The Banking System for Development (SBD) reacted to the report “Banking System for Development and its potential to fight poverty,” prepared by the Ombudsman’s Office. The latter pointed out several shortcomings to meet SBD money recipients. This was stated in a press release.
The analysis was carried out and presented by Ana Karina Zeledón, director of economic affairs of the Defensoría, and Catalina Crespo, Ombudsman, on Wednesday afternoon. The purpose of this study was to analyze the functioning of SBD to assess the incidence of poverty.
The SBD considers it positive that the Ombudsman’s Office has recognized in its report that the System has the potential to influence the reduction of poverty, through its ability to finance enterprises that generate new jobs and chains, boosting the economy of the country, and the ability to achieve financial inclusion of historically excluded sectors,”
says the letter.
They even added that, since its creation in 2008, the SBD has managed to raise the businesses of entrepreneurs, MSMEs and small producers distributed throughout the country. This positive impact, according to the entity, is seen in a placement of ₡972 billion colones, in more than 232 thousand credit operations, with an average credit amount of ₡4.18 million, despite the accusations made by the Defensoría.
The ombudsman said that the SBD does not contain data to determine how many resources were turned to people in poverty, but in priority areas. This, as she explained, for a matter contemplated in the law.
In this regard, SBD shared the vision of the Ombudsman’s Office, in the sense that the
System is an entity still under construction, with great potential, which has been strengthened through substantive legal reforms, in order to adapt it to the economic reality of the country.”