As part of the Cerrito Forum 2026—an annual international event organized by Fundación Paraguaya through the Global Stoplight Network, which brings together global stakeholders from around the world committed to elimination of poverty—we had the honor of presenting the award to Lorenza Viveros de Montiel, one of the five finalists in the first edition of…
On October 1st in Medellín, Colombia, we concluded an event that brought together over 100 leaders from microfinance institutions, investors, and partners from 14 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, all united by a common goal: to continue building a more inclusive, resilient, and innovative sector. We discussed the new economic landscape and industry…
The Foro Connect 2026 highlighted a special moment of celebration and recognition. Following an intensive agenda focused on innovation, leadership, investment, financial inclusion, artificial intelligence, and tokenization, the Foro Connect paid tribute to those who give true meaning to this mission: the entrepreneurs and microfinance institutions that transform opportunities into progress for thousands of families…
The Foro Connect 2026 concluded with the discussion “Tokenization: A Success Story in the Microfinance Sector,” a session dedicated to exploring a financial innovation with immense potential to transform access to capital in the region. The conversation highlighted the experience of El Salvador, where asset tokenization has become a benchmark for the sector. This model…
Artificial intelligence took center stage during the “Latin America Artificial Intelligence Observatory”, where industry experts shared experiences and insights on how this technology is transforming organizations and creating new opportunities to drive financial inclusion. Drawing on concrete examples, the panelists agreed that the true value of artificial intelligence lies not merely in the technology itself,…
Financial inclusion has an undisputed protagonist: the end client. This premise set the stage for the panel “Impact Investing: Driving Responsible Finance” where industry experts analyzed how collaboration among investors, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs can create more sustainable and inclusive development opportunities. Moderated by Fernando Sánchez Valda, the panel brought together Heidi Achong, Lina María…
The Connect 2026 Forum hosted the panel “Sense of Belonging: The Foundation of Leadership and Inclusive Finance,” a session that invited reflection on one of the greatest challenges facing institutions: ensuring that new generations understand not only how an organization operates but also why it exists. Moderated by Pedro Fardella, the panel brought together Claudia…
The Connect 2026 Forum began with a key reflection on the future of financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean: before projecting the future, it is essential to understand the challenges of the present. During the opening session, Cesar Castillo, CIO of Locfund Next, analyzed the region’s current context, characterized by sluggish domestic demand,…
The best conversations often begin with questions. As a preliminary agenda to Foro Connect 2026, leaders from microfinance institutions across several countries of the region took part in a working agenda to identify the challenges currently shaping the sector’s evolution. During the session, participants shared experiences and perspectives on key topics such as governance, digital…
Our team is already in Medellín to take part in the fourth edition of Foro Connect, which we are co-organizing with Corporación Interactuar. The event will take place on September 30 and October 1.We arrived with many questions and, above all, a strong desire to listen. Over these two days, leaders and experts from across…
Locfund Next is proud to sponsor the XII Central American and Caribbean Microfinance Conference organized by the Central American and Caribbean Microfinance Network (REDCAMIF). Our team was present at the event to share experiences, build connections, and explore new collaboration opportunities that reaffirm our commitment to strengthening microfinance in the region! View in LinkedIn
Today we congratulate VisionFund Mexico on their 29th anniversary. For nearly three decades, they have been building bridges to the financial well-being of families and communities of Mexico—empowering businesses, generating opportunities, and transforming lives with purpose. Cesar Castillo, CIO of Locfund Next, had the pleasure of joining them in person to celebrate this milestone and…
The Technical Assistance Component of Locfund Next recently concluded three successful projects focused on the promotion of gender equality. These initiatives were implemented by three microfinance institutions (MFIs) from Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Mexico, where more than 1,000 staff members were trained (52% female) in leadership with a gender equality focus. Gender strategies and policies were…
It was a pleasure to welcome Jose Carlos Villena from COFIDES to La Paz, where we continued to explore opportunities of collaboration with the European Union, along with BIM Ltd. and Locfund Next. 🌎 Our region needs it:Latin America and the Caribbean, including Bolivia, require more action and commitment to reduce poverty. Financial inclusion is…
In addition to the milestones achieved by Locfund Next, our Technical Support Component has successfully managed over 70 projects across 34 Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in 13 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. These projects spanned all strategic areas of the facility, each designed to strengthen the institutional framework of the sector: 🌱 ESG 🌍…
The third edition of this important forum, created by BIM and Locfund Next, was a resounding success this November in Panama City. More than 140 inclusive finance leaders from 16 countries gathered to share experiences and best practices on regional trends, capital markets, digital innovation, and impact microfinance. Over three days, we discussed key topics…
