Panama is not talking about promises, it's talking about money on the table. The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) approved an A/B loan of up to USD 500 million to the National Bank of Panama, with a focus on where it hurts most and is needed most: agriculture, SMEs, and the country's rural areas. The operation seeks to strengthen productive growth in a sustainable and inclusive way, in a country where sowing, producing, and undertaking is still an uphill battle for thousands of small businesses. As planned, more than 3,300 small and medium-sized enterprises will benefit, and at least 1,000 of them are led by women, a clear sign of where the financing is headed. The loan scheme is not improvised. CAF acts as the lead lender, providing up to USD 150 million in Tranche A, while Tranche B mobilizes private resources from international, regional banks, and impact funds. The idea is clear: multiply the reach of the money and direct it to key sectors, not letting it circulate in the financial system without reaching the producer. The resources will be channeled by Banconal towards agricultural and agro-industrial activities, strategic productive projects, women-led SMEs, green initiatives, and businesses related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. CAF will also provide non-reimbursable technical cooperation, focused on better environmental, social, and governance practices, including artificial intelligence tools to measure the carbon footprint in agriculture, a direct bet on producing without mortgaging the future. From the National Bank, the message was direct. Javier Carrizo Esquivel, general manager of Banconal, assured that this financing will allow expanding the reach to the productive sectors that sustain the country, reaffirming the bank's role as a national development engine. In a context where the producer expects facts and not speeches, this loan puts resources where the work is, with social, economic, and territorial impact. Now the challenge will be for the money to arrive quickly and well, to the last furrow and the last workshop.
