Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Launches Augmented-Reality Experience on National Mall Celebrating Five Trailblazers
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Launches Augmented-Reality Experience on National Mall Celebrating Five Trailblazers
Innovative Technology Brings New Voices to the Mall, Commemorating the Nation's 250th Anniversary; Access the Experience Now at unhidden-heroines.com
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The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum today launched "Unhidden Heroines," an augmented-reality experience on the National Mall that brings to life the stories of five women who helped shape American history. The immersive
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Launches Augmented-Reality Experience on National Mall Celebrating Five Trailblazers
Innovative Technology Brings New Voices to the Mall, Commemorating the Nation's 250th Anniversary; Access the Experience Now at unhidden-heroines.com
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The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum today launched "Unhidden Heroines," an augmented-reality experience on the National Mall that brings to life the stories of five women who helped shape American history. The immersiveexperience is now available for visitors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and accessible remotely nationwide from any smartphone or tablet through Saturday, Dec. 31, at unhidden-heroines.com. "Unhidden Heroines" is part of the Smithsonian Institution's programming for the nation's 250th anniversary.
With several key monuments, memorials and statues, the National Mall is one of the country's most symbolic spaces for remembering and learning about American history. "Unhidden Heroines" adds the stories of five American women to this historic landscape.
"'Unhidden Heroines' imagines landmarks dedicated to women's history in the heart of our nation, celebrating the unsung achievements of five remarkable American women on the National Mall and beyond," said Melanie Adams, interim director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.
The five women highlighted are:
* Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman pivotal to the success of Washington's Continental Army, at the Washington Monument.
* Julia Ward Howe, creator of a rallying cry, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," for the Union cause during the Civil War, at the Lincoln Memorial.
* Dorothy Height, a civil and women rights activist known as the "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement," at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
* Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a cryptanalyst central to cracking Nazi code during World War II, at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.
* Mary Katharine Goddard, the printer who published the first signed copy of the Declaration of Independence, at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
"Unhidden Heroines" uses AR technology and interactive storytelling to connect the histories of these women to iconic monuments on the National Mall, memorializing their accomplishments during pivotal moments in the nation's history. Through geolocation and custom 3D models, audiences of all ages are invited to step into their world and encounter the stories of these "Unhidden Heroines" as if told firsthand.
"This experience is truly representative of our museum's mission to expand the story of America through the often-untold accounts and accomplishments of women and a prime example of how we are prioritizing innovative programming," Adams said. "We hope witnessing the transformative contributions of these women in a place of such significance will inspire all Americans to envision the powerful stories the museum will tell in this same space, as we progress toward opening our permanent home on the National Mall."
Visitors to the National Mall can enjoy "Unhidden Heroines" by scanning a QR code on their smartphones or tablets and holding them up to each monument for the stories to appear on screen. Audiences can also explore the experience remotely from any location using the QR code or URL. The "Unhidden Heroines" digital experience was developed by the award-winning creative agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, with the women illustrated by Believe and the full AR experience built and designed in 3D by Current Studios.
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About the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum expands the story of America through the often-untold accounts and accomplishments of women--individually and collectively--to better understand our past and inspire our future. Through new scholarship, innovative exhibitions and online experiences, storytelling and participation, the museum inspires the next generation. The legislation creating the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum passed Dec. 27, 2020, and the museum is working with Congress to finalize a site for the physical building on the National Mall, even as it continues to advance history, education and scholarship.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum-launches-augmented-reality-experience
SBA Celebrates Success of Detroit Supplier Matchmaking Expo
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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SBA Celebrates Success of Detroit Supplier Matchmaking Expo
Over 600 Small Businesses Connected with Dozens of Large Companies to Reshore American Industry
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the results of its 2026 Detroit Supplier Matchmaking Expo, held earlier this month alongside General Motors in Detroit, Michigan. The Expo was designed to advance the Made in America agenda by helping large producers connect with small domestic suppliers - enabling
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WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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SBA Celebrates Success of Detroit Supplier Matchmaking Expo
Over 600 Small Businesses Connected with Dozens of Large Companies to Reshore American Industry
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the results of its 2026 Detroit Supplier Matchmaking Expo, held earlier this month alongside General Motors in Detroit, Michigan. The Expo was designed to advance the Made in America agenda by helping large producers connect with small domestic suppliers - enablingcompanies to build domestic supply chains, create local jobs, and restore American industrial dominance. More than 600 small business suppliers participated, along with over three dozen large industrial buyers, including companies and agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of War, NASA, Ford Motor Company, Google, Honeywell, Toyota, and Siemens.
