Business Wire

NY-CITI

Share
Citi, IFC and Global Bank Partner to Finance Women’s Economic Empowerment in Panama

Citi, Global Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have partnered to provide more mortgages and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) business loans to women.

The joint initiative offers a first-of-its-kind co-lending transaction of a $90 million loan ($20 million funded by Citi for three years and $70 million funded by IFC for five years) to Global Bank. The proceeds from this loan will be used for either Low Income Housing Mortgages–Hipoteca Preferencial–for women as heads of household or for women-owned and-or women-led enterprises. In addition, Global Bank will also partner with IFC Advisory Services to further enhance and develop gender-focused products and services in Panama.

“It’s an honor to support groups and institutions that seek to broaden women empowerment across the region as well as to place women at the center of Panama’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic,” said Marcelo Gorrini, Caribbean and Central America Cluster Head and Panama Citi Country Officer. “This isn’t just any kind of deal but one we see has the real ability to make a difference in the lives of people by providing them with this targeted funding while championing women empowerment.”

Across the world, the struggle for the overall equality and economic empowerment of women has persisted for many generations and has become more acute as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionally impacted more women in the workplace than men. This has been no different in Panama, with 46.5% of employed women working in sectors most impacted by the crisis, compared to 29.6% of employed men.

“There has been growing interest for housing projects that qualify for preferential interest rates, and there is a need to adjust the supply,” said Jorge Vallarino, CEO of Global Bank. “We have been steadily growing our mortgage portfolio, with almost half of it focused on low- and middle-income families,” Vallarino added.

“For Citi, this ESG transaction is a win across the board and exemplifies how Citi succeeds together, one of our leadership principles, in our client’s interests, namely Global Bank in Panama and the IFC as the largest development institution focused on private sector in developing countries,” said John Finnigan, Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory Managing Director, Citi. “We can truly say we are delivering with pride together with our clients and with the ultimate benefit of on-lending and creating economic value for women in Panama.”

This successful transaction serves as a template for future deals Citi and IFC seek to replicate as it embodies IFC’s and Citi’s commitment to ESG .

About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

About Global Bank

Global Bank is a Panamanian capital bank that began operations in 1994, initially focused on the corporate banking segment. Currently, Global Bank and its subsidiaries offer a wide range of financial services to its more than 200,000 clients throughout Panama, positioning itself as the second largest bank with a general license of Panamanian capital. It has assets of $8,516 million, a net worth of $782 million and 39 branches nationwide.

About IFC

IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2020, we invested $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

SCENTMATIC's AI "KAORIUM" Debuts at THAMEEN Fragrance Launch in London's Selfridges4.7.2025 11:13:00 CEST | Press release

SCENTMATIC Inc., a leader in scent digitalization, introduced its AI-powered scent-to-language system, KAORIUM, at the THAMEEN Fragrance new product launch event. This pivotal event took place from June 5 to 11, 2025, at Selfridges department store in London, UK. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250703662207/en/ State of exhibition Global Expansion: KAORIUM Establishes UK Presence Europe leads the global fragrance market, with the UK projected to reach US$2.82 billion by 2033. Recognizing this, SCENTMATIC is rapidly expanding its international footprint. In May 2024, SCENTMATIC established its overseas subsidiary, KAORIUM, in London, appointing industry expert Ben Yanoushek as CEO. Official UK operations commenced on February 1, 2025, with the launch of its dedicated website: www.kaorium.com. KAORIUM Trialed at "Florentine Diamond" Launch Event The "Florentine Diamond" launch event for luxury brand THAMEEN Frag

Andersen Consulting samarbejder med Mercurial Minds om at forbedre mulighederne inden for digital transformation4.7.2025 01:10:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse

Andersen Consulting udvider sit udbud af teknologidrevne løsninger med tilføjelsen af samarbejdsfirmaet Mercurial Minds (M.M.), et konsulentfirma inden for digital transformation, AI og IT med base i Pakistan. M.M. blev grundlagt i 2013 og tilbyder en række tjenester, der er designet til at hjælpe organisationer med at udvikle sig og skalere, herunder i forbindelse med deres digitale transformationsstrategi, AI-tjenester, it-rådgivning og udvikling af robuste mobil- og webbrugeroplevelser. Firmaet leverer end-to-end-løsninger – udformning af datadrevne køreplaner, udvikling af intelligent automatisering og levering af sikre mobil- og weboplevelser, der kan skaleres – skræddersyet til virksomheder, der ønsker at forbedre sine forbindelsesmulighederne og opnå indsigter i realtid. M.M. betjener en bred vifte af brancher med fokus på finans, telekommunikation og andre dataintensive sektorer. "Dette samarbejde er en katalysator," siger Nabeel Saiyer, administrerende direktør for M.M. "Vores

Global Tourism Surging Ahead of Economic Growth, With Visits to Hit 30 Billion by 20344.7.2025 01:00:00 CEST | Press release

The World Economic Forum report, in collaboration with Kearney and the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, predicts a significant uptick in tourist trips across the globeThe tourism sector will contribute $16 trillion to global GDP (more than 11% of the global economy) by 2034, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates (WTTC)India and China will be responsible for more than 25% of all outbound travel by 2030 The World Economic Forum has today published a new report forecasting that the travel and tourism industry is projected to serve 30 billion tourist trips by 2034. Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point: Principles for Transformative Growth, produced in collaboration with Kearney and the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, reveals a projected $16 trillion contribution to global GDP by the same year—representing more than 11% of the total world economy, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates. The report also found that the sector is expanding 1.5 times faster th

The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition Honouring Leading Pet and Animal Brands Globally3.7.2025 21:00:00 CEST | Press release

The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition marked its fifth instalment, bringing together leading pet and animal brands from all around the world. These brands were celebrated for their outstanding achievements, earning recognition as National, Regional, and Global Winners. The awards ceremony, held at Vienna's prestigious Hofburg Palace, welcomed winners across diverse categories, including pet food, retail, wellness, pet exhibitions, and aquatic products. Mounia Berrada-Gouzi expertly hosted the evening, which culminated in a grand celebration of brand excellence. “The Animalis Edition of the World Branding Awards recognises brands that have achieved the highest distinction—genuine recognition in the hearts and minds of consumers. Tonight, we honour those whose names resonate globally, whose values inspire loyalty, and whose presence defines excellence in the pet and animal industry,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum. Out of over 950 brands nominate

Venture Global Announces 20-Year Sales and Purchase Agreement with PETRONAS3.7.2025 14:59:00 CEST | Press release

Today, Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE: VG) announced the execution of a new 20-year Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with PETRONAS LNG Ltd. (PLL), a subsidiary of the Malaysian state-owned oil and gas company, PETRONAS. Under the terms of the SPA, PETRONAS will purchase 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Venture Global’s third facility, CP2 LNG, for 20 years. This builds upon Venture Global’s existing agreement with PETRONAS for 1 MTPA of LNG supply from Plaquemines LNG. PETRONAS, a world-class partner in the LNG industry, joins other CP2 LNG customers in Europe, Asia and the rest of the world in a strategically important project to global energy supply and security. To date, approximately 10.75 MTPA of the 14.4 MTPA nameplate capacity for CP2 Phase One has been sold. About Venture Global Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global’s business includes assets ac

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye