National Financial Corporation approves IDB loan regulations for 203 million

The Board of Directors of the Corporación Financiera Nacional B.P. (CFN B.P.) approved the Operating Regulations of the FIP Program: Productive Investment Financing for SMEs, version 00, which channels US$ 203.2 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) toward second-tier credit for small and medium-sized enterprises. The decision is recorded in Regulation DIR-034-2026, adopted in a Board session on October 30, 2026, and published in the Supplement of the Official Registry No. 409 on Friday, November 13, 2026, a 73-page booklet that includes the regulations and its 13 annexes.

The instrument develops operation EC-L1302/EC-G1024/EC-T1618, formalized in the contracts and agreements signed on May 15, 2026. The regulations themselves warn that, in the event of any discrepancy, the loan contracts and agreements shall prevail, and that the text may not be modified without the prior written consent of the IDB operation team leader; it will remain in effect as long as those contracts are valid.

The declared general development objective is to contribute to increasing the productive investments of SMEs, with two specific objectives: expanding long-term productive credit for these companies and creating capacity in the credit offer for bioeconomy SMEs in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Four instruments and a single program

The total amount amounts to US$ 203,200,000 and is composed of three blocks:

• Loan contracts 6112/OC-EC and 6113/GN-EC, up to US$ 200 million: US$ 190 million charged to the Bank’s Ordinary Capital and US$ 10 million with resources from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
• Non-reimbursable Investment Financing Agreement GRT/GN-22250-EC, up to US$ 1.7 million, with GCF resources.
• Non-reimbursable Technical Cooperation Agreement ATN/GN-22251-EC, up to US$ 1.5 million, also with GCF resources.

Component 1: US$ 180 million toward SMEs

The first component, identified as C1.LON-GCR, mobilizes US$ 180 million that the CFN B.P. will transfer to eligible financial institutions at market rates so that they may place long-term sub-loans. The focus is on productive investment: acquisition or improvement of fixed assets such as machinery, equipment, or technology; working capital is only permitted if it is associated with the investment project.

Territorial and gender allocation has explicit goals: at least 40% of the resources must go to sub-loans in intermediate provinces and a minimum of 20% to women-led SMEs. The expected amounts are around US$ 30,000 for small enterprises and US$ 200,000 for medium ones, with a ceiling of US$ 1.5 million per sub-loan.

Component 2: Amazonian bioeconomy pilot

The second component totals US$ 23.2 million and combines the four instruments in a pilot for the Ecuadorian Amazon: US$ 20 million from contracts 6112/OC-EC and 6113/GN-EC (ten million each), US$ 1.7 million from the non-reimbursable investment agreement, and US$ 1.5 million from technical cooperation.

• Prioritized sectors: sustainable agriculture, non-timber forest products, agro-industry, sustainable agroforestry, nature tourism, sustainable aquaculture, and ecosystem services.
• At least 30% of the pilot resources will be allocated to women-led SMEs, and loans must contribute to climate change mitigation or adaptation.
• Average sub-loans of US$ 200,000, with a maximum of US$ 1 million.
• A success fee mechanism of US$ 1.7 million will incentivize the participation of financial institutions and SMEs in the pilot.

Prior conditions and entry into force

The regulation establishes as a contractual condition prior to the first disbursement the evidence of approval and entry into force of the document itself, in addition to the appointment or hiring of a socio-environmental specialist for program management. The approval of the ROP before disbursement seeks, according to the text, to ensure the internal organization of the executing agency.

The regulation is based on previous reports from the Risk Management Department, the General Legal Sub-department, the Regulations and Processes Department, and the General Operations and Processes Sub-department, and defines responsibilities for the Banking Management Department, the Multilateral Project Coordination Sub-department, the Procurement Sub-department, the Sustainability Department, and the Financial Planning, Budget, and Treasury Department. The final provisions order its validity from the publication in the digital repository of controlled documents and its submission to the Official Registry. The document is dated in Guayaquil on October 30, 2026, and certified by the general secretary Katherine Tobar Anastacio and by the acting director Jaqueline Vargas Camacho.

With the operating regulation approved, the CFN B.P. is enabled to open the second-tier line, and SMEs—including those in the Amazon and those led by women—will be able to access long-term financing with concessional resources from the IDB and the Green Climate Fund, making this regulation the effective gateway to the program.

Source: Official Registry, Supplement No. 409, Friday, November 13, 2026, section I, p. 1 (official reference: Regulation DIR-034-2026).