For 2 months in 2007 in Panama City and La Chorrera (Panama), 1075 people received training on criteria and concepts related to business ethics and values.

In Panama, as well as the rest of Latin America, there is a high percentage of micro-businesses in the informal sector that experience difficulty in accessing bank financing. The situation is visibly evident in the street vendor markets and wholesale food markets.

In order to provide incentive for Panamanian financial institutions to offer financing to micro and small businesses, informal as well as formal, and also for entrepreneurs, the Panamanian Credit Bureau (APC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) financed this project that aims to strengthen criteria and concepts surrounding business values and ethics.

After the MSMEs’ participation, a database of entrepreneurs and small business owners was created with vital information to follow up on their implementation of acquired knowledge and also to research the makeup of the Panamanian market.