AGP Executive Report

Disaster Relief for SMEs: Venezuela’s June 24 earthquake sequence is expected to top $10B in losses, with insurers facing uncertainty due to low coverage and sanctions-linked market frictions—an urgent reminder for small firms to plan for shocks. Local Business & Community: Brooklyn’s Palatial Publishing drew hundreds to a Juneteenth/Caribbean Heritage small business expo with 200+ vendors, spotlighting Black- and Caribbean-owned entrepreneurship. SME Training: St Kitts and Nevis wrapped a Small Business Boot Camp for 50 entrepreneurs (90% attendance), with the prime minister backing ongoing support for local job creation. Job Creation via Trade Fairs: Ghana’s Labour Ministry signed an MoU to run AFROMART 2026, aiming to match employers and job seekers and facilitate 10,000 placements. Cross-border Trade Tools: Haizol’s Supplier Discovery Tour connected buyers from 31+ countries with 300+ verified Chinese factories—useful for Latin American SMEs sourcing custom parts. Business Resilience: Trinidad & Tobago’s chamber urged boards to prepare for a volatile operating environment shaped by geopolitics, supply disruptions, cyber risk, and rapid tech change. Payments & Growth: A Guyana-focused look highlights why fintech matters as oil-fueled growth demands stronger financial infrastructure for faster, safer business scaling.

SME Jobs & Trade: Ghana’s Ministry of Labour signed an MoU with GACTI to run AFROMART 2026, aiming to match employers with 10,000 job placements via a 72-hour employment and SME marketplace drawing 75,000+ in-person attendees and 300+ employers. Caribbean Business Growth: A new FEDECATUR push in Central America and the Dominican Republic plans more private-sector projects and expands free training for small businesses through the FEDECOR Academy. Tourism Demand for Small Vendors: Antigua and Barbuda’s government-backed Caribbean Corporate Games is positioned as sports tourism that feeds hotels, transport, tour guides, vendors, and small businesses. Payments & Financing for Merchants: QI Tech and Ant International’s Bettr partnership targets expanded credit access for e-commerce merchants and consumers in Brazil, while purchase order financing is highlighted as a growing working-capital tool for SMEs. Local Entrepreneur Support: St Kitts and Nevis wrapped a Small Business Boot Camp for 50 entrepreneurs, and a Philly pop-up spotlights immigrant-owned businesses as a platform for women-led Latin American and Caribbean brands. Risk & Resilience: Verisk estimates Venezuela earthquake losses could exceed $10B, underscoring the need for faster, more reliable risk and recovery planning for local operators.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship (Caribbean & Latin America ties): A Philadelphia nonprofit opened “Immigrant Marché,” a pop-up for immigrant-owned small businesses, spotlighting Latin American and Caribbean makers like a Guatemalan jam producer and a Mexico-based jewelry and ceramics seller. SME Support Programs (Caribbean): The Caribbean Development Bank launched CDB Propel to replace its long-running SME support network, aiming to help small businesses grow and compete. Local Business Training (Caribbean): St Kitts and Nevis ran a Small Business Boot Camp for 50 entrepreneurs, with strong attendance and government backing. Payments for Growth (Caribbean): A push for real-time digital payments highlights how faster transfers can protect cash flow for tourism, vendors, freelancers, and online sellers. Tourism & SME Spillover (Bahamas): Carnival doubled capacity at Celebration Key after a pier expansion, bringing more ship calls and potential demand for local businesses. Policy Shock for Migrant Workers (US, impacts Latin communities): Reuters reports fear among Haitian TPS holders after the Supreme Court ruling, with knock-on effects for jobs and small business owners in places like South Florida. Business Formalization (Regional): Coverage notes commerce efforts to reaffirm business formalisation commitments.

SME Growth Push in the Caribbean: The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) launched CDB Propel, a new initiative to help small businesses grow, compete, and prepare for the future, replacing a long-running support network after more than four decades. Local Business Support in Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia’s Department of Commerce held World MSME Day outreach in Micoud, offering business registration drives plus consultations with partners like BELfund and the Bank of Saint Lucia to boost grant and loan access. Payments for Faster Cash Flow: A Caribbean-focused piece argues real-time digital payments can reduce delays that choke small business operations, from supplier bills to payroll and restocking. Tourism Supply Chain for Local Firms (Jamaica): Jamaica’s Tourism Minister unveiled plans for a Tourism Supply Logistics Centre under “Tourism 3.0,” aiming to cut import leakages and help hotels and attractions source more locally. Caribbean Tourism Demand Boost (Bahamas): Carnival completed the Celebration Key pier extension, doubling capacity to four ships at once and adding about 700,000 passenger arrivals annually—potential upside for local vendors and jobs. AI for Trade SMEs (Chile/Colombia/Peru): CIPE and CCIT were named runner-up Small Business Champions for an AI-enabled project helping MSMEs navigate international markets and build shared AI governance across borders. E-commerce Credit in Brazil: QI Tech and Ant International’s Bettr partnership aims to expand credit access for e-commerce merchants and consumers in Brazil.

