Details of the draft law with which the Bank of Guatemala aims to improve regulation and supervision of the financial system.
From a statement issued by the Bank of Guatemala:
The bill submitted by the Monetary Board of the Executive Agency and by the President of the Republic to the Congress of the Republic on September 12 2016, introduces necessary reforms to Decree No.
Moody's warns of the risks faced by banks in Central America in the context of a rising trend in interest rates and dollarization of their loan portfolios.
From a report by Moody's:
Mexico, September 14, 2016 -- Banks in Central America face rising asset risks as interest rates look set to rise in the region, pushing up debt service costs for borrowers, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service.
A bill being promoted by the executive branch seeks to authorize the Bank of Guatemala to finance the capitalization of a bank when it faces problems affecting financial stability.
The aim of this initiative is to adapt the rules on financial supervision and risk control to international standards, to prevent the stability of the domestic financial system from being affected when a bank has liquidity or solvency problems.
The countries facing the greatest risk of fiscal unsustainability within three years are El Salvador and Honduras, followed by Costa Rica and with less risk, Nicaragua and Panama.
From the "EconomicOutlook"section of the V Report on the State of the Region 2016:
New regulations are being prepared for measuring currency risk for banks, whose loan portfolio in dollars grew by almost 13% in one year, while 78% of those who borrow in dollars receive their income in local currency.
Figures from the General Superintendent of Financial Institutions (SUGEF) indicate that 41% of the principal balance of outstanding loans is denominated in foreign currency and the rest in colones.Added to this it is the fact that 78% of borrowers of these loans in dollars earn their money in colones.
It is difficult to understand - especially because it has been made public - how a major state bank has described the International Bank of Costa Rica as "high risk" while another main state bank has stated the opposite.
EDITORIAL
The banks involved are Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and Banco Nacional (BN). Between them they are the owners of Banco Internacional de Costa Rica (BICSA), with 51% of the shares the first and 49% of the second.
Highlights include a long history of macroeconomic stability even during political crises, and authorities' commitment to fulfilling public debt obligations.
From a statement issued by the Bank of Guatemala:
After its recent visit to the country, the rating agency Fitch Ratings confirmed on Friday April 29, 2016, the credit rating of Guatemala at BB with a stable outlook.
A $2.7 million issue made by the UHR Development Company which intended to build a boutique hotel in the area of Bella Vista has been declared overdue.
In 2013 the company attempted to raise $12 million on the Panamanian stock market, but apparently, the issue was not attractive enough and they ended up raising only $2.7 million. Three years later, the issue has been declare past due, and should have been honored by UHR Development on 22 February 2016.
A call is being made to professionals in the area of auditing and risk management to attend the first Latin American Seminar on Governance, Risk and Control on April 14 and 15 in Panama.
The Latin American Foundation of Internal Auditors (FLAI) and the Institute of Internal Auditors of Panama (IAI Panama), in partnership with the Institute of Global Internal Auditors (IIA Global) is convening the first Latin American Seminar on Governance, Risk and Control - SELAT GRC 2016 , on April 14 and 15 to be held in the Hotel Riu Panama Plaza, reported Panamaamerica.com.pa.
Confirmation of the decline in the financial capacity of the construction company has strengthened arguments by those calling for the revision of their contracts and that the firm not be awarded others.
From a statement issued by Standard & Poor's:
SAO PAULO (Standard & Poor's) March 29, 2016--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its global scale corporate credit rating on Odebrecht Engenharia e Construção S.A.
The banks Banco de Costa Rica, Banco Nacional and the Banco Industrial de Guatemala "will have to reduce the growth rate of their loans, since their core capital levels remain modest."
From Moody's press release:
Mexico, July 21, 2015 -- Central America's leading banks will need to slow the pace of their loan growth as their core capital levels remain modest, said Moody's Investors Service in a new report.
Since mid-2014 credit unions and mutuals have had to increase their reserves due to an increase in expected losses by banks.
The need to increase reserves due to increased losses expected to be suffered by institutions for non-payment of their debts is mainly due to a greater number of "bad debtors" according to an article on Elfinancierocr.com.
Of all the financial institutions analyzed, savings cooperatives and credit unions whose primary loan portfolio is mortgages, are those with the highest percentages of reserves. The Superintendent of Financial Institutions states that "the level of normality of estimates must be equal or less than 1.7% of all loans."
Compared with other economies, the indicator measuring non-payment in the banking system is relatively small, with marked fluctuations in different sectors.
An article on Prensalibre.com reports that according to the Superintendency of Banks (SIB), the indicator for defaults in the Guatemalan banking system "went from 1.55% in May last year to 1.43% in the same month this year."
Basing its decision on the progress being made in the economy in fiscal matters, Moody's has raised the outlook rating from positive to stable.
From the press release by Moodys:
New York, May 11, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service has today revised the outlook on Honduras' government bond ratings to positive from stable. Concurrently, Moody's has affirmed the foreign and local currency government's issuer ratings and senior unsecured ratings at B3..