PANAMA CITY, July 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco
Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. ("Bladex" or the
"Bank"; NYSE: BLX) announced today the successful closing of
a US$220,625,000 3-year senior
unsecured syndicated loan (the "Facility") for Unifin
Financiera, S.A.B. de C.V. ("Unifin" or the
"Company"). Bladex acted as Joint Lead Arranger and
Joint Bookrunner together with Nomura Securities International,
Inc., and shall act as the Administrative Agent for the
Facility.
Listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange ("BMV"), Unifin was
founded in 1993 by Rodrigo Lebois
and is currently a leading independent operating leasing company in
Latin America. Unifin
operates as a non-banking financial services company specializing
in three main business lines: operating leases, factoring, and
lending (auto and others) for small and medium-sized enterprises
("SME's") in Mexico. The Company
has a market capitalization of approximately US$790 million and is rated BB (international
scale) by both Standard & Poor's and Fitch.
The deal constitutes the third international syndicated facility
led by Bladex for Unifin. Proceeds from the Facility
will be used to refinance Unifin's existing indebtedness and
for general corporate purposes.
The transaction attracted commitments of 17 financial
institutions from Central and Latin
America, the Caribbean,
Europe, Asia, and the United
States, of which many represent new banking relationships
for Unifin. There was a 1.67x oversubscription, which
allowed the Company to upsize the facility amount to US$220,625,000 from its original target of
US$150,000,000.
Felipe Suarez, Head of Loan
Structuring and Syndications of Bladex, stated: "We are very
pleased to have successfully executed this important transaction
for Unifin, which has provided the Company access to new
banking relationships and medium-term funding, supporting its loan
portfolio growth. This Facility adds to Bladex's important
footprint in the Latin American syndicated loan space, highlighting
its distribution capabilities and its access to a wide network of
regional and international financial institutions."
Bladex, a multinational bank originally established by
the central banks of Latin-American and Caribbean countries, initiated operations in
1979 to promote foreign trade finance and economic integration
in the Region. The Bank, headquartered in Panama, also counts with offices in
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru,
and the United States of America,
supporting the regional expansion and servicing its customer base,
which includes financial institutions and corporations.
Bladex is listed on the NYSE in the United States of America (NYSE: BLX),
since 1992, and its shareholders include: central banks and
state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American
countries; commercial banks and financial institutions; and
institutional and retail investors through its public listing.
For further information, please contact:
Bladex:
Mónica Cosulich – VP, Finance and Investor
Relations
E-mail address: ir@bladex.com Tel.: (+507) 210-8563
Head Office Address: Torre V, Business Park, Ave. La Rotonda, Urb.
Costa del Este,
Panamá, Republic of Panama
Unifin:
David Pernas –
Investor Relations Officer
E-mail address: david.pernas@unifin.com.mx;
unifin.ri@unifin.com.mx, Tel.: +52 (55) 4162.8270
www.unifin.com.mx
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SOURCE Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A.
(Bladex)