Caribbean SME Support: The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) launched CDB Propel, replacing its long-running tech network to help small businesses grow, compete, and prepare for the future. SME Funding Push (Saint Lucia): Saint Lucia’s Commerce Department held a World MSME Day outreach in Micoud, promoting grants and loan financing with one-on-one consultations and business registration support. Payments for Growth (Caribbean): A new focus on real-time digital payments highlights how faster transfers can protect cash flow for tourism operators, vendors, freelancers, and online sellers. Tourism Supply Chain (Jamaica): Jamaica’s Tourism Minister unveiled plans for a Tourism Supply Logistics Centre to cut import “leakages” and boost local participation through warehousing, cold-chain, and procurement support. Cruise Demand Boost (Bahamas): Carnival completed the Celebration Key pier extension, doubling capacity to four ships at once and adding about 700,000 extra passenger arrivals yearly—potential upside for local suppliers. Latin America Tech for Business: Nexaryon launched an enterprise AI computing platform and is expanding into Latin America, naming Mexico as an operational hub.

SME/AI for Trade: CIPE and Colombia’s CCIT were named runner-up Small Business Champions for an AI-enabled global trade project, including an SME-inclusive AI governance roadmap and cross-border training in Chile, Colombia, and Peru. AI Infrastructure Expansion: Nexaryon launched an enterprise AI computing platform and is expanding into Latin America, setting Mexico as a regional operational hub for data center infrastructure and supply coordination. Tourism Supply Chains: Jamaica’s tourism ministry is pushing a Tourism Supply Logistics Centre to cut import “leakages,” aiming to boost local participation via warehousing, cold-chain, procurement support, and digital demand planning. Business Formalization: Jamaica’s industry ministry reaffirmed support for formalizing businesses, arguing it unlocks bank financing, grants, digital payments, and e-commerce access. Local Business Boost (Caribbean): Grenada’s We Pan Fest returned with steelpan orchestras and vendor space for local small businesses, while Carnival expanded its surplus meal donation program to the Dominican Republic to support port communities. Currency Shock Watch: Bolivia ended its 15-year currency peg, moving to a flexible daily exchange-rate mechanism—an important signal for SMBs planning costs and pricing. SMB Skills Training: Taiwan’s Technical Mission trained 80+ SME owners in Saint Lucia on AI-powered marketing tools like ChatGPT and Canva, with 97% reporting high satisfaction. Payments Innovation: SQRIL expanded its stablecoin-to-QR payments push into Central Asia, highlighting lower merchant costs—relevant for Latin America’s fintech and SMB payment strategies.

AI for Trade (Chile/Colombia/Peru): CIPE and CCIT were named runner-up 2026 Small Business Champions for an AI push that helps MSMEs navigate global markets, including an AI governance roadmap and a regional steering committee. Business Formalisation (Jamaica): The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce renewed its push to formalize more businesses, arguing that registration unlocks bank financing, grants, digital payments, and e-commerce access. SME Skills (Saint Lucia): Taiwan Technical Mission trained 80+ SME owners on AI-powered marketing tools like ChatGPT and Canva, with 97% rating the workshops highly satisfactory. Currency Shock (Bolivia): Bolivia ended its 15-year currency peg and moved to a flexible, daily market-based exchange rate—starting June 29—after reserves fell and the parallel dollar rate signaled long-running pressure. Food Security (Dominican Republic): Carnival expanded its surplus meal donation program to the Dominican Republic, aiming to redirect prepared meals to local groups and reduce food waste in port communities. Local Expansion (Caribbean food in Brooklyn): Sweet Sundays Café & Eatery opened a second Brooklyn location, bringing Haitian-inspired menu items to a new neighborhood.

SME Finance in Brazil: QI Tech and Ant International’s Bettr are teaming up to expand working-capital loans for small and medium online sellers and add BNPL for AliExpress shoppers, using transactional data for credit decisions. Trade Pressure for North American SMBs: Business groups and unions are watching the July 1 CUSMA review as a “checkpoint,” with anxiety over how the U.S. could use the process to pressure Canada. Digital Payments Push in Central America: El Salvador’s agro fair highlights a local snag: many micro and small vendors still resist digital payments despite legal requirements, keeping cash circulation outside the banking system. Tourism Safety and Local Vendors (Jamaica): Negril stakeholders say community coordination is key to keeping the destination safe, stressing that small hotels, street vendors, and craft sellers all depend on tourism. Business Formalization (Jamaica): The industry ministry urged more firms to formalize, arguing it unlocks bank financing, grants, and digital payments plus better access to larger buyers. Tech for SMEs (Myanmar): Micro, small and medium enterprises are being urged to adopt digital transformation to modernize operations.

