ABSTRACT
Introduction/objective: The popular and supportive microcredit is a dynamic element of economic development. Its validity and growth are vital for developing territories, such as the one considered in this work, province of Santa Elena in the Republic of Ecuador. It empowers the generation of sources of employment, availability of sustenance to cover the needs of segments of the population with insufficient income. Methodology: The research is quantitative with a descriptive scope with a non -experi-mental design. It is based on secondary data corresponding to placements of popular and solidarity microcredit of segment 1. Results: The growth of popular and solidarity microcredit placements in the province of Santa Elena has been discreet, even during periods of unfavorable externalities such as the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which its positive interannual variation was maintained. Conclusions: Popular and solidarity microcredit has placed resources in productive agents so that, based on principles of social, environmental, and solidarity responsibility, a distribution of resources is generated in disadvantaged agents, generating evidence of a model that generates economic development.