You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hu.

We hear it all the time.

Success isn't a one-size-fits-all type of thing.

And yet, for small business owners who may find success outside

traditional metrics, securing things like a bank loan can be tough. In this talk, impact entrepreneur

Mercedes BDART shows how AI tools in Latin America are helping to change this by making

the currency of trust in business visible and verifiable, opening doors to fairer finance.

I grew up in a family of small business owners in Argentina. My parents ran a courting and carpet shop, so I witnessed

firsthand how difficult it is to grow a business. Trust and support from their community were key in keeping

the business alive. But I decided not to continue with my family business.

Instead, I studied political science.

I was obsessed in how technology could support the growth of businesses like my parents.

And that curiosity led me to MIT, where in 2019, my master thesis in AI and economic development got awarded funding to become a real world pilot. And that's how I ended up working in informal settlements in Colombia.

In these neighborhoods where I did my research, you didn't need a credit card to buy

lunch. It was enough for the shopkeeper to know who you were.

If your mother had a good record with loans, if you said hello in the mornings,

if you had a shop that was known by the neighbors,

they would front you the rice, the sugar cane, the bread.

The economy didn't run solely on cash. It ran on trust.

That invisible currency, that is built over time. And I noticed something. Those same principles

I saw growing up in Argentina were alive in Colombian businesses too.

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