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| Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau (Chile) | |
|---|---|
| Agency name | Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau |
| Native name | Oficina de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas |
| Formed | 1990s |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of Chile |
| Headquarters | Santiago |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism |
Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau (Chile) The Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau is a Chilean administrative body focused on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and coordinating with national and international institutions. It operates within the framework of the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism and interacts with agencies such as CORFO, SERNAC, Servicio de Impuestos Internos, BancoEstado, and the World Bank to promote entrepreneurship, industrial policy, and regional development. The Bureau engages with programs linked to ProChile, SENCE, Fosis, Subsecretaría de Desarrollo Regional, and multilateral agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Mercosur dialogues.
The Bureau traces roots to reforms of the Patricio Aylwin and Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle administrations that restructured industrial policy and trade promotion through entities like CORFO and ProChile, later formalized amid legislative changes influenced by the OECD accession process and advice from the Inter-American Development Bank and International Labour Organization. During the Ricardo Lagos era and the Michelle Bachelet governments, it expanded collaboration with FONDEF and Start-Up Chile while coordinating with regional offices in Valparaíso, Concepción, Antofagasta, and Temuco. Reforms under Sebastián Piñera emphasized linkage with BancoEstado Microempresas and public procurement reforms related to ChileCompra and the Ley de Pago a 30 días debates.
The Bureau’s mandate covers policy advice, program implementation, and interagency coordination involving Ministry of Finance (Chile), Ministry of Labor and Social Provision (Chile), Servicio Nacional de Capacitación y Empleo, SERNAC, and regional development councils such as the Consejo Regional (Chile). It advises on legislation like the Ley de Microempresas and instruments tied to impuesto a la renta regimes, tax incentives coordinated with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos and credit guarantees linked to Banco del Estado de Chile and private banks including Banco de Chile and Banco Santander-Chile. It also liaises with international partners such as the World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank, and development agencies like USAID and GIZ.
The Bureau is structured into directorates and units aligned with the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism hierarchy: an executive director reporting to the Minister of Economy (Chile), technical units on entrepreneurship, finance, training, and export promotion, and regional delegations that coordinate with Intendencias (now Gobiernos Regionales). Units collaborate with CORFO programs, ProChile export desks, SENCE training modules, and municipal incubators linked to universities such as the Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad de Santiago de Chile. The Bureau’s advisory board includes representatives from chambers like the Cámara de Comercio de Santiago, Cámara de la Producción y del Comercio, trade unions, and private sector associations such as the Confederación de la Producción y del Comercio.
Programs administered or coordinated by the Bureau include entrepreneurship incubation aligned with Start-Up Chile, training initiatives in partnership with SENCE and Fosis, credit guarantee schemes alongside CORFO and BancoEstado, export promotion cooperation with ProChile, and innovation grants linked to FONDEF and ANID. Services extend to regulatory simplification for registry and permits coordinated with Servicio de Impuestos Internos and ChileAtiende, procurement facilitation via ChileCompra and support for digitalization referencing Digital Government of Chile strategies and partnerships with actors like Microsoft Chile and Google Chile in accelerator programs. It also implements capacity-building with Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and sectoral initiatives with trade associations such as Sociedad de Fomento Fabril.
The Bureau contributes to national policy making by advising ministers, drafting measures that interact with laws such as the Ley de Protección al Emprendimiento and proposals debated in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile. It participates in regulatory impact assessments coordinated with the Dirección de Presupuestos and links to competition issues handled by the Fiscalía Nacional Económica. The Bureau represents Chilean SME interests in international forums including the OECD SME Ministerial, APEC small business working groups, and trade negotiations conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chile).
Funding derives from the national budget allocated via the Ministry of Finance (Chile) and programmatic funds channeled through CORFO, ProChile, Fosis, and external financing from institutions like the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Budgetary oversight involves the Contraloría General de la República and parliamentary scrutiny by committees in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Budget Committee (Chile), while private sector co-financing comes from banks such as Banco de Chile and international donors including USAID and European Union cooperation instruments.
The Bureau’s initiatives have been credited with supporting export diversification linked to ProChile and innovation projects financed through FONDEF and ANID, enhancing access to finance via guarantees with CORFO and BancoEstado. Critics point to challenges highlighted by the Asociación de Emprendedores de Chile and academic studies from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad de Chile regarding bureaucratic complexity, regional disparities affecting Araucanía and Atacama, and limited reach into informal sectors noted by INE and labor researchers associated with FLACSO Chile. Debates in the Senate of Chile and reports by the Contraloría General de la República have called for improved monitoring, stronger links with private accelerators like ChileGlobal Ventures and clearer evaluation metrics aligned with OCDE standards.