 Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. My name is Adrian Monk from the World Economic Forum. Delighted to welcome you to this launch of Connect Americas, which is an initiative of the IADB in partnership with a number of companies, including Google. I have with me Luis Alberto Moreno of the IADB to introduce the concept behind Connect Americas and explain a little the background to the initiative. And also joined by Adriana Noreña from Google, who can talk about some of the technology that's powering it and driving what we hope will become a very successful platform for connecting Latin and South America's entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses. So without further ado, I'm going to ask any English speakers to put on their headphones. And that's probably me, I have to say. And we'll be conducting the press launch in Spanish. And I'm going to ask Luis Alberto Moreno to explain a little bit about the background to this initiative and what it hopes to achieve. Sir. Well, thank you very much. First of all, I would like to salute all of the members of the main table. Connect Americas is a platform that we have been thinking about for a long time, over a year and a half to be exact, because the IADB is actually an institution that can call upon both the public and private sectors, as well as development agencies and export agencies and chambers of commerce. And within the last few years, we've had great influence over the SMEs. We have Connect Americas will actually allow for the connection of many SMEs within the region. Many of the SMEs in the region represent about 60% of the employment and nearly 90% of the businesses in the region. If we think about what is the challenge that we find in this region in terms of productivity, the challenge is faced mostly by the SMEs, which is something that is also similar to what is faced by the large businesses in the region. But the challenge in terms of productivity is six times greater for SMEs. We are well connected and thanks to cell phones. Latin Americans have about 110 cell phones for every 100 people. If we think about it, some of the cell phones that we have are smartphones, others are not. But the truth is that about 75% of our cell phones will be smartphones within the next years. Brazil is one of the countries that dedicates most of their most hours to the use of smartphones. It's almost 900% of the usage of smartphones comes from our continent. That means that we're a highly interconnected continent. That's why Connect America wants to make this region the core of its platform. We are building on three main pillars. One is connection. And this means that we would like to connect with the community of professionals in the different industrial sectors for these professionals to be able to connect with their possible vendors, clients, investors. And we would like to recommend that each of them could use the best possible way to communicate within this network and within this community where they will be able to talk to one another, understand the needs of all. And that's why this is one of the fundamental pillars of what we're doing. We have thought about the transparency-related issues for many months also. We've thought about responsibility, our reputation. So we are verifying the users to ensure that they use the best possible filters for this purpose and not only understand how the connection is being made, but also the transparency of the same. We also have the learning component which uses practical information on how to improve the knowledge that we have about international business. This includes articles, interactive databases, logs, videos, online trainings, access to video streaming or online streaming, which is something that is done today in the different industrial sectors so that they can support the work that is being done by all these communities. We have a compact that we created for the food industry for many years. The development bank has been working with the LAC flavors, which is basically working with the industry that produces food and how these can become international industries. The third pillar has to do with financial topics. And basically what we would like to explain here to different communities is how they can interact with the different financial actors, the different investors, and the different countries where they operate. There is information about the financial support and the technical cooperation given by the bank through the Inter-American Corporation for Investments and the Investment Funds. There are other programs that are supported by the governments both on the public and private end. So in summary, what we can count on today is that thanks to the support that we get from Google, DHL, Alibaba, and Visa, we have four important partners that are our main partners that are supporting this initiative. These are partners that have a set of experience from the logistical, financial, technological part. And they can help us to integrate with one another far more. The idea is for you to get to know this platform, which is already online. We have conducted several tests throughout the last couple of months. And outside this room for almost a week, the number of users has increased. Thank you, Adrienne. This is really something that we have a lot of faith in this project. And we believe that without a doubt, it will allow for the globalization of the SMEs. And as they become globalized, the trade in the region should generate a source for growth that is very important when we compare this region to Europe. We see that the trade in Europe is three times what we find in Latin America, which is 20% of the overall global trade. So 50% of world trade occurs within this region. That's why we need to be a part of this value change. And we know that this platform will help accelerate that process. So thank you. $4 million or so small and medium enterprises across the region. It's quite a technological challenge to help support a platform that can bring all of them together. And Google have taken up that challenge. And joining us to explain a little bit about how that's working and how that support will make itself felt is Adriana Noreña. And Adriana, can I ask you just to explain a little bit more about how the platform works? And maybe tell us a little bit about who is using it currently and what you're experiencing from having just launched it. Bueno, gracias. Well, thank you. I was coming here yesterday thinking about the history. I'm a bit of a romantic. I wanted to talk about the romantic side of