Durrant Pate/Contributor

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) is set to launch a new J$2 billion innovative financing solution for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The new capital solution facility is aimed at boosting productivity, scalability, and market readiness for MSMEs in priority sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, health and the creative industries.

As a precursor to the launch, the DBJ last week hosted a stakeholder briefing session in Kingston in which it provided details of the upcoming innovative financing solution for MSMEs to representatives of its approved financial institutions (AFIs).

Funding for this programme was allocated in the 2025/26 Estimates of Expenditure to support the MSME sector with access to critically needed capital to expand and grow enterprises.

The new DBJ funding facility was announced by Finance Minister Fayval Williams in her Budget Debate presentation back in March.

Jamaica’s MSME sector comprises an estimated 422,000 registered small businesses, generating 80 per cent of the jobs in the economy. Just over one million persons are employed in the MSME sector in Jamaica. 

Minister Williams has acknowledged several issues facing the sector, including a lack of equitable access to financing, high interest rates and cumbersome requirements for opening bank accounts.