On November 5th, more than 60 participants from 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries gathered for a session held as part of the FinnLAC Forum 2025. It was a space for exchange, learning, and collaboration, and an enriching day where ideas, experiences, and visions about the future of AI and its application in the microfinance…
The Locfund Next Advisory Committee meeting took place in New York, highlighting the facility’s reach with more than 53 microfinance institutions financed across 14 countries. We deeply appreciate the participation of Heidi Achong, Thomas Luger, Eric Van den Bosch, Felix Knidlberger and Rolando Sahonero, who reaffirmed their strong commitment to promoting financial inclusion in Latin…
The Lenders Meeting of Locfund Next took place in Vienna, kindly hosted by Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG – OeEB. It was a real pleasure to meet Sabine Gaber, CEO and Member of the Executive Board of OeEB, and exchange insights on the microfinance landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the challenges in some countries,…
BIM has become a signatory company of the WEPs (Women’s Empowerment Principles). This achievement continues to demonstrate our commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment, both internally at BIM and externally, with our portfolio of microfinance institutions at Locfund and MiLac. WEPs is considered a fundamental tool to promote inclusive policies, practices and strategies that…
Locfund Next welcomes DFC to La Paz. We are honored to have hosted Caroline Vance with whom we reviewed the progress of Locfund Next and outlined a joint strategy for 2025. The entire BIM team joined DFC for this important occasion, including Zuleyma Hernandez, who traveled from San Salvador to be with us. We were also pleased…
BIM hosted its traditional annual dinner, bringing together members of the committees and teams from Locfund Next, Milac Next, GIF, ESG, and back office. The event featured a presentation of the year’s results and the objectives for the 2025 strategy. Fernando Sánchez, CEO of BIM, emphasized that beyond the company’s mission and vision, the work…
With the support of Locfund Next, executives from Corporación Interactuar of Colombia visited Banco Adopem in Dominican Republic during the last quarter of 2024, where they exchanged knowledge, experiences and best practices in several key areas. At BIM, we believe in the power of synergies to strengthen the financial ecosystem. For this reason, through Locfund…
Locfund Next was honored receiving the representatives of FMO and FinDev Canada. Interesting discussions at our offices and on-field visits to end clients in Bolivia (Pro Mujer) and Paraguay (Fundación Paraguaya) took place last month. We appreciate the kind efforts from Pauline Mulder and Danny Colodro, from FMO; Jessie Greene, Thomas Luger and Horacio Aguilera Salinas, from FinDev Canada; and Sean…
A fruitful meeting with Locfund Next investors took place in New York. This meeting allowed us to review progress and reinforce our commitment to the financial inclusion in Latin America and The Caribbean. We are especially grateful for the presence of Eric Van den Bosch (BIO), Heidi Achong (NORFUND), Thomas Luger (FinDev Canada), Caroline Norton Vance (DFC), Felix Knidlberger (SEFEM)….
The Locfund Next team had the pleasure to welcome, from Medellín, colleagues from Corporación Interactuar. We thank board members Lina María Echeverri Pérez, Luis Carlos Amaya Lopez and Camilo Tobón Urrea, and management team Lina Maria Montoya Madrigal and Katherine Jaller for their recent visit to La Paz, Bolivia. The meeting has been a valuable…
Locfund Next held the second version of the ‘Foro Connect’ congress this August 14 and 15 at the Hilton Hotel in San Salvador, El Salvador, with more than 100 managers and directors from 35 institutions from 11 countries or Latinamerica and the Caribbean. The inauguration was attended by the IDB Group representative in El Salvador,…
We were thrilled to host Maria Berger and Miguel Inchaurronodo from OeEB – The Development Bank of Austria, during their trip to assess Locfund Next. Together, we visited two branches of Idepro IFD in Santa Cruz, where we engaged with end clients across diverse business segments, gaining invaluable insights from their experiences. It was a…
For Locfund Next and its Technical Assistance Facility, it was a pleasure to co-finance the internship carried out by Avanza Sólido S.A de C.V. in La Paz, Bolivia, focused on learning about the best practices in social management, digital transformation, credit technology, operations and credit process, together with IDEPRO IFD and Pro Mujer Bolivia. We…
Locfund Next and BIM appreciate the visit of the main executives of Avanza Sólido S.A., who arrived from Mexico to hold several meetings in Bolivia. It was a real pleasure to have you with us. Have a nice return trip!
BIM Ltd. annual meeting took place in La Paz-Bolivia. Team members of Locfund Next, MiLac, GIF, Innovasol, ESG and Technical Support presented the results of the year and the objectives for 2024 always focused on improving the financial inclusion in Latin America and The Caribbean.
BIM is pleased to participate in the Amazon Financial Network announced at the COP28 conference in Dubai. This innovative alliance seeks to generate a sustainable impact in the Amazon region, supporting projects that can expand access to financing and thus promote economic development, reducing poverty and inequality. This network was created at the United Nations Conference on Climate…
In November, BIM organized the seminar “ALM Management in the current situation”, held in Santo Domingo, with the attendance of 75 industry representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean. During the inauguration, Cesar Castillo, Director of Locfund Next, stated: “We are here to provide opportunities, because that is true inclusion”, thus ratifying one of the…
This October, Locfund Next received the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPEMENT GOALS seal, valid for two years, after ICR Systems & Management, an independent verification firm, carried out a rigorous review and evaluation based on standards from the International Auditing and Assurance Standard Boards (IAASB) and ISAE 3000 (Standard for assurance over non-financial information).
