The scope of the project is to focus on the need to promote development of a wider array of financial instruments that will permit Development Banks to foster financial inclusion of the SME sector of the economy. Placing the focus on Development Banks' capacity to develop instruments targeted to SMEs is fundamental for Latin America and the Caribbean since these firms are key players within the productive fabric and also in terms of job creation. The project�s objective is to build capacity of Development Banks, and other stakeholders in the region regarding financial inclusion, and assist them in tailoring financial instruments to foster economic development, in particular regarding SMEs. To achieve this objective the project will focus on studying experiences form four specific Latin American Development Banks, in order to identify best practices and the possibility to transpose them in other countries, and to draft policy recommendations for the strengthening of development banks. The project will then gather stakeholders of the region, including national development bank officials, to present and discuss the findings of the case studies. The final results will serve as inputs for the elaboration of a comparative study on the matter in Latin America, followed by a set of technical assistance missions to diffuse its recommendations and assist countries in their implementation. To carry out this project ECLAC will collaborate with ESCAP, to share and compare best practices of development banking in Asia and Latin America, and with UN DESA on inclusive finance and the role of development banks.