Skip to main content

Colombia: New decree allows pension funds to finance 4G projects

Columbian president Juan Manuel Santos Colombia has said pension fund money could help finance the country’s ambitious 4G motorway projects. Columbia has 35 road projects underway costing more than US$11.7 billion, including the first two 4G tender waves with six public-private partnerships that have already been approved. During a banking convention held in the coastal city of Cartagena in mid-June, Banco Davivienda president Efrain Forero lending capacity studies have been completed for 4GH projects
June 25, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Columbian president Juan Manuel Santos Colombia has said pension fund money could help finance the country’s ambitious 4G motorway projects.

Columbia has 35 road projects underway costing more than US$11.7 billion, including the first two 4G tender waves with six public-private partnerships that have already been approved.

During a banking convention held in the coastal city of Cartagena in mid-June, Banco Davivienda president Efrain Forero lending capacity studies have been completed for 4GH projects. Her said  Davivienda Bank has completed assessments with the nine consortia from the first wave of tenders and several from the second wave that already have financial close on their projects.

The head of local bank Colpatria, Santiago Perdomo, said his bank is assessing 4G opportunities while the president of the local BBVA branch, Oscar Cabrera, said his institution is also analysing permits and capabilities within 4G projects.

However, while the 4G highway project creates business opportunities for local banks, it also presents problems, according to a statement in May from Fitch, an international financial ratings agency based in New York and London. Fitch, along with Moody's and 5426 Standard & Poor's, are commonly referred two as the big three credit rating agencies.

The biggest challenge for 4G is attracting foreign funding. Fitch believes that a funding split of 25% international and 75% local would limit the potential for local banks to over-commit themselves.

Fitch estimated that the first two of three phases for 4G requires about $15 billion in financing, of which local banks are expected to fund up to about half. “We see Colombia's banks holding enough capital to withstand a high growth rate of 4G project loans under such a scenario,” the statement said.

“Large Colombian banks such as 3123 Bancolombia, Banco de Bogota and Davivienda, along with midsize banks such as 5253 Corpbanca, Occidente, and new regional players including BTG Pactual, ITAU and 4001 Santander could participate in 4G's financings. Each of these banks may require some build-up of internal risk management capabilities relating to project management expertise, as the risks of such loans materially differs from traditional lending such as commercial and corporate loans.”

3260 World Highways reported in April that Colombia's national agency for infrastructure, Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI), had announced the second wave of 4G motorway projects made of nine projects that will require $5.64 billion. Four proposals had been received for the first of these projects, the Puerta de Hierro-Palmar de Varela-Cruz del Vizo motorway, a 202km road will require around $470 million.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bancolombia boosts its investment in Colombia 4G road projects
    August 4, 2016
    Bancolombia has the largest involvement of all Colombia’s banks in the country’s 4G Road Programme after financial close of the Autopista Norte motorway project. The bank has around US$390 million invested in four out of five 4G road development projects that have secured the necessary funding so far, according to a report in Portafolio, an on-line economic magazine. The 145km Autopista Norte route connects the Caribbean port of Cartagena to the capital Bogota by way of the Ruta del Sol motorway, a 1,
  • Colombia’s mega road project auction
    November 29, 2013
    Colombia's national transport infrastructure agency ANI will auction 13 road projects with a combined value of more than US$7.87 billion (COP 15 trillion) in H1 2014, out of 40 planned. Nine of the scheduled auction projects have gone through the pre-qualification stage and will be definitely awarded in the first quarter of next year. In total, all 40 projects will involve investments of COP 47tn. The plan is to improve 8,000km of roads in the country. Four projects will be put through pre-qualification s
  • Colombia: two proposals to build Santana-Mocoa-Neiva motorway
    May 7, 2015
    The Colombian Vice President, German Vargas Lleras, has announced that two proposals have been received to build the Santana-Mocoa-Neiva motorway. This road has a budget of US$627.22 million is one of the nine initiatives the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) has included in the second wave of 4G motorway projects. The two companies interested in carrying out the work are Concesionaria Vias del Desarrollo 4 and Infraestructura Vial para Colombia. Concesionaria Vias del Desarrollo 4 consists of C
  • ANI to auction 13 Colombian road projects in H1 2014
    September 24, 2013
    Colombia's national infrastructure agency ANI will auction 13 road projects with a combined value of more than US$7.87 billion (COP 15 trillion) in H1 2014, out of 40 planned. Nine of the scheduled auction projects have gone through the pre-qualification stage and will be definitely awarded in the first quarter of next year. In total, all 40 projects will involve investments of COP 47tn. The plan is to improve 8,000kms of roads in the country.