Alana Gandra
Reporter Agência Brasil

Rio - The Brazilian Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social) BNDES, has signed an agreement with the Interamerican Development Bank for a U$ 1 billion loan to be used for small businesses (known by the acronym MPEs in Brazil).

The loan is the first stage of an IDB-BNDES agreement signed in August which will eventually make US$3 billion available for MPEs over a period extending through 2007.

Translator: Allen Bennett