Bolivia's ContinentalEquity buys 17.99% of microfinance pioneer BancoSol
What's the deal? Bolivian investment group Inversiones ContinentalEquity has acquired a 17.99% stake in BancoSolDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, becoming a new shareholder after completing the transaction with regulatory approval. The deal value was not disclosed.
Why now? The stake previously belonged to a group of international impact investment funds that concluded their involvement with the lender. The move replaces foreign capital with a local investor.
What each side does: BancoSol, founded 34 years ago as the world's first regulated commercial microfinance bank, serves more than 2.9 million clients in Bolivia through 1,827 service points, with a loan portfolio of 19,490 million bolivianos. ContinentalEquity is a business group focused on private-sector development and job creation through investments in strategic sectors of the Bolivian economy.
What changes? BancoSol's majority shareholders — AccionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, FMO, and the Danish Sustainable Development Goals Investment Fund K/SDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — keep their positions and reaffirmed support for the bank's long-term strategy.
What they're saying: Board chairman Esteban Altschul said the operation "strengthens the solidity" of the bank and its mission to promote inclusive finance (translated from Spanish). ContinentalEquity chairman Rodrigo Bedoya said the stake reflects "a long-term investment vision" and shared values.
The signal: The deal marks a planned exit of impact-focused foreign funds and a shift toward local capital in one of Latin America's foundational microfinance institutions — a sign that a homegrown investor base is maturing enough to back inclusive finance.
Read more: brujuladigital.net
Image credit: Allan_Grey
