocoa was a commodity so valuable it was used as a currency. In Mesoamerica, where it has been consumed for millennia, the Aztecs paid for everyday items in cocoa beans. Three would buy you a turkey egg, one hundred a whole hen.
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.
How cattle ranchers can profit from planting trees
In agriculture it’s not often that you find a relatively simple way to increase production by up to 20%. Planting trees turns out to be one such way for cattle farmers. Cows like shade and grow much faster if they graze on pastures dotted with trees. Studies show that combining livestock herding and forestry on the same stretch of land can lead to an 8% to 20% increase in dairy and meat production in the Southern Cone region.
Three ways to strengthen financing for private companies in the Caribbean
Growing up in The Bahamas, I remember my grandmother’s asue. There weren’t any banks where she lived on the island of Inagua, and even if there had been, it wasn’t customary for women to frequent them. To adapt, women (and sometimes men) formed their own informal savings groups, known as asues. As her group’s custodian, my grandmother collected a weekly contribution from participants who would then withdraw money on special occasions to cover school fees or larger purchases.