"The SBA is helping deliver on President Trump's commitment to rebuild American industry by connecting small manufacturers directly with federal buyers and large companies that are leveraging the fair trade agenda to reshore their supply chains," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "With nearly half of the 600 participants expecting more than $250,000 in new business thanks to our one-day event in Detroit, it's clear that the Supplier Matchmaking Expo series is filling a real need by giving buyers direct access to the local small suppliers they need to expand production and rebuild American industry."
The Expo took place on May 5, 2026 at the MotorCity Casino, providing an opportunity for local suppliers to meet large companies seeking services and products to expand their productive capacity. Participants took part in both the expo floor exhibits and one-on-one matchmaking sessions with prospective buyers, with 140 small businesses already successfully "matching" with a large company to provide services.
Post-event survey results demonstrated strong outcomes for participating businesses:
* 82% of participants reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the Expo's effectiveness in facilitating procurement networking.
* 84% said they would likely or very likely recommend the Supplier Matchmaking Expo series to a colleague.
* 48% of respondents expect to generate more than $250,000 in business opportunities over the next 12 months as a result of their participation.
* 16% anticipate generating more than $1 million in business opportunities, including 7% who expect more than $5 million in future deals.
Participants praised the quality of the matchmaking sessions and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with buyers, procurement professionals, and SBA staff.
* "This was a great event; very glad I was able to attend. I met with seven different buyers for one-on-one matchmaking sessions and each was a valuable session."
* "We did appreciate the opportunity to meet with government entities that we would not otherwise have gotten to meet with."
* "I learned a lot about what's available from the SBA."
Many participants expressed enthusiasm for future Supplier Matchmaking Expos and encouraged the SBA to continue expanding the program.
* "Have more of them."
* "It was perfect, I'd say make it longer. Three-day expo."
* "I truly love the event, looking to do something in my state, this was great."
The Detroit Expo builds on the success of the SBA's inaugural Supplier Matchmaking Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina and reinforces the agency's commitment to supporting American manufacturing and domestic sourcing. In support of the Made in America agenda, the agency waived loan fees for small manufacturers in Fiscal Year 2026 and established the first-ever loan program dedicated to American manufacturers. The SBA also introduced a 90% Made in America Loan Guarantee and launched its Make Onshoring Great Again Portal, a free tool designed to connect small businesses with a database of more than one million domestic suppliers and producers.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/06/18/sba-celebrates-success-detroit-supplier-matchmaking-expo
National Museum of American History Launches Virtual-Reality Experience Featuring Revolutionary War Gunboat "Philadelphia"
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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National Museum of American History Launches Virtual-Reality Experience Featuring Revolutionary War Gunboat "Philadelphia"
Provides Immersive Adventure as Visitors Explore History
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The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History presents "Gunboat Philadelphia: Save the Revolution!," a new, virtual-reality experience that transports visitors to Lake Champlain in 1776, where they can take part in a pivotal moment in the fight for American independence. Participants wear a VR headset and join Patriot
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WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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National Museum of American History Launches Virtual-Reality Experience Featuring Revolutionary War Gunboat "Philadelphia"
Provides Immersive Adventure as Visitors Explore History
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The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History presents "Gunboat Philadelphia: Save the Revolution!," a new, virtual-reality experience that transports visitors to Lake Champlain in 1776, where they can take part in a pivotal moment in the fight for American independence. Participants wear a VR headset and join Patriotforces as they help build and sail the gunboat Philadelphia in an effort to repel a British invasion.
