• Convinced of the need to build Possible Futures together, SURA Asset Management and Proteccion, with the help of Créame and Finaktiva, have drawn up a new support plan aimed at driving the revival of the country’s economy and more particularly preserving jobs.
• As part of this plan, that represents almost COP 1,800 million in support for small businesses, SURA Asset Management has formed an alliance to which Proteccion has joined up bringing to bear its institutional support.
• This initiative is aimed at creating a financing fund, to be managed by Finaktiva, the purpose of which is to provide loans to all those SMEs that need to finance their payroll expense.
• Also, with the support of the business accelerator Creame, the initiative shall also focus on providing assistance to small and medium-sized companies throughout the country in the form of content and personalized advisory services, thereby allowing them to drive their own economic recovery
• This initiative supplements the Factoring Fund recently set up by SURA Asset Management for providing liquidity support for SMEs, for which total investment is now approaching COP 37,000 million.
With the aim of proposing new alternatives and solutions that help to drive the revival of the country’s economy, SURA Asset Management and Proteccion, with the help of the SME business accelerator Créame and the on-line credit platform Finaktiva, launched a support plan for SMEs in Colombia whose main purpose is to support the preservation of jobs and drive economic recovery, with the firm conviction of the need to build Possible Futures together in the midst of the current situation.
As part of this support plan for small companies, in which COP 1.8 billion has been invested so far, SURA Asset Management has formed an alliance to which Proteccion has joined up bringing to bear its institutional support. These support funds shall be managed by Finaktiva, providing liquidity for a maximum term of three months so that SMEs can pay their payroll expense and social security contributions. In this way, we are providing support for preserving jobs, ensuring operating continuity as well as driving future growth.
“We know that Colombia is a country of small and medium-sized companies. That is why we are focusing on providing them with support, in the form of new solutions, for tackling this moment in time with complementary alternatives, coupled with our expertise in the field of savings and investment. For this we have teamed up with Finaktiva and Créame with this new line of credit. This supplements the Factoring Fund that we recently set up to provide support for SMEs, this also aimed at preserving jobs and providing liquidity to SMEs in Colombia” stated Ignacio Calle, CEO of SURA Asset Management.
To meet the challenges of today's reality, SMEs not only require economic resources. That is why, with the support of the business accelerator Créame, the purpose of this latest initiative is to provide assistance to small and medium-sized companies in Colombia with content and personalized advisory services, thereby allowing them to drive their own economic recovery.
“In the face of what seem like endless challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, leaves us, there is only one conclusion we can arrive at, namely that our future rests upon our present sustainability. That is why, in our role as corporate players, we are looking for a way to assist our SMEs, so as to preserve the jobs of millions of Colombians, guaranteeing their subsistence, transferring knowledge and increasing the possibility of generating added value for the ongoing development of their own businesses, their employees and the country at large” noted Juan David Correa, CEO of Protection.
This comprehensive SME Support Plan receives the backing of Finaktiva, a fintech in charge of providing the plan’s resources entirely on line via its own technological platform www.finaktiva.com, this in a swift and innovative manner that addresses the personal protection concerns given the current lockdown. Likewise, Créame, the business incubator and accelerator, shall be in charge of offering personalized support in empowering all those SMEs receiving loans so that they may increase their knowledge and add value to their business in times of crisis.
According to the Colombian Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, ACOPI, SMEs in Colombia generate 7.6 million jobs. At the end of last year there were 1.52 million formally established jobs, representing assets worth just under COP 414 million, and as a consequence of the current situation, about 20% of these companies could well be forced to close, since they do not have the economic wherewithal to continue operating. Hence the importance of this joint work plan, launched with a sense of active and empowering optimism so as to help drive sustainability and build possible futures.
