Bladex is a multinational bank originally established by the central banks of Latin-American and
Caribbean countries, to promote foreign trade finance and economic integration in the Region. Bladex's
shareholders include central banks, state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American
countries, as well as commercial banks and financial institutions, and institutional and retail investors
through its public listing. 

The Bank’s mission is to provide financial solutions of excellence to financial institutions, companies and investors doing business in Latin America, supporting trade and regional integration across the Region. Bladex's business model focuses on providing products and services along the entire trade finance value chain. Its target client base comprises the corporations that are active in foreign commerce, both on the import-side as well as on the export-side, and the domestic financial institutions that cater to these corporations with broad-based banking services.

The Board’s policy is to declare and distribute quarterly cash dividends on the Bank’s common stock. Dividends are declared at the Board’s discretion and, from time to time, the Bank has declared special dividends.

The Bank was established pursuant to a May 1975 proposal presented to the Assembly of Governors of central banks in the Region, which recommended the creation of a multinational organization to increase foreign trade financing capacity of the Region. The Bank was organized in 1977, incorporated in 1978 as a corporation pursuant to the laws of the Republic of Panama, and officially began operations on January 2, 1979. Panama was selected as the location of the Bank’s headquarters because of the country’s importance as a banking center in the Region, the benefits of a fully U.S.

The Bank’s principal sources of funds are deposits, borrowed funds and floating and fixed rate placements of securities. While these sources are expected to continue providing the majority of the funds required by the Bank in the future, the exact composition of the Bank’s funding sources, as well as the possible use of other sources of funds, will depend upon future economic and market conditions.

Bladex is listed on the NYSE-Euronext in the United States of America (ticker symbol: BLX).

The Bank’s common stock is divided into four categories:

Class A corresponds to shares only issued to Latin American Central Banks or banks in which the state or other government agency is the majority shareholder.

Class B corresponds to shares only issued to banks or financial institutions.

Class E corresponds to shares issued to any person whether a natural person or a legal entity.

For Bladex, effective liquidity management is a top priority. Liquidity refers to the Bank’s ability to maintain adequate cash flows to fund operations and meet obligations and other commitments on a timely basis. The Bank maintains its liquid assets mainly in demand deposits, overnight funds and time deposits with well-known international banks. These liquid assets are adequate to cover 24-hour deposits from customers, which theoretically could be withdrawn on the same day.