The BID group and the small and medium enterprise (1990-2004): Results of 15 years of work

This document describes the activities performed by the BID group between 1990 and 2005 aimed at supporting the small and medium enterprises (SME). It includes, in its first chapter, a brief analysis of the importance of the SME in Latin America and the Caribbean, the reasons behind the implementation of support policies and programs, and the challenges and opportunities that face the sector in the present environment, characterized by globalization, regional integration and technological change. The second chapter explores the institutional and strategic framework of the BID group in which the support operations aimed at SME are based, and then presents the statistics about the loans and the technical cooperations in the last 15 years associated with the improving of the entrepreneurial environment conditions, the financing access and the development of the market of entrepreneurial development services. The final chapter of the report includes a recapitulation of the lessons learned as result of the support operations and the future challenges related to the support of the BID group destined to the small and medium enterprises. Available in Spanish only.