Bolivia's Ministry of Finance reported that the Banco de Desarrollo Productivo-Sociedad Anónima Mixta launched Creciendo Juntas BDP, a new financing segment that expands the Mujer BDP program for women engaged in trade and services linked to national production. The initiative is designed to widen access to credit for women entrepreneurs through group-based financing and to support business growth as part of broader economic reactivation efforts. A central feature is a mutual support structure under which groups of three to five women can access financing backed by collective commitment. In the first stage, eligible groups can borrow up to Bs80,000 for up to 12 months at a fixed preferential rate. Borrowers that build a good repayment record and take part in training can later refinance up to Bs150,000, extend maturities to 24 months and obtain a one percentage point reduction in the interest rate. The segment also includes technical assistance covering digital tools, business management and activity-specific processes, with early actions including mentoring on business digitalization and the use of electronic payments such as QR codes. The product was developed with Desarrollo Internacional Desjardins under the FEMPRESA project, with financial support from Global Affairs Canada. That work included research and analysis of BDP clients' needs to design financing solutions tailored to women entrepreneurs.

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