Atlas SME BOW (IFC-48085)

Countries
  • Paraguay
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Uninformed
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Active
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
FI
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Nov 15, 2023
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
BANCO ATLAS SA
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Finance
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ IFC website

Updated in EWS Jun 24, 2024

Disclosed by Bank Oct 6, 2023

Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team

Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

The proposed investment consists of a 4-year IFC loan to Banco Atlas S.A. (“Banco Atlas” or the “Bank”) for up to US$50 million to expand the Bank’s small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) lending program, of which at least 25% will be on-lent to Women-Owned SMEs (“WSMEs”) (the “Project”). 

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Financial Intermediary
A financial intermediary is a bank or financial institution that receives funds from a development bank. A financial intermediary then lends these funds to their clients (private actors) in the form of loans, bonds, guarantees and equity shares. Financial intermediaries include insurance, pension and equity funds. The direct financial relationship is between the development bank and the financial intermediary.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

According to the IFC, Banco Atlas is a commercial bank with a trajectory of more than 30 years in the Paraguayan market. It is part of AZETA Group, one of the major economic groups in the country with more than 70 years working in different economic sectors. In 2010 the Central Bank of Paraguay approved the transformation of Banco Atlas from a finance company into a regulated bank. In 2011, Banco Atlas acquired 100% of shares of Banco Integración S.A., improving its market position and strengthening its network of branches, both competitive advantages in providing financial services to both businesses and individuals.

Currently, Banco Atlas is positioned and consolidated in the industry as an entity with progressive and sustained growth, serving more than 166,000 active clients including individuals and businesses, with national coverage through its network of 27 branches and a robust home banking platform which is used to carry out 66% of client transactions digitally. It serves to corporate, SMEs and retail clients, diversifying its portfolio across the main sectors of the Paraguayan economy, offering financing, saving and payment services.

Banco Atlas is currently in a process of strengthening its Sustainability Plan, working and supporting several organizations. The Bank actively participates in strategic alliances, with key partners such as: “Pacto Global de las Naciones Unidas”, “Mesa de Finanzas Sostenibles del Paraguay” and “Pacto Ético y Cumplimiento (PEC)”, among others. 


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Banco Atlas S.A.
Paloma Ferreira Campos
Chief Treasury Officer
(595 21) 6169710
paloma.ferreira@atlas.com.py
Quesada esq. Tte. Zotti
www.atlas.com.py

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/inquiries.

 

If you believe that your request for information from IFC has been unreasonably denied, or that this Policy has been interpreted incorrectly,  you can submit a complaint at the link above to IFC’s Access to Information Policy Advisor, who reports directly to IFC’s Executive Vice President.

 

 

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org.  You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org/

How it works

How it works