Latin America and Caribbean

Members IDB Invest and Overseas Private Investment Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding  pledging to invest a combined $3 billion in development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next five years, with the option of increasing the investment to $5 billion. IDB Invest and OPIC aim to match this investment by catalyzing additional capital from the private sector, for a total ranging between $6 billion and $10 billion.

In this interview by James Militizer of NextBillion, Martin Burt, Founder and CEO of Fundacion Paraguaya, speaks about his book and suggests we ask a different question: Who owns poverty? In it, he explores what happens when you examine poverty from the viewpoint of the real experts: poor families themselves.

Fintech firms in Latin America are having a moment with the equity investing titans of the world, and debt investors are taking note.
Venture capital heavyweights including Softbank, Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital have boosted their equity investments in the region over the past six to 12 months, according to multiple industry sources.
News via Forbes.

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, and Banistmo, a subsidiary of the Bancolombia Group, announce the issuance of the first social gender bond in Latin America, totaling $50 million with a five-year term. Banistmo issues the bond and IDB Invest structures it and buys 100 percent of it.

Tech Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have a significant role to play in the IoT value chain by designing, integrating and adapting IoT solutions that respond to the realities, ecosystem and needs of the region.

Interest in access to finance and awareness of its importance have increased significantly since the early 2000s. Growing evidence suggests that lack of access to credit prevents many households and firms from financing high-return investment projects, which has an adverse effect on growth and poverty alleviation. Still, there are some major gaps in our understanding of the main drivers of access, as well as about the impact of different policies in this area.