CABEI and Guatemala's National Stock Exchange subscribe agreement to promote thematic issuances in Guatemala

Guatemala City, September 3, 2024. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the Guatemalan National Stock Exchange (BVN) subscribed an agreement to promote the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) bond market in Guatemala's capital market, providing technical assistance resources to Guatemalan issuers.

The collaboration is part of the Support Program for Thematic Frameworks for ESG Issuances, which has the support and resources of the French Development Agency (AFD). The objective of this program is to increase the awareness of issuers, investors, stakeholders, and key market players of the strategic role that ESG investments play in positively impacting economic, social, and environmental matters in Central American countries.

CABEI Executive President, Gisela Sánchez, stated: “We are very excited to collaborate with BVN Guatemala and promote sustainable development through the ESG bond market. We know the impact that these types of instruments have and we are confident that, through this Program, we will support environmentally and socially responsible issuers and actively promote the issuance of thematic bonds in the country and in the region.” The President also added: “We are very satisfied with the results we have had with the development of this program in Costa Rica and we are sure that it will also be a success in Guatemala”.

The resources for this agreement were made possible thanks to a contribution from the French Development Agency (AFD). Alexia Levesque, AFD's Regional Director for Mexico, Cuba, and Central America, commented: “This agreement is a testament to the solid joint work between AFD and CABEI to promote sustainable investments in Guatemala. We are convinced that this program will strengthen the country's financial market by facilitating thematic issuances that contribute to economic and social development while protecting the environment. Initiatives such as this are a crucial step towards a more responsible and sustainable future for the region.”

Rolando San Román, General Manager of the National Stock Exchange, said “As of the end of 2021, Bolsa de Valores Nacional, S.A. is part of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative SSEI. In March 2022, we approved our internal regulations governing the labeling of green, social, sustainable, as well as sustainability-linked securities. Currently, two sustainability-linked public bids by private sector entities and one sustainable bond bid by a banking entity have been authorized. Therefore, we consider that this Memorandum of Understanding with CABEI will be of great profit to support issuers in the development of their frameworks and other activities related to this type of financing that already has so much national and international appetite.”