Nicaraguan mining companies forecast more growth for 2014 in line with the investments made by the sector.
According to statistics from the Center for Exports (CETREX) up to November this year sales of raw gold rose by 10.4% going from 12,001 kg in 2012 to 13,251 in 2013. An increase in value of 2.9 % with revenues of $395.1 million was recorded, while in the same period of 2012 it was $389.9 million .
The government of El Salvador has lowered the proportion of the portfolio that the Pension Fund Administrators can invest in securities of foreign companies from 20% to 10%.
The Financial System of El Salvador (SSF by its initials in Spanish) stated recently that the Administrators of Pension Funds may not invest more than 10 % in bonds or securities of foreign companies registered in the country, despite the fact that these are the entities which allow Salvadorans to earn 6% interest through investments.
With a combination of debt and equity transfer, companies can diversify their sources of credit and improve the return on their investments.
This type of financing gives the creditor the option of converting debt to equity, ie, they can become an equity partner in a company or access the dividends of shares in the event of default.
This is how Roberto Ponce explains it in his article in Estrategiaynegocios.net, adding that "mezzanine is subordinated debt structure, unsecured and with ample grace periods, allowing companies to conserve cash and use it for aggressive growth."
Businessmen are working to gain the passage of the law on Public Private Partnership during 2014.
Jose Adam Aguerri, president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) said they are currently working on a process that will allow the adoption of the Law on Public-Private Partnerships that respond to the needs of the country's infrastructure.
International Hospital Corporation Holding has sold its stake in Mexican hospitals in order to explore investment opportunities in Central America.
Gary B. Wood, CEO and Chairman of the Board of International Hospital Corporation Holding said the decision was taken because they prefer to redirect resources to operations in Central America and Brazil, as well as any opportunities that may present themselves in the future.
The event organized by Latin Markets will be held in Panama from 28th to 29th of January 2014.
The event, organized by Latin Markets, will include the participation of 60 experts in the field, who will talk about how companies can participate in the development of dozens of key infrastructure projects in the region.
Participating employers will have access to more than 300 executives and experts in the subject through business meetings with companies involved in the industry.
On December 4th Fitch Ratings will hold a conference entitled 'Challenges and Opportunities for Structured Finance and Infrastructure in Central America and the Caribbean.'
Securitization of Assets, an Option for Capital Markets in the Region, is one of the subjects to be discussed in the event's agenda. Participants will include Marielena Garcia, SVP of Investment Banking at MMG Bank Corp, Alberto Gutierrez, president of Titularizadora Colombiana, John Rauschkolb, General Manager La Hipotecaria and Diego Torres, vice general manager of BHD Valores Puesto de Bolsa.
International rating agencies have not recognized the substantial improvement in macroeconomic indicators in recent years.
A contradiction between the "B-" awarded to the country and the increasing flow of foreign investment has been highlighted.
Ovidio Reyes, Manager of the Central Bank of Nicaragua, asked international rating agencies such as Moody's to improve the country's credit rating which is currently "B-".
Lala Nicaragua will invest $50 million in a new plant located in Tipitapa in order begin operations in 2014.
Also, through a statement, they explained that "Lala Nicaragua SA wishes to make known to the general public that it has requested an environmental permit from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Marena) according to the procedures established in the Environmental Assessment System, Decree 76-2006 " .
The Dos Pinos Costa Rican dairy cooperative is negotiating the purchase of a plant in Nicaragua and is working on setting up another one in the Dominican Republic.
In an interview Nacion.com by Marvin Barquero with Rodolfo Barrantes, president of Dos Pinos, the official confirmed that the regional expansion strategy of the company is still moving forward.
Initial expectations for the placement of shares in real estate funds worth $2 million was far surpassed, with a total of $9 million in the first year.
Laprensa.com.ni reports that "... the success of the FII is based on the fact that these pay a better percentage for the investment (from 6.5 to 8 percent a year), much more than is usually paid by the financial system on savings, but also offers fewer levels of risk for investors.
Countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama may use purchasing subsystems for projects financed by the bank.
From a press release issued by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB):
Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay and Peru may use purchasing subsystems for Bank-financed projects.
The approval is part of the efforts of countries to improve their management systems for procurements, a market which represents about $800 billion in the region. Several indicators show the benefits of these efforts in recent years, for example, electronic access to the market for government procurements, which allows 70% of contracts to be accessible via the Internet.
In January, the island will open a Special Development Zone, where both foreign and Cuban companies will enjoy tax and service benefits.
With an investment of $900 million, the new area will be open next January and will be located near the Gulf of Mexico and linked geographically to the Panama Canal.
The new Special Development Zone, announced by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, covers about 475 square kilometers in the port of Mariel, 50 miles west of Havana.
El Salvador's Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos and Costa Rica's Ticos Air and Ticas Airlines are in various stages of preparation and registration to offer flights in the region.
Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos (CASI) reported that it has leased two Airbus aircraft and will invest nearly $100 million in order to start operations in March 2014. The company is interested in creating a market in the low-cost segment and not competing with airlines such as Avianca and Copa, said Edgar Hasbun, CEO of the company.
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.