Tickets are $10 per player and $8 for repeat (same day) players and are available for purchase at the museum. Additional special pricing for groups will also be available.
The gunboat Philadelphia dates to 1776 and is the oldest surviving intact American fighting vessel. It was part of a small American fleet, hastily built in the summer of 1776, that stalled invading British forces and delayed their advancing forces, thus keeping the cause of independence alive.
The museum contracted Pulseworks LLC, a pioneer in VR and motion-simulator attractions, to collaborate in creating a realistic and interactive experience that takes visitors back in time to a lesser-known naval battle that was pivotal in securing American Independence. This is the first VR experience at the museum based on a historic object in its collections.
"Never before have visitors had the opportunity to experience history and the Revolutionary War like this," said Kenneth Cohen, chair of the Division of Military and Society and curator of Early American history. "Years of research into details about the people involved and how this boat preserved the nation will surround the players as they pitch in to hold off the British."
Visitors can deep dive into history even further and see conservators at work in real time as they clean and stabilize the boat in a special exhibition, "The Gunboat Philadelphia Preservation Project," which is located near the VR experience in the east wing of the third floor. The work to clean and stabilize the rare 250-year-old object is being carried out by a team of underwater archeologists and maritime conservators from Texas A&M's Nautical Archaeology Program, working under contract with the Smithsonian.
The gunboat Philadelphia is a major highlight of the museum's recently opened exhibition to celebrate the 250th anniversary and explore the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness" features 250 objects that range from the 1700s to the 21st century and are spread across the 250,000 square feet of the museum's three public floors.
The Philadelphia was built in the summer of 1776 as part of a massive building project that mobilized 12,000 people and constructed multiple fortifications as well as a dozen ships over just a few months. In October of that year, the Philadelphia was part of a small American fleet, under the command of Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold, in the three-day Battle of Valcour Island against the British. During the battle, the gunboat was badly damaged by a 24-pound British cannonball near its bow and it sank to the bottom of Lake Champlain, where it remained until a salvage team, led by Col. Lorenzo Hagglund, found and raised it in 1935. The Philadelphia remained in the Lake Champlain region until 1961, when the gunboat, its original equipment and hundreds of artifacts, including the cannon ball that issued the ship's fatal blow, were moved to the new National Museum of History and Technology (the museum's original name) before the completion of the museum's construction and opening to the public Jan. 23, 1964.
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum, located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, is open daily except Dec. 25, between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. The doors of the museum are always open online, and the virtual museum offers always-expanding access to online exhibitions, PK-12 educational materials and programs. The public can follow the museum on social media on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. For more information, visit the museum's website. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-museum-american-history-launches-virtual-reality-experience-featuring
NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers
PASADENA, California, June 19 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers
A prototype rover built with a new design for tackling rugged terrain is helping teams refine capabilities that could one day be used on future lunar and Red Planet missions.
On a bleak stretch of the Colorado Desert in Southern California, a compact four-wheeled rover recently trundled about 16 miles (26 kilometers) with minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme
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PASADENA, California, June 19 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers
A prototype rover built with a new design for tackling rugged terrain is helping teams refine capabilities that could one day be used on future lunar and Red Planet missions.
On a bleak stretch of the Colorado Desert in Southern California, a compact four-wheeled rover recently trundled about 16 miles (26 kilometers) with minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating ExtremeSloped Terrain), this prototype is being used by NASA to advance both robotic autonomy and the ability to traverse challenging landscapes.
Developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, ERNEST is 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. Not only can it lift each of its mesh wheels to get past obstacles that would stymie Curiosity and Perseverance, NASA's six-wheeled Mars rovers, but the prototype also has enhanced independent decision-making capabilities. These mobility and autonomy advances could be infused into future missions that will venture to previously inaccessible areas of the Red Planet or the Moon.