Crypto Payments Disruption: SQRIL says its stablecoin-to-QR payments are expanding into Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan), pitching sub-1% QR fees versus ~3% card costs to help merchants and shoppers in emerging markets. Local Business Resilience: Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce reaffirmed a push for business formalisation, arguing registered firms can access financing, grants, and digital payments. Tourism & SMEs: Carnival Corporation expanded its surplus meal donation program to the Dominican Republic, aiming to redirect prepared, unserved meals to local groups and support food security in port communities. Community Safety for Small Tourism: Negril stakeholders met amid recent killings, stressing cooperation across big hotels, small hotels, vendors, and artisans to protect the destination’s reputation. Aviation Oversight: Jamaica’s Senate passed the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act to strengthen safety oversight and raise penalties. Digital Payments Compliance: El Salvador’s agro fair highlights ongoing resistance by some micro and small vendors to accept digital payments despite legal requirements, worsening cash shortages for shoppers. Immigration Shock to Entrepreneurs: In the US, outrage continues after the Supreme Court ended TPS for Haitians and Syrians—advocates warn it will hit immigrant workers and small business owners hard.

Food Security & Waste Reduction: Carnival Corporation expanded its surplus meal donation program to the Dominican Republic, sending about 200 portions of unserved meals from Carnival Cruise Line ships to local groups via the Archdiocese of Puerto Plata, with plans to roll out across more ports. SME Formalisation: Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce reiterated its push to formalise businesses, arguing that registered firms can access financing, grants, digital payments, and e-commerce—plus better supply opportunities for major buyers. Aviation Regulation: Jamaica’s Senate approved the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act, 2026, aiming to strengthen safety oversight, accident investigations, and compliance with international standards. Tourism Safety & Local Trade: Negril stakeholders met amid recent violence concerns, stressing that safety is a shared responsibility across big hotels, small businesses, vendors, and artisans that depend on tourism. Disability Services Access: Jamaica’s JCPD promoted its “I Am Able” app for registering, filing discrimination complaints, and accessing grants and remote support tools. Credit & Marketing Skills for SMEs: Taiwan’s Technical Mission trained 80+ Saint Lucian SME owners in AI-powered marketing tools (ChatGPT/Canva), reporting very high satisfaction and practical e-commerce copy and imagery upgrades.

Business Formalisation Push (Jamaica): Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce urged more firms to formalise, saying registered businesses can access bank and development finance, grants, government support, and digital payments—plus sell more reliably to hotels, retailers and corporate buyers. SME Digital Skills (Saint Lucia): Taiwan’s technical mission ran a four-part AI marketing training for 80+ SME owners, teaching tools like ChatGPT and Canva to improve e-commerce copy and visuals, with 97% of participants rating the course highly. Local Commerce Compliance (El Salvador): A fair in El Salvador is drawing complaints as some self-employed vendors and micro/small enterprises still refuse digital payments despite legal requirements, worsening cash shortages and pushing money outside the banking system. Tourism + Small Business Boost (Jamaica): Dream Weekend in Montego Bay expects up to 30,000 visitors, betting on expanded villa/guesthouse capacity and a major convention-centre partnership to drive spending for hotels, restaurants and transport providers. Entrepreneurship via Events (Caribbean): Curaçao’s Carubbian Festival returned for its third edition with World Cup-themed watch parties and vendor markets, aiming to create economic opportunities for small business owners. SME Growth via Training (Caribbean): The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber launched its 2026 Champions of Business Awards, highlighting categories from entrepreneurship and innovation to internationalisation and legacy building.

Immigration Shock for SMBs: Chicago Haitian and Syrian communities face major uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court ended Temporary Protected Status, threatening workers and customers tied to local small businesses. Local Business & Trade Advocacy: Conservative MPs held a roundtable with Brandon-Souris business leaders ahead of Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade talks, aiming to push stakeholder priorities into negotiations. Export Growth Funding: Montana’s Commerce Department announced $800,000 in SBA STEP grants to help small businesses accelerate international sales via trade missions, pavilions, and marketing reimbursements. Food & Retail Wins: Jamaica’s CHEW won Best Food Item at the Table Talk Food Awards, highlighting how new local brands can break through with locally made products. Disaster Cost Watch: Venezuela’s twin earthquakes could mean economic losses estimated at 1%–7% of GDP, with knock-on effects for businesses, infrastructure, and public finances. Brazil Energy Policy Pressure: Brazil’s coal power incentives remain protected despite criticism that consumers— including small businesses—shoulder subsidy costs through electricity bills. Tech for Latin America: AI/R Compass UOL won AWS Consulting Partner of the Year for Brazil, signaling continued demand for cloud and AI services among regional firms.

