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Banking / Investment in Colombia

  • Colombia’s banks look to opportunities

    COLOMBIA, 2015/04/04 Known for its financial solidity, sound regulations and attractive profit margins, Colombia remains a bright spot in Latin American banking, though the prospect of slower economic increase in 2015 coincides with calls for the scope of the financial services sector to be widened. According to the Colombian Banking Association, Asobancaria, there are 33 commercial banks operating in the country, inclunding both local and foreign-owned lenders. Total registered profits for 2014 reached COP7.9trn ($3.1bn), with Banco de Bogotá leading the way (COP1.5trn, $577m), followed by Bancolombia (COP1.33trn, $511m), Occidente (COP1.2trn, $460m) and Davivienda (COP1trn, $385m). At the end of December, the total loan portfolio stood at COP329.6trn ($126.6bn), made up of commercial loans (59.8%), consumer loans (27.1%), mortgages (10.3%) and microcredit (2.8%).
  • HSBC remains the leader of The Banker’s Central American

    ARGENTINA, 2013/03/13 While Panama's banks held their lead as the biggest banks in Central America, Nicaragua steamed ahead in terms of return on capital and return on assets. HSBC remains the leader of The Banker’s Central American rankings with a Tier 1 capital up by 8.38% to $1.23bn in 2011, the last available financial year.
  • Colombia’s central bank

    COLOMBIA, 2012/12/22 Colombia’s central bank cut interest rates for a second consecutive conference today, as policy makers try to revive the slowest economic increase in the Andean region. Banco de la Republica, led by bank Governor Jose Dario Uribe, cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 4.25 %, as estimate by 11 of 32 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Twenty analysts estimate no change in the rate. Uribe said the vote wasn’t unanimous.
  • A lively stock exchange,

    COLOMBIA, 2012/12/12 As of February this year, the Colombia Stock Exchange (BVC) operates the same opening hours as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The change, announced in January, aims to internationalize the BVC and provide foreign investors better access to the Latin American markets. The move as well aids synchronization with the Peruvian and Chilean markets, with which the BVC has an integrated platform which started trading in May 2011. The platform is referred to as the Integrated Latin American Market (MILA). MILA was created with the intention of integrating the region’s capital markets and investment banking operations, to subsequently enlarge businesses with an significant presence in any of the MILA markets.
  • Large banking sector

    COLOMBIA, 2012/12/12 After aggressive financial reform in the late 1990s, Colombia has emerged with one of the majority stable and robust finance sectors in Latin America, enjoying significant increase while other largest international fiscal players are struggling, affected gravely by the world economic crisis. “The contrast is evident,” says Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in a statement to local media. “While in Europe and the United States, banks and the financial sector are desperately trying to rebuild themselves and save the business, in Colombia the banking sector is solid, buoyant and producing profits and high-quality assets.”