New Push to Help Small Businesses Tap into Investment Market

• The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is backing a new effort to help Barbadian small businesses grow, with a US$350,000 grant aimed at preparing them to attract investors and list on their stock exchange.
• The funding will support the Innovation Growth Market 200 Programme (IGM200), a national initiative with the intent to make equity financing attractive and accessible to all Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) by allowing them to list on the Innovation and Growth Market (IGM) of the Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE).
• Led by the Ministry of Energy and Business and the BSE, the programme will offer training, mentorship and support to 200 SMEs looking to expand. CDB President Daniel Best said the initiative would help reshape how small firms access equity capital, an area that has long been underused. “The government of Barbados, under its national Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) policy framework, has taken steps to strengthen the sector, including opening new channels for raising financing through the Innovation and Growth Market, formerly the Junior Stock Exchange,” he said.
• He added that the CDB’s grant will be used to build the capacity of 50 businesses, with at least 20 expected to become investor-ready and list on the IGM. “This effort is not just about paperwork,” Best said. “It’s about training, mentorship and education, so that business owners and investors alike understand the opportunities of equity financing and stock market participation.”

(Source: Barbados Today)