Joint research from the IDB’s Caribbean Department, IDB Invest, and the Complete Caribbean Partnership uses enterprise survey data to highlight that firms from across the Caribbean face challenges when it comes to access to finance, particularly given the depth and development of credit and capital markets. Findings suggest that the most pressing barriers to finance are … [Read more...] about Give Credit Where It Is Due: Firm Financing in a Post-Pandemic Caribbean
Jamaica
A more robust financial sector would strengthen firms in Barbados
Are you a business owner who would like to expand operations but find it difficult to get a loan from a bank? Are you an entrepreneur with an innovative idea that has market value but finding someone to invest in your project seems an impossible task? If that is the case, you are not alone! The new issue of IDB’s Caribbean Economics Quarterly covers the topic of finance … [Read more...] about A more robust financial sector would strengthen firms in Barbados
Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities
Jamaica’s successful and sustained reform efforts over the past decade have laid the foundation for more rapid financial development, but findings suggest that access to finance remains a major obstacle to investment, innovation, and development for firms across the region—particularly smaller enterprises and those led by women. A new joint publication from the IDB’s … [Read more...] about Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities
Can soft-skills training improve business outcomes of microentrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of small business growth and innovation. Therefore, many initiatives attempt to improve entrepreneurs’ skill sets as a way of improving productivity in micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses, which would lead to faster growth. The IDB’s strategy is focused on increasing the relatively low productivity of Latin America and the Caribbean, … [Read more...] about Can soft-skills training improve business outcomes of microentrepreneurs?
Partnering with the police to end gender-based violence
Before joining the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), I was a journalist working in the Caribbean. The police were among the key stakeholders with whom I interacted almost daily. Even with this close ‘working relationship’ I realised that I had—until recently—very limited knowledge about the work of law enforcement. This may be true for most people who do not engage with … [Read more...] about Partnering with the police to end gender-based violence