BLX Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A. (Bladex) (NYSE:BLX), announced today the departure of Mr. Carlos Yap, Chief Financial Officer, effective February 22, 2008, following the closing of the Bank's 2007 books. Mr. Yap leaves Bladex after 27 years to pursue other opportunities. He will be replaced by Mr. Jaime Celorio, who joined Bladex from Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs in New York and Mexico City. Mr. Celorio will be responsible for the Bank's financial management, as well as the interaction with rating agencies, the sell-side community, and investors. Mr. Jaime Rivera, Bladex's Chief Executive Officer, stated the following regarding the change, "Carlos Yap leaves behind a long and distinguished record of transparency and professionalism that speaks to the highest standards of Bladex. Personally, Carlos was at my side during the profound transformation process implemented at the Bank. Like everyone at Bladex, I will miss him and wish to thank him for his help and dedication. I also wish to welcome Jaime Celorio to our team. I am delighted to have someone with his superb qualifications join Bladex in the critically important Chief Financial Officer position, as we continue to execute on our ambitious plans for the Bank." Bladex is a supranational bank originally established by the Central Banks of Latin America and Caribbean countries to promote trade finance in the Region. Based in Panama, its shareholders include central and state-owned entities in 23 countries of the Region, as well as Latin American and international commercial banks and institutional and retail investors. 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 or Peter Majeski Tel.: (212) 406-3690, E-mail: DATASOURCE: Bladex CONTACT: Carlos Yap S, Senior Vice President, Finance, Bladex, +011-507-210-8563, ; or Melanie Carpenter or Peter Majeski, both of i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc., +1-212-406-3690, bladex@i- advize.com, for Bladex Web site: http://www.blx.com/

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