NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

New business in new markets

Excerpt: Despite some progress, the Millennium Development Goals remain elusive. The role of the private sector in helping to deliver these goals is increasingly being recognized, and many are urging the business community to mobilize and strengthen its contribution to poverty-reduction strategies. A partnership between the Netherlands’ development organization SNV and the WBCSD aims at helping companies in Central America and the Andean regions do more pro-poor business, especia...

Source

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Peso power brings hope to poor

Excerpt: E very weekend Hilario Amador makes the short journey to the city centre of Zacatecas where he deposits 120 pesos with Patrimonio Hoy, a self-help building scheme run by Cemex, Mexico’s largest cement company. The money is equal to about 20 per cent of his weekly wage at a local abattoir and it has allowed the 38-year-old to receive regular supplies of the materials he needs to tile the floor, repair the roof and build two extra rooms...

Source

Financial Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Banco ProCredit looks to boost loan portfolio 57% this year – Ecuador

Excerpt: Ecuadorian niche bank Banco ProCredit aims to increase its loan portfolio to US$115mn by the end of this year, up 57% on end-2005, CEO Pedro Arriola told BNamericas. The bank’s strategy focuses on strong growth in the small and microenterprises segment, a significant increase in its deposits base and development of a wide range of financial products, the executive said. The average loan extended by ProCredit is US$2,500 and its clients typically earn just US$5...

Source

Business News Americas (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Development bank seeks new approach to Latin America’s problems

Excerpt: With leftist politicians on the rise throughout Latin America, Washington policymakers are turning their sights on the left-behind majorities fueling the populist surge. It is the latest struggle for the hearts and minds of people in a region swept first by free market reforms favored by the U.S. government and now buffeted by a shift to more home-grown policies that sometimes fly in the face of the United States. Sensing a seismic shift in South American sentimen...

Source

Miami Herald (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

The World Is Hot

Abstract: New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes about climate change and its impact in the developing world. Note: TimesSelect is needed to view this article....

Source

The New York Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

PM to address IDB conference in Washington DC

Abstract: Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller is one of many speakers at the Inter-American Bank’s conference, "Building Opportunity for the Majority."...

Source

Radio Jamaica (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Too soon to call a turn

Abstract: In an opinion piece, Richard Lapper explores the possibility of shifting political winds in Latin America. He also discusses the BOP and the new agenda of Inter-American Development Bank, which is being pushed ahead in full force by the Bank’s new president, Luis Alberto Moreno....

Source

Financial Times (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

Mary Jo Foley Cut-rate PC/hardware Windows XP Starter Edition bundles aren’t Microsoft’s only solution for bringing computing to the masses. Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled a new financing program designed to make PCs more affordable to emerging-market customers on May 22, the day before the kick-off of its annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle. The new pay-as-you-go program and associated metering technology that enables it are k...

Source

Foxnews.com (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America