Today, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) signed a Statement of Intent to collaborate on innovative financing solutions that can accelerate sustainable investment, protect regional ecosystems, and drive inclusive economic growth across Central America.

The partnership aims to combine UNCDF’s unique role within the UN system as its catalytic finance entity with CABEI’s strong regional presence to channel capital into early-stage and last-mile markets that remain disconnected from formal financial systems. These are the “forgotten markets,” depressed local economies where capital is scarce, opportunity is limited, and poverty is entrenched. In these places, micro and small enterprises, youth, and women entrepreneurs struggle to access even the most basic financing, stifling job creation and pushing communities to the margins of economic opportunity.

By mobilizing concessional and blended finance, UNCDF seeks to unlock investment in these frontier markets, laying the foundation for productive activity, decent jobs, and local wealth creation. This is not just about financing projects: it’s about building the conditions for people to build a future.

“Through this collaboration with UNCDF, we strengthen our ability to mobilize innovative financing that promotes sustainable development and social inclusion,” said Gisela Sánchez, Executive President of CABEI. “Together, we can scale transformative initiatives that benefit the most vulnerable communities and advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

“This partnership speaks to the heart of UNCDF’s mission,” said Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Executive Secretary of UNCDF. “Our role is to bring capital where it does not go on its own, to the entrepreneurs, farmers, small businesses, and local economies that sit at the very edge of formal finance. And because we are part of the UN system, we do this in a way that amplifies the work of UN Country Teams and agencies, aligning investment with national priorities, leveraging partnerships, and turning early-stage and last-mile opportunities into engines of inclusive growth. By partnering with CABEI, we are opening doors to markets too often left behind.”

The Statement of Intent provides a strategic framework to co-design and scale blended finance solutions that leverage the complementary mandates of both institutions, catalyze capital where it is most needed, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

About CABEI

A Bank with Triple Positive Impact

CABEI is a multilateral development bank with 64 years of experience and 15 member countries, including all Central American nations, Panama and the Dominican Republic, Belize, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Cuba in the Americas; Spain in Europe; and the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Asia. Over the past 20 years, projects financed by CABEI have represented approximately 50% of all multilateral development bank funding for the Central American region.

CABEI holds the following credit ratings: AA Stable / A1+ from S&P (August 2025), Aa3 Positive / P1 from Moody’s (August 2025), and AA Positive from JCR (April 2025). The Bank aims to leverage its financial strength and key capabilities to drive positive transformation for the countries it serves.

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About UNCDF

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) mobilizes and catalyzes an increase in capital flows for impactful investments in high-risk markets, especially in Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and countries in special situations. By crowding in capital through the deployment of risk-absorbing financial instruments, mechanisms and structuring advisory, UNCDF contributes to job creation and sustained economic growth in more than 70 countries.

In partnership with UN entities and development partners, UNCDF operates with speed and agility to deliver scalable, blended finance solutions to drive systemic change and pave the way for commercial finance and scale up by development finance institutions and multilateral development banks.

Learn more at uncdf.org or follow @UNCDF.