OAS MSME Newsletter: (January 2026):
This OAS MSME Newsletter is published by the Department of Economic Development of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI). It is dedicated to measures recently announced by OAS Member States to drive the economic recovery of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The policy responses vary from country to country and are specific to the economic circumstances of each Member State. Given that every day produces new developments, this inventory is in no way exhaustive.
OAS Project on Economic Empowerment of MSMEs
Catalogue of Market- Ready women led MSMES in the Eastern Caribbean
This Catalogue serves as a strategic resource, a curated directory showcasing dynamic women-led businesses across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, technology, and the creative sectors.
National Government extends tax benefits for microenterprises during 2026
The measure extends the possibility of computing part of the tax on bank credits and debits as payments on account of employer contributions. The National Executive Branch formalized, through Decree 923/2025, the extension until December 31, 2026. This benefit that allows microenterprises to compute part of the Tax on Credits and Debits in Bank Accounts as payment on account of employer contributions destined to the Argentine Integrated Pension System (SIPA).
MSMEs in Belize Embrace a Digital Future
In today’s rapidly evolving economy, digitization is no longer optional. It is essential for business survival and growth. For Belize’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), adopting digital tools can expand customer reach, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen resilience in the face of market shifts. The Digital Innovation to Boost Economic Development (DIBED) Program is helping entrepreneurs take bold steps toward this transformation. Through financial support and digital business training, DIBED will benefit MSMEs across Belize, encouraging the adoption of digital solutions, fostering growth, and improving operational efficiency.
With the aim of stabilizing the economy and promoting social peace, the Minister of Productive Development, together with the Minister of Economy and Public Finance, held a meeting on Monday with unions in Santa Cruz, in which it was agreed to start working groups around Supreme Decree 5503 and the Special Integrated Transition System for Entrepreneurs to the General Regime.
Within the framework of the actions entrusted by the Ministry of Productive, Rural and Water Development, the Deputy Minister of Micro, Small Enterprise and Handicrafts held a coordination meeting with representatives of the micro and small enterprise sector, with the aim of learning directly about their main needs and demands at the national level. During the meeting, important consensus was reached for the socialization of Supreme Decree No. 5503, and the sector also made known its main demands of their sector, allowing to strengthen the direct dialogue between the government and the productive sectors.
Sebrae supports AI project to simplify trademark registration and expand access for small businesses
Sebrae is one of the strategic partners of the project that uses artificial intelligence to make trademark registration simpler, more accessible and efficient in Brazil. The initiative was presented in December, during the online event “Filing of Trademarks with AI”, held by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), Sebrae and the Federal University of Goiás (UFG). The solution is the result of a partnership agreement in Research, Technological Development and Innovation (PDI).
2025 was the year of small businesses. From January to December, more than 5 million individual microentrepreneurs (MEI), microenterprises (ME) and small businesses (EPP) were registered across the country. And this number is expected to continue growing in 2026. According to the most recent edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM 2024), the country has more than 47 million potential entrepreneurs who want to have their own business within three years. Sebrae has prepared a series of free content, courses and tools for those who want to open a small business and don’t know where to start.
Pix is the preferred payment method for almost six out of 10 small business owners
Created just five years ago, Pix has conquered Brazilian entrepreneurs and is already the most used type of financial transaction, both to receive payments from customers and to pay suppliers. According to a survey by Sebrae and the Institute for Social, Political and Economic Research (Ipespe), almost six out of 10 small business owners have Pix as their main means of receiving sales and another 53% prefer this instrument to pay their business partners.
Today, the Competition Bureau has launched its market study into the state of competition in the financing sector for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The launch follows a public consultation on what the study should cover, and the Minister of Industry’s approval of the study’s final terms of reference. The Bureau’s initial observations are that it can be hard for many SMEs to access competitive financing options. We aim to examine competition in the sector and how it can be improved to benefit SMEs and the new and innovative lenders that support them.
The Minister of Industry and the Minister responsible for Canada’s Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced that the Government of Canada is investing $244.2 million in the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) starting in 2025-2026 to launch its Defense Industry Assist initiative (DI Assist). The Defense Industry Assist program will provide funding and advice to high-potential, innovative Canadian SMEs to advance made-in-Canada defense and dual-use technologies. This investment will support the innovative and collaborative capacity of the Canadian defense industry and address the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces.
