The reputation and performance of Banco de Crédito Centroamericano, BANCENTRO, a member of the LAFISE Group, has been reaffirmed once again, obtaining three important long-term subordinated loans totaling $15 million dollars to support the main economic and productive sectors of Nicaragua. These agreements are even more valuable and significant now that the global markets have been constrained due to the financial crisis affecting economies worldwide.

The agreements were signed on October 15th, 2008, between Mr. Roberto Zamora Llanes, President of Bancentro and Mr. Hugo Bosmans, CEO, representing the Belgian InvestmentCompany for Developing Countries (BIO), Mr Jukka Ahmala, Director Legal Affairs, representing the Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd. (FINNFUND) and Mr. Claude Barras, Managing Director, representing the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM).

The agreements signed with these important European Financial institutions (BIO, FINNFUND, SIFEM), are first in its class. These organizations had never granted simultaneously a similar facility to a Nicaraguan bank in the past; the agreements with BANCENTRO constitute a subordinated debt with a ten-year term and a five-year grace period at highly competitive interest rates.