The end of the year is a good moment to take stock of a company's pricing strategy and assess possible changes.
Ariel Baños, specialist inpricemanagement, explains the main steps to follow in order to successfully define the most appropriate pricing strategy for every organization.
The construction of the energy generation plant using natural gas by AES Colon will be financed with a syndicated loan from the CABEI, Banistmo, Bancolombia and other banks.
Those involved in the syndicated loan are Banistmo, Bancolombia, the Central American Economic Integration Banco General and Global Bank, reports Capital.com.pa. The plant, which will have the capacity to generate up to 381 MW of energy from natural gas, was announced in 2015 by the company AES Colon, who was awarded the contract to supply 350 MW of power.
The Colombian company signed an agreement to acquire the shares of Insurance Banistmo, whose participation in the Panamanian market is 8%.
From a statement issued by Grupo Sura:
Suramericana SA, a subsidiary of SURA Group which specializes in the industry for insurance, health and occupational hazards, signed a contract for the acquisition of Insurance Banistmo, which, once the relevant authorizations have been obtained, will allow the Company to consolidate its presence in the Central American market, adding this operation to Seguros SURA Panama.
The banks Davivienda and Grupo Aval, already present in Central America, could be in talks with Citi to acquire its consumer banking operations in the region.
The sale of assets of Citigroup in 7 countries in Latin America represents an expansion opportunity for Colombian banks. Bloomberg reports cited by Elfinancierocr.com note that in the case of Banco Davivienda, it's interest is soley in the consumer banking units in Peru and Guatemala.
Since 2007 Colombian bankers have made progress in the region, led by Bancolombia with $3,216 million and Grupo Aval with $2.821 million.
For example, in Panama they have operations with "... large international banks because it is considered a tax haven, where it is possible to make investments and transactions swiftly and without a lot of questions being asked by local controlling entities," noted an article in portafolio.co.
To remain globally competitive, the industry must invest in staff training and specialization.
The forum "Invest in Panama" brought together multinationals, politicians, local entrepreneurs and executives from companies interested in coming to Panama or strengthening their presence in the country. Those present agreed on the need for good progress in local infrastructure, but insisted on the urgent need to invest in staff training and specialization.
HSBC Latin America Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, has entered into an agreement to sell HSBC Bank (Panama) SA to Bancolombia SA for a total consideration of US$2.1bn in cash.
HSBC Latin America Holdings (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc (“HSBC”), has entered into an agreement to sell HSBC Bank (Panama) SA to Bancolombia SA (“Bancolombia”) for a total consideration of US$2.1bn in cash, based upon estimated net asset value at completion of US$700m. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions and is expected to complete by the third quarter of 2013.
Interbolsa’s assets, liabilities and contracts have been acquired by Bancolombia in order to ensure the stable operation of the public debt market and Colombia’s payment system.
A statement from the Financial Supervision reads:
FINANCIAL SUPERVISOR AUTHORIZES MEASURES WITHIN THE TAKEOVER PROCESS OF INTERBOLSA SCB
- Authorization has been given for Interbolsa SCB to transfer to Bancolombia its operations of future performance, repurchase agreements and sell/buy-back transactions backed by TES, ensuring stability in the operation of the public debt market and payment system.
The largest financial institution in Colombia is looking in Latin America for good opportunities to acquire assets.
Bancolombia started its regional expansion in 2007 by buying Banagrícola in El Salvador, for $900 million.
Although the president of Grupo Bancolombia, Carlos Raul Yepes, notes that "for now there aren't any businesses that are catching our eye," he did confirm that they are looking for businesses that are "good, nice and cheap."
The offer to buy BAC-Credomatic made by Banco de Bogotá confirms that Colombia’s large financial groups are seeking to expand their borders.
An article in Portafolio.com.co remarks that BAC has so far not responded to the Colombians. The financial website also lists the international operations of Colombia’s financial institutions such as Colpatria, Davivienda and Bancolombia.
Bonuses to personnel must be balanced with the company’s short and long term perspectives.
Jorge Londoño, president of Grupo Bancolombia, explained how they applied the Shareholder’s Value Added System (SVA) in this bank, in such a way to prevent short term problems or distortions when applied.
Londoño remarks that “in our philosophy, the size of bonuses does not matter.