In the field, ERNEST served as a testbed for a potential future lunar mission requiring higher speeds and much greater mileage than can be accomplished by current rovers. This technology could be used to inform future designs for exploration efforts on the Moon and beyond.
"This testing is helping us refine the mobility hardware and autonomy software to navigate extreme distances across a wide range of terrain and lighting conditions anticipated on the Moon," said Issa Nesnas, a principal technologist at JPL who led the recent testing as head of autonomy for a NASA mission concept for a potential future long-range lunar rover.
Nesnas' team is using ERNEST to demonstrate it is possible to build a rover that's twice as big as the prototype and capable of a long-distance Moon mission. During the recent campaign, ERNEST traveled at speeds up to 0.6 mph (1 kph) over 37 hours of driving, across seven days of intermittent testing. That's an order of magnitude above the top speed Perseverance and Curiosity can navigate.
"You could do a science road trip across the Moon -- or Mars -- with this vehicle," said James Keane, a JPL planetary scientist working on lunar missions.
The initial goal of the team that developed ERNEST was mechanical: to design a relatively simple, low-cost rover that advances the trusted rocker-bogie suspension system featured on every Mars rover since NASA's Sojourner. This passive system keeps relatively constant weight on all six wheels, thanks to pivot points and struts that enable each one to adapt to the changing surface.
On ERNEST, the active suspension lets the rover manage weight distribution among its wheels. Two powered joints in front articulate a gimbal that allows the rover to drive using different gaits like squirming, wheel-walking, and obstacle-climbing. With a clutch mechanism, it can switch between active and passive suspension, which is less terrain capable but more energy efficient. With four steerable wheels, it can drive in any direction, including sideways.
"We started by postulating that we could do better in designing a planetary surface robotic mobility system," said Hari Nayar, a JPL principal technologist leading the ERNEST team. "While the rocker-bogie system has been very successful over the past 30 years, there's been a lot of research in that time on mobility and understanding terrain interaction."
Before arriving at today's version of ERNEST, the team built two earlier prototypes, each about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long, to test 11 active suspension configurations. In a trailer filled with lunar regolith simulant, they ran experiments at different slope angles over several months before landing on a final design.
Then the team scaled up, including adding a rectangular head mounted on a 4.5-foot-tall (1.4-meter-tall) mast. The hardware was completed in September 2024, but the rover still needed a human operator to joystick it, sending commands to instruct the rover on how to move over obstacles.
In order to train the rover to think on its own, the ERNEST team turned to reinforcement learning, a type of artificial intelligence where the robot learns by interacting with its environment. The Dynamics and Real-Time Simulation Laboratory at JPL developed a high-fidelity virtual testing environment that replicates the rover's behavior. The team fed the simulator data collected by engineers who documented the response of the actual rover hardware to a variety of terrain types. On a high-performance computing cluster, the team ran many simulations at once, sometimes completing thousands of hours of tests over a single weekend.
After months of virtual training, the ERNEST team was ready to see if the rover could use its new autonomous algorithms to figure out how to drive over terrain features that would halt a passive-suspension rover. They set up an obstacle course with sand ripples, rubble piles, steps, and steep slopes in JPL's Mars Yard, an outdoor terrain proving ground. Then they watched as the rover maneuvered the terrain on its own. Since then, ERNEST has completed many such courses.
Nayar's team is starting a new autonomy project which involves integrating the rover's ability to determine when and how to use its active suspension with longer-range intelligent navigation. The goal is to enable ERNEST to plan an efficient path so that it can tackle surmountable obstacles and circumnavigate hazardous ones. These capabilities could contribute to potential future rover missions encountering formidable landscapes on Mars or more rugged areas of the Moon.
