MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest Lending $30m to Atlantic Bank in Support of MSMEs in Belize, with a Focus on Women-owned Firms

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently agreed to issue Atlantic Bank Limited of Belize senior loan funds of up to USD 30 million with the aim of fostering the expansion of Atlantic Bank’s financing for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The funding package is divided

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Child Labor, Rainfall Shocks and Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Rural Households,” by Carolina Bernal and Razvan Vlaicu, Published by IDB

Ms Bernal and Dr Vlaicu combine rainfall data and household survey results to examine how rural Colombian families respond to in­come shocks produced by unexpected weather events. In particular, they investigate the “inter-temporal trade-off” that households face

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest, Sura Investments Channeling $25m in Loans to SMEs, Mid-market Firms in Colombia

Colombia’s Sura Investments recently raised COP 100 billion (USD 25 million) for its Sura Private Debt Fund from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. The fund was launched in 2020 with an initial volume of COP 38 billion (USD 9.5 million). The goal is to provide local-currency funding on longer terms than are otherwise available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest, Oikocredit Subscribing to $20m Bond from CJA to Finance MSMEs in Ecuador, Targeting Underrepresented Groups

Ecuador-based Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Jardín Azuayo (CJA), with support from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, is issuing bonds to raise a total of USD 20 million. The Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit and IDB Invest each have committed to purchase

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FSPs in Ecuador to Evaluate Role of Bias in Financial Access for Women-led MSMEs with Support from IDB Invest, RFD

Red de Instituciones Financieras de Desarrollo (RFD), a network of 53 banks, cooperatives and nonprofit financial services providers (FSPs) in Ecuador, recently agreed to partner with IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, to offer RFD members advisory services relating to boosting their financing of female-led micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). RFD will distribute an online survey designed by the IDB Group to address

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BIM Borrows $20m from IDB Invest for Locfund Next to Support Lenders to MSMEs in Latin America, Caribbean

Locfund Next, a debt fund managed by Bolivia-based BIM Asset Management, recently accepted a 6-year loan of USD 20 million from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. The loan is intended to help funders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand their outreach to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Lab Accepting Applications from Entrepreneurs in Latin America, Caribbean for WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition, Partner of Google for Startups, Through March 31

WeXchange, a program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s IDB Lab, recently started accepting applications from female entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean for the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition. The competition targets women whose businesses

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Soleco, Deetken, IDB Deliver “Women in Solar” Training in Jamaica

Soleco Energy, a solar firm serving Latin America and the Caribbean, recently delivered a three-day “Women in Solar” training to 19 women in Jamaica with the intent of boosting the number of women working in the solar energy industry. There was no cost to participants, who gained exposure to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inmobiliaria Ruba Borrowing Up to $75m from IDB Invest to Increase Access to, Affordability of Housing in Mexico

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently agreed to lend MXN 1.5 billion (USD 75 million) to Mexico-based housing developer Inmobiliaria Ruba to expand access to low- and middle-income housing in Mexico. Along with the funding, IDB Invest will assist Ruba in: (1) becoming less impactful on the environment; and (2) strengthening its relationships with smaller suppliers by providing them with short-term finance via “reverse factoring.” One third of the funding from IDB Invest is for

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest Lends $15m to Cordada to Bolster Lenders to MSMEs in Chile, Mexico, Peru

IDB Invest, the private-investment member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently announced a loan of USD 15 million to Cordada, a funder of financial technology (fintech) and other lenders to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Peru, Mexico and Chile. The deal includes a renewable two-year term as well

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MSME Clients of Sudameris Bank to Benefit from $15m Bond Issued by IDB Invest in Paraguay

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently arranged a bond in the amount of PYG 100 billion (USD 15 million) to fund “medium- and long-term” lending in local currency by Paraguay’s Banco Sudameris to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises. The bond is priced at 7.9 percent and was intermediated by

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Belize, ICDF, IDB Seek to Create Employment, Aid Pandemic Recovery Among MSMEs, Especially Women-led Firms 

The multilateral Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) and Belize’s government recently agreed to collaborate on an effort to facilitate job creation and the growth of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Belize. With a focus on female entrepreneurs, the program targets MSMEs with investments to “finance

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Banco Compartamos Borrows $50m from IDB Invest to On-lend to Micro-, Small Enterprises in Mexico, Focusing on Female-run Enterprises

IDB Invest, the private-investment member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently announced a local-currency loan totaling the equivalent of USD 50 million to Banco Compartamos, one of the seven units of Mexico-based Gentera. Compartamos provides

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNCR Raising $75m from IDB Invest, FinDev Canada via Social Bond Issue Focusing on Women Entrepreneurs in Costa Rica

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently arranged a social bond issue in the amount of USD 75 million to benefit the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (BNCR), a government-owned bank. The funding is intended to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest to Help Comafi of Argentina Manage Environmental, Social Risks; Deploy $20m to SMEs for Equipment Upgrades

IDB Invest, a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently loaned USD 20 million to Argentina’s Banco Comafi to invest in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) via leasing services and asset financing. In particular, the intent is to enable access to equipment that is more efficient or otherwise employs better technology. The wholesale loan has a period of up to three years and is renewable for an additional three years. Meanwhile, IDB Invest will

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Banco Santander, DEG, IDB Invest, Itaú BBA Loan $150m to Banco Pan to Boost Digital Financing of Vehicles, Microenterprise, Consumption in Brazil

IDB Invest, a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, is leading a loan package totaling USD 150 million for Banco Pan SA, a Brazilian commercial bank, with the aim of increasing access to digital financial services for people with low incomes. The loan funding includes USD 50 million from IDB Invest, USD 25 million from Germany’s Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), and USD 75 million as a B loan funded in unspecified portions by Spain’s Banco Santander and Brazil’s Itaú BBA. Banco Pan plans to use the funding,

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Centraal, Google, IDB Lab Seeking Applicants for LAC Women Founders Accelerator Program Through September 12

Three organizations recently launched the LAC Women Founders Accelerator Program “for STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] startups led by women in Latin America and the Caribbean [LAC]”: (1) Centraal, “a coworking space, a meeting place, and home to a number of startups” in Mexico; (2) US-based technology firm Google; and (3) IDB Lab, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. Twenty startups will be selected to participate in the 10-week program, which includes mentorship; a “Demo Day,” during which entrepreneurs can