More than 20 fairs and activities announced to boost Christmas sales by SMEs
Sercotec’s initiative will enable a series of marketing spaces with a call to opt for local and safe purchases, opting for products made by micro and small enterprises and national cooperatives. Under the slogan “Buy meaningfully this Christmas”, Sercotec launched a national initiative that seeks to promote the sales of micro and small enterprises and cooperatives during the end-of-year festivities, through marketing spaces that make visible the varied products and services offered by smaller companies in Chile.
The issuance of Decree 1317 of 2025 allows the Government to structurally integrate the Popular Economy into the free zone regime, based on two transformations that reconfigure the way in which the country produces, organizes itself and adds value. The first transformation is the creation of the Special Permanent Free Trade Zones of the Popular Economy, one that, for the first time, allows the productive units of the Popular Economy to access tax, logistical and productive conditions. The second transformation occurs in the free zones of the general regime, where industrial and commercial users operate. The decree establishes that these areas must link productive units of the Popular Economy as suppliers of goods and services.
‘A Pulso’, the new line of credit that will strengthen the Popular Economy in Colombia
For women in the Popular Economy, the ‘A Pulso‘ line offers an additional 5% relief in capital and access to financial education to strengthen their economic autonomy.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Bancóldex -Colombia’s Business Development Bank- presented the ‘A Pulso’ line of credit, a financial instrument that was born with Decree 1396 of December 22, 2025, aligned with the National Development Plan, with which the ministerial portfolio seeks to promote mechanisms and programs for the financial and credit inclusion of the Popular Economy.
The first line ‘MSME production chains’ will have credit resources for $143,000 million and will be oriented to sectors such as retail trade, textiles, clothing and metalworking. The second instrument, which will have about $48,000 million, is focused on making micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the agribusiness sector more competitive and also on boosting their exports.
EXPOPYME Official Diasporas will bring together SMEs from four countries
This will be a free space, for the promotion of entrepreneurship and cultural exchange. SMEs registered with the MEIC, from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica, participate.
The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), in alliance with the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), the embassies of Colombia and Peru, as well as the Costa Rica-Mexico Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CICOMEX), organize this event that brings together entrepreneurs and SMEs from four countries to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and cultural exchange.
MSMEs consolidated as an engine of national development
MSMEs have received support with more than RD$270,000 million in Public Procurement and RD$7,000 million in financing in 2025. The Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), revealed strong figures that demonstrate the Government’s confidence in national entrepreneurship, among which he cited the Historical Public Purchases implemented “Thanks to the public policy promoted by Decree 31-22, which prioritizes the acquisition of national goods, which has served as an impetus for more than 36,000 MSMEs to be certified to sell to the State, representing more than RD$270,000 million pesos in public procurement.” He also highlighted Direct Financing, noting that only between January and November 25, 2025, through PROMIPYME, more than RD$7,024 million in credits have been disbursed, bringing resources directly to those who move the economy.
The Government allocated 74,000 dollars of seed capital to tourism entrepreneurs
Four tourism initiatives were recognized with $74,000 in non-refundable capital during the awards for the best projects of the Emprende Turismo 2025 Program, which in its edition this year registered 1,653 applications from all over the country in the Idea, On the Move and Consolidation categories.
This type of initiative reflects the National Government’s commitment to the well-being of citizens and sustainable development in Ecuador, promoting the digital economy and facilitating financial inclusion. In the current context, e-commerce has become an essential tool for economic development. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital platforms, highlighting the need to facilitate access to these tools for MSMEs and entrepreneurs. Collaboration between government and the private sector is crucial to close existing gaps and foster a favorable environment for entrepreneurship.
The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, has announced the launch of the M5 Business Recovery Programme, a J$10 billion intervention designed to restore operations, rebuild capacity and sustain enterprise continuity following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica’s productive sector. The M5 Business Recovery Programme will provide concessional loan financing, grant support and credit enhancement solutions to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and other productive businesses that suffered losses and disruptions as a result of the hurricane.
