The U.S. Small Business Administration approved 165 loans for $26.9 million in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during the first three months of fiscal year 2015, an 11 percent and 66 percent increase, respectively, over first-quarter approvals in 2014.
Puerto Rico has lost 177,392 residents either to migration or death in the last four years, putting pressure on the economy, as well as specific sectors, — such as retail — that will need to readjust their business models to provide for future consumer behavior.
The governments of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic signed Tuesday a series of bilateral agreements that seek to promote economic, academic, scientific, security, and cultural experiences between the two islands that share deep historical ties.
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