Work on ERNEST began in 2022 was initially supported by JPL internal research and development funds. It is currently funded by NASA's Mars Exploration Program and the agency's Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office in its Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-testing-advanced-capabilities-for-moon-mars-rovers/
IDB Group Approves Uruguay Country Strategy 2026-2030
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group Approves Uruguay Country Strategy 2026-2030
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) approved the Country Strategy (CS) for Uruguay for 2026-2030, a plan developed jointly with the Government of Uruguay that envisages investments of US$4.2 billion and seeks to consolidate the country as a hub for innovation and a benchmark for security, building on its stability and institutional and macroeconomic strength.
Under this new agenda, the IDB will allocate US$2.7 billion to
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WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group Approves Uruguay Country Strategy 2026-2030
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) approved the Country Strategy (CS) for Uruguay for 2026-2030, a plan developed jointly with the Government of Uruguay that envisages investments of US$4.2 billion and seeks to consolidate the country as a hub for innovation and a benchmark for security, building on its stability and institutional and macroeconomic strength.
Under this new agenda, the IDB will allocate US$2.7 billion tosupport public sector initiatives, while IDB Invest, the private sector institution of the IDB Group, will allocate US$1.5 billion to strengthen business investment. IDB Lab, the Group's innovation and venture arm, will continue to promote the entrepreneurial ecosystem and early-stage investment.
"The 2026-2030 Country Strategy expands its scope through public-private solutions, strategic partnerships, and innovative financial mechanisms, while maintaining IDB Group's historic hallmark: being the country's leading multilateral partner through strategic support, high technical value, and alignment with national priorities, generating scalable learning for the region," said Luiz Ros, IDB Group Representative in Uruguay.
Within the framework of the IDBStrategy+, the pillars of the new Country Strategy for Uruguay over the next four years are:
* Innovation and business climate: The new roadmap aims to stimulate productive modernization, private investment in R&D, and trade openness by strengthening innovation initiatives, promoting digitalization and agricultural productivity, and leveraging the advantages of new trade agreements. Under this objective, the CS seeks to improve the business climate, promote competition, deepen capital markets, and expand access to financing, particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The venture capital industry will also be promoted to channel financing and strategic support to technology-based ventures, through IDB Lab and the IDB. At the regional level, the IDB Group will strengthen capacities in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC). In addition, the plan will modernize public finances, contributing to greater macroeconomic stability. In this way, the CS aims to encourage investment and generate new growth opportunities.
* Security and well-being: The strategy will prioritize citizen security through the modernization of justice and security systems and the strengthening of childhood and youth policies, especially for the most vulnerable groups, by expanding educational opportunities and designing more targeted social policies.
* Mobility and basic services: The new agenda aims to achieve more efficient, accessible, sustainable, and equitable mobility, with a focus on the public transportation system in the Montevideo metropolitan area. Likewise, the plan seeks to improve urban development and ensure access to housing, develop efficient and resilient infrastructure, guarantee universal and safe access to basic services such as drinking water, and expand energy infrastructure.
The document deepens the strategic relationship between Uruguay and the IDB Group and will be implemented through a multisectoral and synergistic programmatic approach using the full range of available instruments, including regional initiatives such as South Connection and the Alliance for Security, Justice, and Development. The IDB will also provide financial and technical cooperation to strengthen engagement with the OECD and to support the ratification and implementation of trade agreements.
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About the IDB Group
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is the leading source of financing and knowledge for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. It comprises the IDB, which works with the region's public sector and enables the private sector; IDB Invest, which directly supports private companies and projects; and IDB Lab, which spurs entrepreneurial innovation.
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-group-approves-uruguay-country-strategy-2026-2030
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco Provides Update on Interim President, CEO
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank System Office of Finance issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco Provides Update on Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) of San Francisco announced today that interim President and Chief Executive Officer Winthrop Watson has informed its board of directors (Board) that he is willing to continue to serve as interim President and Chief Executive Officer on an indefinite basis.
The FHLBank of San Francisco announced Mr. Watson's appointment
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WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank System Office of Finance issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco Provides Update on Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) of San Francisco announced today that interim President and Chief Executive Officer Winthrop Watson has informed its board of directors (Board) that he is willing to continue to serve as interim President and Chief Executive Officer on an indefinite basis.