“Made in Mexico” closes 2025 with more than 4 thousand registered companies
The Hecho en México/Made in Mexico certificate has been awarded to more than six thousand products. It represents the inter-institutional and coordinated work between the Ministry of Economy, state governments, chambers of commerce and private initiatives. The commitment to promote quality and the increase of national content is reaffirmed. The Ministry of Economy, through the public policy Made in Mexico, reaffirms its commitment to strengthening national production, promoting quality and increasing national content as pillars for the country’s economic development.
FONAMIPYMES: A tool to strengthen technical assistance and programs in the sector
The Government signed the Presidential Decree that formally establishes the National Fund for MSMEs (FonaMipymes). It is an instrument to finance programs of the Vice Ministry of MSMEs, to expand technical assistance to registered companies and develop new financial tools in coordination with AFD. The measure establishes an Administration Trust that will provide a financial tool to support public policies aimed at the formalization, competitiveness and sustainability of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.
Paraguay advances in the consolidation of e-commerce with new tools
In 2025, the country registered important advances in e-commerce, consolidating a more secure, transparent and competitive digital ecosystem. Last year, it incorporated innovations aimed at strengthening confidence in digital transactions and accompanying the modernization of the commercial sector. One of the main advances was the implementation of the Electronic Time Stamp and Certified Digitization, tools that guarantee the authenticity, integrity and legal validity of electronic documents used in commercial operations, providing greater security to digital exchanges.
Advancing financing for MSMEs: Strategies and tools for 2026
The Vice minister of MSMEs has indicated that a great challenge is to strongly attack the lack of financing for the MSME and entrepreneurial ecosystem, which make up 98% of the Paraguayan business fabric and are responsible for most of the employment in the country. He argued that access to financing continues to be one of the main challenges to boost the competitiveness and growth of this sector, in addition to the fact that the lack of formalization and banking penetration are factors that most limit financial inclusion.
The actions allowed the export of value-added products to various international markets. The CITE Network is part of the Technological Institute of Production (ITP) of the Ministry of Production. Within the framework of actions aimed at the growth of MSEs and entrepreneurs in the country’s production chains, the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE), through the Technological Institute of Production (ITP), provided more than 85,800 technological and innovation services during 2025.
PRODUCE 2025 Achievements: Record of more than 100 thousand businesses formalized nationwide
In addition, thanks to the accompaniment of the National Program Tu Empresa, more than 25 thousand MSEs and entrepreneurs strengthened their business, digital and commercial capacities nationwide. This result represented an economic saving of more than S/ 18 million for entrepreneurs. To this end, the Tu Empresa Program deployed its Business Development Centers (CDE) nationwide, developing formalization campaigns through interventions in food markets, shopping arcades, and universities, among other strategic spaces in the regions, aimed at citizens with business ideas or ongoing ventures.
PRODUCE deployed a comprehensive strategy that strengthened innovation, technological assistance and the commercial articulation of thousands of MSEs throughout the country. During 2025, the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE), through its programs and attached agencies, consolidated management aimed at strengthening national productive development, with an emphasis on innovation, decentralization and closing gaps for MSEs. The sector’s interventions reached thousands of productive units in the 24 regions of the country, energizing strategic chains and promoting a more competitive and sustainable economy.
The 2025 Industrial Fund closed with record applications
The MIEM closed the 2025 edition of the Industrial Fund, a tool aimed at MSMEs, key to promoting investments in the sector through non-reimbursable funds. With 127 applications – the highest number in its 15 years – 20 companies were selected, 60% from the interior of the country. In total, more than $55 million will be granted to strengthen productive diversification, value addition, the incorporation of technology, and insertion in foreign markets.
14 women who lead Uruguayan MSMEs will receive funds from the MIEM for more than $ 5,000,000
The MIEM announced the names of the 14 winning MSME leaders of the Women Who Transform 2025 call. The applicants presented projects focused on the growth, consolidation and competitiveness of their companies. Beneficiaries will receive non-reimbursable funds of up to $450,000 to finance their projects. In total, 150 applications were received from the 19 departments of the country.
