Ficohsa has been appointed to the Partnership for Central America, the public–private initiative set up by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to expand jobs, investment and financial inclusion in the Northern Triangle.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Luis Atala, Executive Vice President of Ficohsa, said, “As the leading bank in Honduras – and one of the largest in Central America – we take very seriously our responsibility to drive social and economic development in the region, helping the growth of public and private institutions, and generating jobs and equal opportunities for all citizens. Given our focus on supporting SMEs, expanding financial inclusion, and attracting inward investment, we believe we have much to contribute to the Partnership for Central America.”
Ficohsa is committed to providing a further 210,000 unbanked, vulnerable people with financial products and services, and is working to double its network of authorized banking agents to provide crucial financial services through small community merchants.
Mr. Atala continued, “We believe it is essential that everyone has access to financial services. That is why we are investing US$50M in digital banking, such as our mobile phone-based payment service TENGO, that will expand financial inclusion and ensure that a greater proportion of remittances sent home to families in Central America are deposited in bank accounts and invested in assets, savings and businesses.”
On joining the PCA, Ficohsa has pledged to support the goals of Central America Forward, focusing on strengthening governance, combating corruption, and improving security. Ficohsa’s significant investments in robust compliance and internal auditing systems have enabled it to grow transparently and with confidence. The Group’s Code of Ethics and Conduct is backed by anonymous and private complaints channels and a robust Anti Corruption and Bribery Management System.