Sustainability is the key to a financial system inclusive and socially responsible. That was the thematic axis of the XXIII Ecuadorian Forum on Financial Inclusion, in Cuenca, Ecuador. Our colleague, Diego Andres O’keeffe Ascarrunz, represented us in what has been a great occasion for the analysis and exchange of experiences about post-pandemic scenarios, the environmental…
Fernando Sánchez was part of the panel “People, beyond microfinance. New frontiers to inclusive finance” at the recent forum “Future of finance”, organized by FMO, in Amsterdam. On the occasion, the conversation turned around cutting-edge solutions, better products, services, and innovative strategies, highlighting the advances and challenges of the microfinance sector in the region. The…
The Locfund II Technical Support Facility (TSF) has become a successful story thanks to BIO, FMO, NORFUND and SECO. The TSF has generated a multiplier impact in the mitigation and reduction of financial inclusion gaps in vulnerable communities. At BIM we are proud to communicate the culmination of the TSF-Locfund II in November 2022, after…
The twenty-sixth version of the Bolivian Maya Awards recently honored our youngest company, Innovasol S.A., for its contribution to energy efficiency. Innovasol is an instrument of the BIM impact investments group and offers its clients the conversion to solar energy, betting on the environment conservation by converting solar energy into a great opportunity to reduce…
With the support of the TSF of Locfund II, this important Salvadoran entity has just launched “AMC MOVIL”, a platform in which its clients can make different inquiries and financial transactions, such as balance inquiries in savings accounts, time deposits, credits and credit cards inquiries, loan installments payments, credit card payments and transfers between accounts….
Fundación Paraguaya, with the support of the TSF of Locfund II and the team of digital consultants from Serinea Investments S.L. has implemented a tool based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the onboarding of new clients and the management of current clients through a chatbot and a CRM, allowing a continuous and direct communication through…
52 MFIs from 14 countries have participated on our recent study, the Digital Transformation Diagnostic. The average score of the Diagnostic is 10.7 points out of 20, resulting as part of the “Explorer” level, the second of the four established levels of digital transformation. 25 MFIs are considered “Explorer”. Although there has been considerable progress…
The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) and the Inter-American Investment Corportion (IIC), members of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, BIM Asset Management and AC Capitales SAFI join forces to create the “Peru Microfinance Investment Fund”, the first private investment fund for microfinance in Peru that will connect Peruvian MSMEs with capital markets. See the image…
Financial specialists from BIM and UBS shared an illustrative session of analysis and projections on investments and sustainability in Latin America, together with more than 60 entrepreneurs. The conversation began with the assertion that the macroeconomic and investment outlook in global financial markets will be relatively constructive this year. This, together with a series of…
BIM, through the TSF (Technical Support Facility) of Locfund Next is proud to announce the signing of a technical cooperation agreement with IDB Lab for USD 500,000 to execute the project “Locfund Next: Financial Inclusion and Digital Transformation in Microfinance Institutions of America Latin America and the Caribbean ”. The project will have a duration…
At BIM we work incessantly to offer new solutions for the microfinance industry. Today we present the result of an initiative that comes to continue promoting financial inclusion: LOCFUND NEXT.
Fernando Sánchez, CEO of BIM, was invited by the National Chamber of Industries of Bolivia to share a talk with Marcelo Trigo, representative of the Association of Private Banks of Bolivia. The conversation revolved around the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the decisions that companies must make to face a changing and, many…
Our CEO, Fernando Sánchez, was invited this week to the Learn about the March space to talk about leadership in times of crisis, along with Claudia Daza, Marco Mollinedo and Ronald Olguín. “Not even the most pessimistic of CEOs has considered a pandemic among their potential risks this year,” commented Marco Mollinedo at the beginning…
In recent days, Fernando Sanchez, CEO of BIM Ltd. was invited to speak on a crucial issue today: making financial decisions in times of crisis. The event consisted of a webinar organized by the Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo, whose facilitator was Guillermo Gonzales, Director of the Postgraduate Department and where the finance specialist, Gustavo…
BIM and Grupo Panamerican celebrated Mr. Fernando Prado Guachalla’s 30-year long contribution to financial inclusion in Latin America. Among many other important initiatives, Mr. Prado lead the Prospero Microfinanzas Fund, which invested in 9 microfinance institutions in 6 Latin American countries, impacting the lives of people who were financially unattended at the time. Our special…
Prospero was created with the purpose of strengthening equity management capability, focused in emerging microfinance institutions in Latin America and The Caribbean, contributing to positive social impact to microfinance clients through its portfolio investments. Being completed its investments in 2014, began to work side by side with its partners, providing an active support for the…