The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, has recently approved a technical cooperation grant of US$450,000 to establish the “Integrated Value Chain System (IVCS),” a platform that will seek to increase the exports of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing information on the requirements and conditions for access to global value chains. This system will help 25,000 SMEs find information in one place.

Being part of a global or regional value chain is crucial in order for SMEs to increase productivity and competitiveness, diversify exports, and offer better job opportunities. However, existing information asymmetries prevent SMEs from identifying the purchasing requirements of large corporations and the private standards for gaining a foothold in global goods and services supply chains.