The sustainability-linked bond provides a way for Uruguay to highlight its commitment to the Paris Agreement by introducing financial consequences for missing its sustainability targets.

Uruguay’s central bank governor speaks to The Banker about managing inflation, de-dollarisation and digital assets.

Robust financial regulations, strong liquidity and a solid economic rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic underpin a resilient banking system.

Demand for more flexible borrowing terms is putting pressure on international and local banks to be more accommodating in order to remain competitive.

Uruguay’s economy and finance minister, Danilo Astori, talks to Silvia Pavoni about his country’s resistance to recession and its increasing attractiveness to overseas investors. 

The Banker’s Top 200 Latin American banks ranking for 2014 sees Brazilian institutions stay on top, while Argentina maintains its status as most profitable, despite mounting challenges. 

Uruguay's finance minister, Fernando Lorenzo, tells The Banker how his country has managed to remain resilient in the face of the global economic crisis, and why he still longs for a more open Latin America.

Awash with liquidity and buoyed by a strong local economy, the story of Uruguay's banks seems to be a rosy one on first inspection. However, with its banking sector dominated by state-owned lenders, private banks have struggled to turn in a profit, leading them to look towards local consumer loans and mortgages.

As governments in the Western world attempt to implement more conservative regulation within their financial markets, banks in Uruguay are stagnating because of the country's overcautious economic approach over the past decade. Writer John Rumsey