Bladex leads successful syndication of a US$125 million 5-Year Senior Unsecured Term Loan for Banco de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)

Latin America - español

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Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (Bladex)

Dec 29, 2014, 08:00 ET

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. ("Bladex" or the "Bank"; NYSE: BLX) announced the recent disbursement of a US$125 million, 5-year senior unsecured term loan (the "Facility") for Banco de Costa Rica ("BCR" or the "Borrower"). Proceeds will be applied to increase the liquidity profile of the bank and to support the growth of BCR's medium-term US Dollar loan portfolio.

Established in 1887 and owned by the government of Costa Rica since 1948, BCR is the oldest bank in Costa Rica and, currently, the second largest bank in terms of assets, with a 20% market share.

Bladex was the Sole Lead Arranger and Bookrunner of the transaction, and will act as the Administrative Agent.

The transaction was successfully launched and disbursed within 45 days and marks BCR's first international syndicated loan, broadening the bank's sources of funding across Latin America and the United States.

The Facility received strong support from several financial institutions based in Panama, Colombia, United States, and Trinidad and Tobago, most of which are new relationships to Banco de Costa Rica.

Leonardo Acuna, Chief Financial Officer of Banco de Costa Rica, stated: "Banco de Costa Rica is pleased to have launched a very successful first international syndicated loan, strengthening the bank´s position in the international markets and opening new relationships and sources of funding."

Alejandro Jaramillo, Head of Loan Structuring and Distribution at Bladex, stated: "We are very pleased and honored to have been chosen by BCR for their first international syndicated loan, and to have worked with a highly professional team at BCR to deliver in a relatively short period of time what we consider to be a landmark transaction in the financial institutions space, because of the 5-year tenor. This transaction marks the sixth syndicated loan for a financial institution successfully led by Bladex this year, adding to the Bank's growing franchise in the Latin American syndicated loan market."

Bladex is a Panama-based supranational bank established by the central banks of Latin-American and Caribbean countries, to promote foreign trade finance and economic integration in the Region. Bladex is listed on the NYSE-Euronext in the United States (ticker symbol: BLX).

Bladex's shareholders include central banks, state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American countries, as well as commercial banks and financial institutions, and institutional and retail investors through its public listing.

The Bank has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States of America, to support the expansion and servicing of its client base, which includes financial institutions and corporations.

For further information, please access Bladex's website at www.bladex.com or contact:

Mr. Christopher Schech, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: (+507) 210-8630, E-mail address: [email protected]
Bladex, Head Office, Torre V, Business Park, Avenida La Rotonda, Urbanizacion Costa del Este,
Panama, Republic of Panama

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SOURCE Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (Bladex)