During one of my rotations in the Caribbean, I worked with a furniture maker who won a hotel contract in another country in the region. She delivered to the port on time. The invoice went out. Then nothing. The wire transfer was initiated in week two, the currency conversion in week three, and the compliance checks in week four. 

Caribbean Small Island Developing States face persistent vulnerability to extreme weather shocks – a reality underscored in November 2025, when Hurricane Melissa struck. Roofs were torn off, ground floors flooded, and power lines snapped.

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.

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.

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.