It is one of the most ambitious projects that the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Unit has supported, and its success is expected to dramatically alter how MSMEs are perceived in the marketplace.
The government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Energy and Business is partnering with the Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE) and the Barbados Small Business Association (SBA) to help transform a group of promising small businesses into investment ready enterprises for the local securities market.
The MSME Unit of the CDB’s Private Sector Division has pledged USD 350,000 to support the initiative dubbed Promoting Access to Equity Financing to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Through the Innovation and Growth Market of the Barbados Stock Exchange.
Small businesses have been dogged by perceptions about their risk when compared to those with larger corporate structures and reserves to provide them with the cover they need when there is turbulence in their sector or the general economy.
However, in the Caribbean, small businesses cumulatively are a powerful economic base, producing more than half the employment opportunities in nearly every country in the region and are a driving force of economic activity. Micro and Small businesses also contribute to economic diversity and social cohesion by providing an outlet for the creativity of ambitious young people. This is especially so for women.
Their small size is often a beneficial factor in their ability to be nimble in response to circumstances in the market and can often adjust to the specialized needs of customers