For Banco Promerica, green construction is key to a low-carbon future

How is Banco Promerica Costa Rica integrating sustainability considerations and criteria into its growth strategy?

At Banco Promerica Costa Rica, sustainability is embedded in the core of our business strategy, especially relating to how we intermediate resources. Rather than treating sustainability as a separate initiative, we integrate it in the heart of our financial operations. A key indicator we track is the ratio of our sustainable portfolio to the total portfolio (excluding credit cards), which reflects our commitment to channeling capital toward impactful projects. We define clear annual targets for this ratio and align our growth plans accordingly, ensuring that each business line contributes to advancing sustainability objectives. This approach allows us to steer our portfolio toward sectors and clients that promote environmental and social value, while maintaining financial performance. By linking sustainability to core banking metrics, we are creating a roadmap for long-term, inclusive growth that addresses the evolving needs of our clients and communities.

How does Banco Promerica Costa Rica measure the positive environmental impact of its financial operations?

At Banco Promerica Costa Rica, we measure the positive environmental and social impacts of our sustainable financing by tracking indicators tailored to the use of funds. For example, when financing solar panel installations, we measure the amount of renewable energy generated. In social-impact lending, such as for SMEs, we collect data on the number of jobs supported — disaggregated by gender – to understand our contribution to inclusive growth. For example: Parque La Libertad, located in San José and financed by Banco Promerica CR, is a key community hub dedicated to promoting sustainable development, environmental education, and social inclusion. 

On June 2025, the park inaugurated a project involving the installation of 184 solar panels, aimed at reducing its energy costs and carbon footprint. The initiative is expected to generate annual savings of over $18,000 while preventing the emission of 45.5 metric tons of CO2 per year.

What is the contribution of the technical support provided by Proparco, and what are the prospects for the future use and development of the tools created?

Proparco’s technical assistance has been instrumental in strengthening our climate risk management capabilities. With this support, we were able to develop a comprehensive heat map of our entire portfolio, using a worst-case climate-change scenario to identify physical and transition risks. This tool has provided critical insights into our exposure and resilience, enabling us to better align our strategy with climate goals. Additionally, the project helped us implement a client-level assessment process, with in-depth analyses of three highly vulnerable sectors: agriculture, real estate, and tourism. 

The heat map and assessment tools, among others, not only enhance our risk oversight, but also guide us in supporting clients through their own climate transitions. Looking ahead, we plan to embed these tools and methodologies in our credit processes and expand their application across more sectors, reinforcing our commitment to proactive and resilient sustainable finance.

Does Promerica plan on expanding its portfolio of green loans over the coming five years?

Yes, expanding our green loan portfolio is a central pillar of Banco Promerica Costa Rica’s strategy over the next five years. Achieving our decarbonization targets depends directly on our ability to scale up green lending. To meet this ambition, we are focused on three key actions: developing innovative financial products tailored to green sectors, strengthening internal capacity – particularly among our loan officers – and actively working to transition our broader portfolio toward low-carbon activities. 

This includes identifying opportunities with existing clients and attracting new ones aligned with our own and existing clients’ sustainable practices.

How does the strengthening of the green construction portfolio align with Promerica CR’s broader low-carbon transition objective?

Strengthening our green construction portfolio is a key step in advancing Banco Promerica Costa Rica’s low-carbon transition strategy. Real estate and residential mortgages represent 25% of our portfolio – and our national emissions – so promoting sustainable construction practices is essential to achieving climate goals. 

By financing projects that meet green certification standards or incorporate energy-efficient technologies and materials, we are directly contributing to reducing emissions and resource use. At the same time, we are supporting our clients – developers, SMEs in the value chain, and homeowners – in their future-ready practices.