Support Program for SMMEs biodiversity friendly.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) is a multilateral financial institution, which mission is to promote the integration and a balanced economical and social development of the Central American countries. Under its Support Strategy to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) framework, the CABEI has as general objective supporting the sustainable development of SMMEs and the financial system that assists them, with the purpose of contributing to the generation of employment and richness.
In line with this strategy, the CABEI has established the Support Program for biodiversity friendly SMMEs (BF-SMMES), with the purpose of stimulating the financing of SMMEs that incorporate protection and conservation of biodiversity into their businesses, products and services.
Purpose of the Program
The goal of this program is to support biodiversity friendly businesses like:
- Businesses that will change their production or processing system to expand the habitat for wild species and/or to reduce their damage, stimulating the growth of biodiversity, like the organic cultivation, incorporating native trees into the production system.
- Businesses that will stimulate the markets for goods and services produced with methods and ways as described before, like the creation of stores specialized in selling organic products.
- Businesses that because of their nature or location lead to the reduction of damages to biodiversity, like the sustainable rural tourism connected to protected areas.
- Businesses that will reduce their negative impact on biodiversity, like the fishing methods that avoid capturing marine mammals, birds and reptiles.
Objectives of the Program
- To facilitate financing to SMMEs that incorporate protection and conservation of biodiversity into their businesses, products and services.
- To expand the offer of the financial sector products to BF-SMMEs.
- To assist and incentive SMMEs to develop BF activities and businesses.
- To promote an enabling environment that stimulates the growth of BF-SMMEs.
Beneficiary Countries
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Participating Institutions
Credits are given through Intermediary Financial Institutions (IFIs) that comply with the CABEI’s requirements of eligibility and that can be Banks, Micro-financial Institutions, Credit Financial Institutions, Cooperatives, NGO’s, among others.
Ultimate Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries could be owners of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as those people with entrepreneurial spirit who want to develop or increase their levels of productivity and competitiveness through productive biodiversity friendly activities.
Economic Activities Addressed
Production, services, Agro-Industry, Industry and Commerce among the priority productive sectors of Agroforestry, Sustainable Tourism, Organic Agriculture, Sustainable Forestry Management, certified Aquaculture, Sustainable Fishery and Sylvopastoral systems. Credits for consumption or personal use are excluded. For more information contact the CABEI Country Office.
If you want to know more about the economic activities addressed, you can also review the documents available in the Download Section of this Web Page. Go to Download Section.
Terms and Conditions
- Destination: Working capital, Fixed Investments and Pre-investment, and reimbursable technical assistance..
- Terms: Can be up to 10 years and vary according to the destination.
- Grace Period: Can be up to 24 months and vary according to the destination.
- Interest Rates: The interest rate applicable to IFIs is fixed based on the market rates and is reviewed quarterly or before if necessary. The interest rates that they use with the ultimate user are established according to their own policies.
- Warranty: An endorsement is required as warranty of the portfolio generated with the resources granted by the CABEI, or another current A or B portfolio of the borrower, for an amount not less than the 100% of the total balance of the global line of credit. In special cases, other specific complementary warranties could be requested to the satisfaction of CABEI. The IFIs decide the warranty requested to the ultimate beneficiaries, according to their own policies.
- Form of Payment: The form to pay the expenditure requested to the CABEI could be quarterly or six-monthly, according o the needs of the institution and of the ultimate beneficiary’s.
Use of Resources
In order to learn about, direct and strengthen CABEI’s participation in the BF-SMMEs sector, financing granted under the framework of the Support Program for BF-SMMEs are justified in one only Use of Resources Card (BF-F1), according to an electronic format and instructions provided for that purpose by CABEI.
Financing to IFIs granted under the Framework of the Support Program to BF-SMMEs are made subject to the following characteristics:
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* When using the resources, the accomplishment of the two parameters of reference must be observed.