The FHLBank of San Francisco announced Mr. Watson's appointmentto the interim role on January 8, 2026, while the Board continued its search for a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer. In light of today's announcement and taking into account Mr. Watson's demonstrated leadership and strategic vision and his extensive prior experience as a chief executive officer of an FHLBank, the Board is no longer at this time pursuing candidates for the permanent President and Chief Executive Officer position.
For additional information, please review the FHLBank of San Francisco's Form 8-K filing on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, www.sec.gov.
The FHLBanks have delivered innovation and service to the U.S. housing market since 1932, and currently have approximately 6,300 members serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Please contact Tom Heinle at (703) 467-3646 or theinle@fhlb-of.com for additional information.
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Original text here: https://fhlb-of.com/ofweb_userWeb/resources/PR2026-0618-PressRelease1.pdf
El Salvador Crece: Government of El Salvador and IDB Group Join Forces to Boost Growth and Promote Private Investment
WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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El Salvador Crece: Government of El Salvador and IDB Group Join Forces to Boost Growth and Promote Private Investment
SAN SALVADOR -- The government of El Salvador and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) today launched El Salvador Crece, a strategic initiative aimed at promoting investment, accelerating reforms, and advancing high-impact policies to drive economic growth, strengthen national productivity, and create jobs.
El Salvador Crece is part of the IDB
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WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release on June 18, 2026:
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El Salvador Crece: Government of El Salvador and IDB Group Join Forces to Boost Growth and Promote Private Investment
SAN SALVADOR -- The government of El Salvador and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) today launched El Salvador Crece, a strategic initiative aimed at promoting investment, accelerating reforms, and advancing high-impact policies to drive economic growth, strengthen national productivity, and create jobs.
El Salvador Crece is part of the IDBGroup's LAC Crece platform, introduced this year during the Annual Meetings in Asuncion, Paraguay, to support Latin American and Caribbean countries in designing and implementing private-sector-led economic development agendas.
The launch takes place at a time when El Salvador has achieved significant progress in public security, macroeconomic stability, tourism dynamism, and the restoration of investor confidence. These factors have contributed to strengthening the country's economic outlook: the country risk premium experienced a sharp decline, falling from more than 3,500 basis points in July 2022 to approximately 326 basis points by the end of 2025, a year in which the economy grew by 3.9%.
The initiative will focus on five priority areas: macroeconomic stability, housing and urban development, tourism, financing for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and internationalization and foreign-investment attraction, with a particular focus on developing the coastal economy.
"El Salvador has created the conditions to enter a new phase of growth. The challenge now is to turn these gains into more investment, higher productivity, and greater opportunities. With El Salvador Crece, the IDB Group will work alongside the country to identify and sequence reforms, mobilize financing, and accelerate projects that support sustainable, long-term growth," said IDB Group President Ilan Goldfajn.
El Salvador's minister of finance, Jerson Posada, added: "All our efforts are focused on accelerating the economy and productivity, and this is where the El Salvador Crece platform has tremendous strategic value. It acts as an accelerator and a powerful vehicle for implementing our sovereign agenda, allowing us to move from planning to execution by coordinating enabling public investment, regulatory reforms, and mobilization of large-scale private capital in a sequenced manner."
The launch took place during "El Salvador Crece: Investment to Accelerate Growth," an event which brought together government authorities, business leaders, representatives of financial institutions, international investors, and academia. The event helped align public and private priorities, identify investment opportunities, and assess conditions to strengthen the business climate, expand access to financing, and accelerate the execution of strategic projects.
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About the IDB Group
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is the leading source of financing and knowledge for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. It comprises the IDB, which works with the region's public sector and enables the private sector; IDB Invest, which directly supports private companies and projects; and IDB Lab, which spurs entrepreneurial innovation.
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/el-salvador-crece-government-el-salvador-and-idb-group-join-forces-boost-growth-and-promote-private
