Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a fundamental role in the socio-economic development of Ibero-America. However, they face structural and contextual challenges that constrain their sustainable growth. This study analyses the key determinants of MSMEs’ growth in the region using a quantitative approach based on a Random Forest model applied to a dataset of 1796 observations collected by a team of researchers from different universities affiliated with the Foundation for Strategic Analysis and Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (FAEDPYME). The results reveal that sound corporate governance, effective human talent management supported by strong organisational communication, the development of skills to reduce the digital divide, innovation, and environmental perception constitute hierarchically significant factors for business development and sustainability. Relevant patterns that enable business sustainability are discussed, and a basis for the formulation of public policies aimed at strengthening the productive fabric is provided. This study offers empirical evidence that contributes to the ongoing discussion on innovation and sustainability among MSMEs in Ibero-America.

The study aims to identify the factors influencing the probability of affil­iation to voluntary social security among workers in the informal sector in Ecuador during the period 2018-2020. The methodology applied a logit model with marginal effects using data from the National Employ­ment, Unemployment and Underemployment Survey for Ecuador. The results suggest that factors such as labor income, urban residence, marital status married, and formal higher education tend to increase the likelihood of affiliation. Conversely, poverty and involvement in agricultural activities decrease the probability of opting for voluntary insurance coverage. We can conclude that, although there is interest in belonging to social security, informal workers prioritize the coverage of immediate needs due to their low labor income.

Talento, Innovación y Rendimiento de la MIPYME, es el resultado del proceso de investigación desarrollado por los miembros que participan en el equipo de investigación Potencia de la Facultad de Ciencias Administrativas y Económicas de las carreras de Contabilidad, Administración, Economía y Marketing, siendo posible realizarla con el apoyo de los empresarios de los sectores productivos que realizan sus actividades en la provincia de Imbabura. La finalidad de esta obra es proporcionar datos actualizados y relevantes sobre el desempeño empresarial, brindando elementos esenciales para el proceso de toma de decisiones, con el fin de impulsar su desarrollo y sostenibilidad. Todo esto con la esperanza de que sus contenidos enriquezcan la perspectiva y se fomente el diálogo empresarial y académico.

This article is the result of research conducted by a multidisciplinary team composed of professionals from universities in several Ibero-American countries. It reveals the findings that allowed the establishment of business strategies that contribute to the strengthening of SMEs, based on the good practices developed within the business sector of SMEs in Ibero-America. The study is of a mixed type with descriptive approach, using methods such as observation, interview, document review, historical, analysis, synthesis, hermeneutic, hypothetical-deductive, and logical to process the available information. To manage the data and statistical graphs, the Stata system was used to obtain significant results and develop the theoretical proposal. A probabilistic model is proposed to show how paying more attention to study variables such as business culture, innovation, worker qualification, and digitalization increases the probability of achieving a higher level of competitiveness. Among the main results that significantly affect the development of competitiveness are digital transformation, the adoption of innovation processes in their products and services, as well as the strengthening staff qualifications.

The sustainability of information poses an ever-greater challenge in the digital age, particularly within local media ecosystems, where access to technology does not necessarily lead to informed participation or stronger ties with institutions. In contexts such as Ecuador, persistent inequalities shape the way people access, use and trust information, reinforcing complex forms of the digital divide. This study analyses how the sustainability of information is reflected in media consumption patterns and levels of institutional engagement within a regional context. Based on a survey of 1784 people in the province of Imbabura, the study applies a combined approach using cluster analysis and random forest models to identify distinct audience profiles. The results reveal four distinct groups, demonstrating that the intensity and diversity of media use are more relevant than mere digital access. High levels of digital use do not guarantee greater institutional engagement; instead, hybrid patterns emerge that combine traditional, digital and institutional media in different ways. The findings show that digital access alone is not sufficient to ensure information sustainability or the formation of institutional opinion. From a public policy perspective, universities and public institutions should promote digital literacy, build trust and design more targeted communication strategies to reduce information inequalities and foster informed participation.

Savings and Credit Cooperatives (COACs) within Ecuador’s Popular and Solidarity Economy (PSE) represent the principal source of financial intermediation for households and microenterprises with limited access to the formal banking system. This article examines the determinants of loan delinquency in Segment 4 and Segment 5 SCCs within Ecuador’s PSE framework, employing an unbalanced panel dataset of 368 institutions—220 in Segment 4 and 148 in Segment 5—and 5,056 quarterly observations spanning the period 2020Q1–2025Q4 (24 quarters). The econometric evidence obtained from a dynamic panel model estimated using the Arellano–Bond difference estimator (AB-2SLS), supplemented by seven robustness specifications, reveals a strong degree of persistence in loan delinquency, indicating that deterioration in portfolio quality is unlikely to be corrected spontaneously over time. The results further show that portfolio concentration in microcredit constitutes the most important structural risk factor, reflecting the greater vulnerability of micro-cooperatives to correlated defaults. Institutional size exhibits an asymmetric protective effect, a pattern consistent with the community relationship-banking hypothesis. Time dummy variables indicate that the decline in delinquency observed during 2020 was driven by regulatory payment-deferral measures rather than by a genuine improvement in members’ repayment capacity, whereas the increase observed after 2022 reflects the gradual exhaustion of those temporary policy interventions.