Connect Me America. And what a better place for that than Panama. I was coming from the airport and thinking, why? Well, there cannot be a better place to do this than Panama. Let's think about the great fact that makes Panama famous. And that is the Panama Canal. And when we think about what the Panama Canal does, we see that, basically, it joins two different oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic. And this opens doors to an international world. And this is aligned with what Connect America has in mind. And that is to open the door for SMEs to the world, to international trade in a way that they will become more competitive and, obviously, makes it a lot easier and a lot cheaper for them to interact with the international community. So I was thinking about all the material that was digged up to build the Panama Canal if we put one train right next to the other that will go around the world several times. And I think that's a basic objective of Connect America. Connect America is based on two main premises. The first one, assumptions. The first one is that there is an opportunity that has not been yet taken by the SMEs in the region to reach international markets. And just to give you some figures, that is 4 million SMEs in the region that represent about 90% of the companies in the region. A little over 50% of the employees' employments or jobs in the region, but only 10% of those jobs are exported. And that shows what they represent for the international market. The second assumption is the opportunity to take advantage of technology and how technology will allow us to get closer to these markets. Today, technology has overcome any physical barriers. Now, a company doesn't need to have a large building to reach other markets. We know that our consumers are only a click away, and that is basically what this platform does. Today, if you look at the online advertisement, you see that any small or medium enterprise can reach China within one or two minutes. They just need to know the tools and know how to do it. The second thing is that technology also allows us to overcome the language barrier. Now, we have online translators that allow us to reach these markets. And the third point is that there are companies like Alibaba, eBay, Amazon, Google. All of these companies are companies that support e-commerce. And e-commerce is actually something that has made international trade become smaller. There are no physical barriers based on what Mr. Moreno mentioned. These are the three pillars on which Connect America is based. Google will give us what? We are great dreamers. So we believe in the value and the contribution that the SMEs provide for our economies. That is 30% to 50% of the GDP in our countries. And we know that we can support this initiative from two standpoints. One, obviously, by becoming the technological partner for IDB and the other partners. And two, is by providing specific benefits through our online advertising platform. Number two, it's also by assisting or supporting SMEs, helping them have that more efficient operation by having their operations in the cloud, the Google Apps for Business. That is how they can use collaboration tools, how they can use so many other tools so they can communicate more efficiently and take advantage of the platforms. Also, opening the SMEs to the platforms of the world among those Google Maps. And the other pillar is where we believe that we could have a greater impact is by learning, learning, learning, or teaching, teaching, teaching. I had an SME in the past, and we are always afraid thinking that technology is only available for large companies. That is not true. It's all about learning and learning how to use these technological tools. And who better than us, who have a lot of clients and have the necessary means to reach other markets and have all the tools to enable these small and medium enterprises to reach these other regions of the world. So you'll see a lot of investment from Google in terms of a lot of hours dedicated to online training to make this SMEs more competitive. This is basically the message. We are very committed to this. We're happy to see that it's been online for four days now. There is a lot of interest. I want you to try out the platform. It's very easy. Just go to the website, www.connectamericas.com. Go in, log in. It's very easy. Just a click away and two fields that you need to complete, that you need to fill out. It's very easy for SMEs to use it, and that's the true value of it. Thank you. Very much. Can I just get a sense in the room of folks with questions, please? And just pop your hand up if there's something you'd like to ask, unless you're very busy right now, actually getting on the website and trying to play with it. So lady at the front and lady behind. And if you could just tell us your organization and where you're from. Please feel free to speak in Spanish. I'm the only person here who needs to use the translation facilities. Gracias. Thank you, Sasha, from Mayor Capital Financiero. I would like to know how much will it cost for SMEs to subscribe to your platform? And how are you going to promote or encourage SMEs to add themselves one by one? Will you take that one or should I? We can both answer that this is made on the basis of this being a service for the SMEs without any means for profit. Part of the objective is to make the SMEs connect and grow from this. When we look at our success, it will be based on that. What you just asked, how many out of those 4 million have subscribed to this? And have they learned how to connect and finance any of the operations that they actually want to conduct? That is the spirit of our partners as well. What we're trying to do is we're trying to build a service that was not there before. And it's a platform that is broad enough or open enough for it to be an entry point, as our technological partners explained. It has only one field, as you mentioned. It is a very simple way to enter into it. I don't know if you would like to add anything. Yes, and another added value to all this as to how we're going to generate that momentum is that one fundamental aspect is that it's self-managed. There will be reviews from the users where they're going to rate the experience that they have with a vendor, with a potential business partner. And that's going to generate that momentum for others to log in and start rating if the system has that quality that businesses need. Good afternoon, Cecilia Rodriguez from Caribbean News Digital and Economica River from Venezuela. I'm a