Colombia is home to a distinctive blend of ethnicities, cultures and geography, has the second-largest population in South America and is the continent’s fourth-largest country. After spending much of the second half of the 20th century embroiled in the world’s second-longest modern civil war, the 2016 peace accord brought a formal end to the conflict between FARC and the government. The end o
Drawing on international best practice, public and private banks in Colombia have begun to develop financial products designed to promote environmental sustainability and achieve development goals. Beginning in 2016 the country has issued a series of green bonds to support environmental projects. Building on this experience, Colombia has more recently begun to issue new financial products aimed…
Gross venture capital (VC) investment in Latin American start-ups reached a record $780m in the first half of 2018, representing year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of 63% from $476m. The total number of VC deals was similarly up by 61.1%, from 90 to 145, according to data from the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America (LAVCA). The association projected VC investment for all of…
Once reserved for ambitious start-ups and industry-leading tech operators, financial technology (fintech) has more recently caught the attention of major private sector firms and government planners alike, becoming a regular feature in budget speeches and strategic development plans. As fintech progressively plays a larger part in the lives of consumers, investors have quickly come to recognise…
Once reserved for ambitious start-ups and industry-leading tech operators, financial technology (fintech) has more recently caught the attention of major private sector firms and government planners alike, becoming a regular feature in budget speeches and strategic development plans. As fintech progressively plays a larger part in the lives of consumers, investors have quickly come to recognise…
The period of easily raising funds from abroad seems to be coming to an end for emerging markets around the world. In the new environment of higher interest rates in the US and increased competition for capital flows, portfolio managers are becoming more selective with where they place their money. One way for developing nations to ensure that their financial markets can continue to attract…
On the back of strong economic growth and diversified distribution channels, the insurance industry in Colombia – the fifth largest in Latin America – is expected to post steady growth over the coming years. The expansion of the sector, however, is not anticipated to be as strong as previous years’ due after lower-than-expected tax returns following fiscal reform efforts that are under…
A number of factors bode well for Colombia’s capital markets. The country has well-established sovereign fixed-income and corporate debt markets, while recent efforts to continue integrating new technology are expected to improve investor participation. Likewise, the acquisition of the Central Securities Depository (Depósito Centralizado de Valores, Deceval), a trading platform, by the Colombia…
Despite Colombia’s subdued economic performance over recent years and slowing growth across all major lending segments, the banking sector has remained relatively resilient. Measures taken by the national government and the Central Bank of Colombia (Banco de la República de Colombia, BRC) appear to have enabled the sector to weather the storm, and improving economic conditions should pave…
Interview:David Bojanini What impact will recent reforms have on the country’s financial services sector? DAVID BOJANINI: While the recently passed tax reform reduced the corporate rate, it also applied a surcharge on financial institutions for a minimum of three years. Details on how this will affect different industries like banking or insurance are still needed. Furthermore, we are waiting…
