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

  • Russian road-building industry on verge of massive cuts
    June 10, 2015
    Russia’s road building programme looks set to be cut due to economic issues - Eugene Gerden writes The Russian Government is considering a significant cut to the existing road building programme for the current year. This is due to a current economic crisis in the country, caused by Western sanctions as well as a collapse in the price of oil and gas.
  • ARTBA predicts US construction infrastructure growth
    December 3, 2012
    The American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) annual forecast suggests that the US transportation construction infrastructure market will show modest growth in 2013. According to ARTBA’s forecast, this segment will increase 3% to US$130.5 billion in 2013. The association’s chief economist, Dr Alison Premo Black, said that growth is expected in highway and street pavements, private work for driveways and parking lots and also airport terminal and runway work. But ARTBA predicts the brid
  • Highway and bridge rebuilds part of Obama’s US$4bn plans for infrastructure works
    April 3, 2013
    In his new budget on Wednesday 10 April, 2013, US president Barack Obama is due to reveal details of a proposed US$4 billion loans and grants investment in America’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure. During a visit to Port Miami, which is undergoing a $2 billion upgrade and tunnel project, the president also repeated a call for a $10 billion "infrastructure bank" to attract investment for projects that will have the greatest impact on the economy. The Obama administration is proposing tax breaks for
  • Financial setbacks beset Slovakia’s highway development
    June 12, 2012
    Slovakian highway company NDS says that construction of the 13km Turany-Hubova highway may not be started in 2012. The previous Transport Ministry plan was to call the tender for this stretch in summer 2012. However, the EC has not yet approved the construction of this highway, with questions surrounding the protected area in the Velka and Mala Fatra mountains. If Slovakia does not get this approval, the country might have to chose the second option, which includes the tunnel Korbelka. The EC's decision is