SME Credit Access in Brazil: QI Tech teamed with Bettr (Ant International) to expand working-capital loans for small and medium e-commerce sellers, plus a consumer BNPL option at checkout on AliExpress—aimed at boosting inclusive finance through digital marketplaces. Cuba Market Reform Watch: Cuba’s sweeping economic reforms are rolling out with less state control and more room for private enterprise, but reactions in South Florida are split between hope for freer markets and skepticism about political motives. AWS Partner Boost (Latin America): AI/R Compass UOL won AWS Consulting Partner of the Year for Brazil, highlighting growing demand for cloud-led AI modernization among regional businesses. Tourism & Local Jobs (Caribbean): Commentary on Jamaica’s “Tourism 3.0” push argues the region needs tourism governance that keeps more value with local entrepreneurs, farmers, and small firms. Entrepreneurship Spotlight (Peru): Peru Hope’s rent-to-own model is training northern Peru residents to build storm-resistant homes and start small businesses, using local leadership to run programs.

SME Credit Boost (Brazil): QI Tech and Bettr (Ant International) teamed up to expand working-capital loans for small and medium e-commerce sellers, plus a BNPL option at checkout for shoppers on AliExpress—aimed at helping merchants scale inventory with automated, data-driven underwriting. Cross-Border Payments (Latin America): XTransfer announced a deeper payments push with BBVA, using a new partnership framework to improve real-time FX conversion and transaction processing for SMEs trading across Latin America, Europe, and Hong Kong. Skills for Disabled Entrepreneurs (Guyana): ExxonMobil Guyana and the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities launched Phase 5 of an Independent Living Skills Programme, adding rehabilitation, job prep, and small-business management training for participants across multiple regions. Food Security via Donations (Dominican Republic): Carnival expanded its surplus meal donation program to the Dominican Republic, redirecting prepared, unserved meals from ships to local organizations supporting families and elderly residents. Local Business Growth (Caribbean/Nevis): A tourism-focused push in Nevis argues that more visitors mean more customers for hotels, restaurants, vendors, and small businesses—framing demand growth as the key to keeping the local hospitality ecosystem thriving.

SME Energy Resilience in Cuba: With blackouts hitting cafes, barbershops, and repair shops, more small businesses are turning to rooftop solar plus battery storage to keep lights and key equipment running. Tourism Supply Chain Push (Jamaica): The Ministry of Tourism plans a Tourism Supply Logistics Centre as a Special Economic Zone to boost warehousing, cold-chain, inventory planning, cargo consolidation, procurement support, and digital demand planning—linking hotels, farmers, manufacturers, and community producers. Digital Payments & Platform Fees (Global): Google says it’s cutting Play Store service fees to 10% on new app installs (with a “billing choice” option), a move that could affect app-based SMBs’ costs. Local Business Spotlight (Puerto Rico/US): Red’s Bake Shop opens July 11 in Hewitt, bringing Puerto Rican bread and Caribbean flavors to a new storefront. Hospitality Tech for SMBs (Caribbean/US): Cloudbeds highlights Vacatia’s shift to an Open API platform to reduce tech fragmentation across a resort portfolio spanning nearly 60 properties and 11,000 units.

Tourism 3.0 in Jamaica: Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 plan shifts the sector from arrivals-only to a national economic platform, with a new Tourism Authority, “Local First” procurement targets for farmers and micro-businesses, and AI-enabled reforms to keep more value in-country. Local Business Rates Pressure: Wellington, New Zealand, is consulting on changes to commercial rates (including a possible move toward land value ratings) to limit residential increases, while raising AirBnB host rates—an example of how policy tradeoffs can hit small operators. Cross-border finance for SMEs: OPEC Fund approved new projects totaling $2.4B+ in financing support across Africa, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean, including private sector development and small business support, alongside its E-STAR initiative for 2026-2028. Digital payments push: Uber Eats and the Dominican Republic’s MSME ministry signed a collaboration to boost visibility and sales for micro, small and medium enterprises via the app, including support for women-led businesses. World Cup retail boost: In Soledad, local sports retailer Rodriguez Sports saw World Cup jersey demand spike after June 15, with sales “sold out twice” and plans for more inventory.