BLX Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA

PANAMA CITY, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. ("Bladex") (NYSE:BLX), announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding with FIMBank p.l.c., Malta ("FIMBank") to establish a joint-venture company that will offer full factoring services to companies, banks and other financial institutions in Latin America, with a focus on both international and domestic markets. The factoring business offers an attractive growth opportunity for Bladex and FIMBank in Latin America as companies seek to translate discounted receivables into improved cash flow. Jaime Rivera, Chief Executive Officer of Bladex, stated, "This agreement with a world-class partner in FIMBank is further evidence of Bladex's evolving trade finance franchise. With FIMBank's expertise in factoring, coupled with Bladex's knowledge of Latin America and distribution capabilities, this joint venture will allow Bladex to offer a greater range of trade finance-related products and further diversify its revenue streams." Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger, President of FIMBank, stated, "We are extremely honored to partner with Bladex to launch the factoring product to Latin American countries under the most professional standards. Factoring is the fastest growing trade finance product, outperforming all other instruments in international as well as domestic trade, especially with regards to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME's), a very important sector that supports and benefits the global economy." About Bladex Bladex is a supranational bank originally established by the Central Banks of Latin American and Caribbean countries to promote trade finance in the Region. Based in Panama, its shareholders include central banks and state- owned entities in 23 countries in the Region, as well as Latin American and international commercial banks and institutional and retail investors. About FIMBank p.l.c., Malta FIMBank p.l.c., Malta ("The Bank") is part of the FIMBank Group, which comprises London Forfaiting Company, Ltd., and FIM Business Solutions Ltd. as wholly-owned subsidiaries, as well as Global Trade Finance (India), MenaFactors (Dubai), and EgyptFactors (Egypt), as factoring affiliates. The Bank's principal activity is that of providing short-term international trade finance to corporate traders and to act as an intermediary to other financial institutions for international settlements, forfaiting and loan syndications. With operations throughout the world, the Bank has representative offices in London and Dubai. For further information, please access our web site on the Internet at http://www.blx.com/ or contact: Bladex, Head Office Calle 50 y Aquilino de la Guardia, Panama, Republic of Panama Attention: Carlos Yap S., Senior Vice President - Finance Tel.: (507) 210-8563, E-mail: -or- i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc., 82 Wall Street, Suite 805, New York, NY 10005 Attention: Melanie Carpenter / Peter Majeski Tel.: (212) 406-3690, E-mail: DATASOURCE: Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. CONTACT: Carlos Yap S., Senior Vice President - Finance, Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, +507-210-8563, ; or Melanie Carpenter or Peter Majeski, i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc., +1-212-406-3690, , for Bladex Web site: http://www.blx.com/

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