Google user myself. I believe that we're all slaves to Google. Yes, we are. We all have to use Google and Gmail and all that. And that connection makes us be more connected, in fact. But something that happens to us as users, and I think this also translates to the SMEs, is that sometimes we don't understand how Google finds us. I mean, the platform will teach us how Google finds us, how we can create better relationships among ourselves because we have the technological part of everything that Google knows about us. But we don't know how Google actually works. Many people do. Many people don't know how it works. And one of the great obstacles in Latin America is that we all want to be in Google, but we don't know how to. Well, the platform teaches that. I think there are two separate issues. Google doesn't find us, first of all. It makes our lives easier by providing us information as fast as possible. And with that, I would like to say that there is a similarity to Connect America. The idea is for that SME to find what they need quickly within that huge social network. That is what we've called it, where you, as a company, will have your own profile, and you'll be willing to promote your products for potential buyers or vendors. And that is the large similarity. The SME will come to realize that value as they use it, just like you do when you use Google as a user. So it's not how they find you. It's how we find one another. Correct. One question embedded in that was also the issue of what you'll do to protect the privacy of the companies using that. So how will you protect their information? Because obviously, they want to know that when they're interacting, they feel safe and secure on that platform. Yes. I will then provide the floor, give the floor to the IDB. But the verification process is very important. You will start making transactions, and they have invested in systems for a specific verification, just like when a user opens an email account, and there are several steps to verify that that is the actual user. See it? Yes, just very quickly. In Connect Americas, we have the confidentiality and the privacy of the information will be completely insured. The IDB, as an international organization without any profit means, will not use this information for any business purposes, and we will verify the companies as well. When the user registers the SME, there will be a verification process. Thanks. Just aware that we're a little tight for time, so I'm just going to see if I can get the questions from these three folks, and then we'll perhaps roll them up and present them to Luis Alberto and Adriana. Thank you. Lady then. Lorena Maria. Lorena Maria Farías from LaTOM Investor. In your presentation, you mentioned advertising. Can you please explain a little bit more about how SMEs can have access to it, and also, as my colleague explained, not all SMEs understand how to use the ad that you offer. Will there be a difference? The lady there and the gentleman at the front. That'd be great. Good afternoon. Andrea Jimenez from Panama, America. I'd like to know how many companies have already signed up to the platform in these five days, and which sector of SMEs, which sector do they come from that is the most interested? Good afternoon. My name is Marcos Monroy from Nova Group. First, I'd like to congratulate the partners and the teams for their achievement, and I have a specific question. The platform, is it mainly a way for buyers and sellers to find each other of services, or will it also include transactions on the platform? Can somebody sell their product through the platform? Is there going to be any way of being able to achieve this so that the parties get to meet and can conduct transactions offline? And also, how will you measure the volume of transactions reached in case there are transactions done offline? I will take the advertising question first, and you can have the other two about advertising. There is a differentiating element. I think one of the challenges, and I'm optimistic, opportunities of our education, how we can educate any small, medium, big company to use advertising tools to, let's say, enhance its well-being. Yes, then what I would mention is that we will have many online trainings so that these companies can meet, and they can find out how to use the platform, webinars, videos, et cetera, and with positive experiences. So US and SME will be able to view the videos and learn by yourself how to use the platform. Google obviously has equipment all over in America to support and provide answers to questions. For example, how to launch an ad campaign. And an added economic benefit is they will have a benefit to use our advertising platform to test them right away and continue using them. And regarding how many companies, we have 1,600 up to the minute. And the sectors that opened initially to the idea was the professional services sector and the food sector, the food industry sector. These are the two areas in which we have the 1,600 users regarding the framework. This is a tool that basically has been designed to facilitate connections, learning, and financing of whichever transactions result. It's not a clearinghouse and not of that nature. And it's not something that we're ensuring that these transactions occur. What we're doing is the companies that sign up, they will do their due diligence, which is what Fabrizio was talking about, will verify the company where it's located, will have their footprint. But when it comes to a purchase or investment or a sale, the actual company interested in that transaction has to conduct its due diligence in order to proceed with the transaction in question. This is just a service, a potential. It's a market research tool. It's an international finance department that has a logistical component, important partners such as DHL, and that carries with it a whole learning component. This is basically what Connect Americas is, designed very openly with partners, with a recognized trajectory in these areas. And the rest, depending on how successful we are with a platform, we might create added services to Connect Americas. I'm sure you probably have more questions. Doubtless you'll have time to connect with both Lisa Beltemarena and Adriana Noreña through the meeting. In the meantime, thanks to both of them. Thanks to all of you. And here at the forum, we're very excited to be part of the launch of this very exciting initiative for small and medium enterprises. So thank you very much. Thank you. Gracias. Thanks very much. Gracias. Thank you very much. Gracias.