CDB and IDB Invest pact targets easier export financing for Caribbean firms

The Caribbean Development Bank and IDB Invest have signed an agreement intended to improve access to trade financing for Caribbean businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to export within and beyond the region. The deal was signed on Wednesday, according to IDB Invest Chief Executive Officer James Scriven.

Small and medium-sized businesses make up an estimated 70 to 85 per cent of enterprises across the Caribbean and account for about half of regional employment. Many of those firms, however, continue to face difficulty securing the financing needed to participate in international trade.

IDB Invest, the private-sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, is working with the Caribbean Development Bank on a trade facilitation programme aimed at helping those companies reach markets in the wider continent and outside it.

Scriven spoke from Barbados, where he was attending IDB Invest Sustainability Week with about 800 business leaders from 46 countries. He said the institution’s work in the Caribbean is not limited to business growth, but also supports stronger and more resilient economies as countries continue to recover from major economic losses in recent years.

He identified renewable energy as one key area of focus, noting the region’s access to sunshine and wind. IDB Invest has been supporting companies that want to produce their own power through solar panels and wind farms.

Another priority is climate adaptation. Scriven said the Caribbean remains highly exposed to hurricanes, droughts and other natural events that can damage companies and public infrastructure. Part of the institution’s work is helping to make physical assets better able to withstand climate-related shocks.

IDB Invest reported a record 2025, with more than US$13 billion in financing and investments across Latin America and the Caribbean. Scriven said the aim this year is not only to exceed that level, but to show measurable development results.

He pointed to financial access, lending through institutions to reach MSMEs, port and road construction, health-care beds and education access as examples of indicators tracked by the organisation. IDB Invest uses a development effectiveness tool called Delta to assess the impact of its projects.