MESO AMERICA

DEVELOPMENT GROUP, LLC

Meso America Development Group, LLC (“MDG”)

A Boutique Investment Banking Firm

We are based in Washington DC dedicated to the provision of technical advisory services for the financial structuring of investments in social and public-private infrastructure projects in Latin America through the support of multilateral development banks, private equity funds, insurance companies and specialized firms in the United States and Europe. MDG works together with developers, investors and corporations in the structuring of short, medium and long-term debt, equity or sub-equity capital and the placement of credit, political and foreign exchange risk guarantees. MDG has successfully closed financial transactions for its clients with the US Development Finance Corporation (“DFC” formerly “OPIC”), the Inter-American Investment Corporation (“IIC” now “BID Invest”) for projects located in Mexico, Central America, Panama, Peru and Ecuador.  MDG maintains representative offices in Mexico City, Guatemala City, Panama City, Lima, Santiago and Montevideo.

The mission of Meso America Development Group, LLC (“MDG”) is to provide value added corporate services to facilitate trade and investment between Latin America, the United States and Canada. MDG is uniquely positioned to assist both North American and Latin American clients to successfully navigate the legal, regulatory, and business environments in these markets.
MDG is committed to providing quality, effective and professional services. We have a team-oriented approach to achieving our client’s goals. We work closely with our strategic partners to develop a program and strategy that best meets our client’s needs. We understand the importance of trust to the success of any business relationship. To that end, MDG pursues every transaction with total honesty and integrity. Openness and candor are valued in every part of our organization. It is part of our overall corporate governance policy to adhere to the principles and guidelines that meet the highest standards of accountability, objectivity, and ethics. Accomplishment of these tasks and our services are filled with energy, creativity, meaning, and enjoyment for all involved.
MDG is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment, mitigating climate change, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in the Americas. We are committed to the principles of quality, integrity and responsiveness, and to always act in the best interest of our clients. We will work together with our clients to determine the most cost effective and efficient way to maximize their opportunities and resources. MDG is committed to providing the highest professional representation services and resources to help you achieve your objectives in international business.
MDG is a leading professional organization which structures access to short-, medium- and long-term capital and investment risk guarantees. The firm provides global management, due diligence services and direct assistance to companies and investors who undertake major projects in the Americas. We have the ability to raise capital, identify joint venture partners and technology providers for project development and to carry out assignments, quickly, effectively, and economically. MDG differentiates itself by having unparallel experience, expertise and capabilities in the Americas. MDG maintains an extensive network of strategic alliances with senior partners, agents and consultants throughout the United States, Canada, and Latin America. MDG has established relationships and works through an impressive private network of investment bankers, international funds, commercial banks, asset-based lenders, and insurance companies to structure and place simple to highly complex transactions. MDG takes advantage of its location and extensive experience in Washington D.C. to work through bilateral and multilateral institutions, U.S. government agencies, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and research and technology centers. A unique combination of financial engineering, management and design skills, operational experience and international markets is central to our approach. Backed by an impressive record of working with multinational corporations, multilateral agencies, small business, government and non-government organizations, we are ready to provide expert advice and assistance in any area of international businesses.
  • Analysis of Requirements
  • Proposal Presentation
  • Project Mandate
  • Project Implementation
  • Project Completion
  • Project Monitoring

 

In a standard MDG transaction, a client receives a detailed assessment of their objectives and needs in international markets to audit the strategic position of the business and its environment. We proceed to prioritize those needs and translate them into a decision model where we analyze, compare and rank alternative solutions that will offer the client the ability to identify the best project development strategy based on added value and the lowest cost. A strategic action plan is then devised and a team of experts and specialists is selected. The client then provides MDG with a mandate to implement, complete and effectively monitor the project.
  • Unmatched depth of experience and knowledge of U.S. and Latin American markets
  • Strategic network of senior partners, associates, agents, local and international consultants and excellent relations with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and non-government organizations
  • Highest standards of professional services with focus on creativity, innovative solutions, integrity and responsiveness
  • Excellence in personalized service and long-term commitment to client relationship
  • Expert communications, quality documentation and reporting, and extensive research capabilities
MDG acts as a licensed insurance broker for private sector insurance companies and multilateral institutions such as DFC and MIGA. MDG is headquartered in Washington DC and maintains agency representation and strategic alliances with associated firms in Mexico, Central America, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay in Latin America and New York, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California in the United States.
Juan Carlos Rivera Montes is the Managing Director of the Meso America Development Group, LLC. He has more than twenty-five years of international experience in Latin America working as a Regional Director, Senior Advisor and International Consultant to corporations, multilateral institutions and government agencies. Juan Carlos is the former Director for the Small Business Center at the US International Development Corporation (“DFC”) previously the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (“OPIC”) where he managed business development and underwriting responsibilities for the agency in 156 countries. During his eight-year tenor at DFC, Juan Carlos developed and managed a portfolio of new clients of approximately $1.5 billion of new investments in Latin America and Asia, executing 75 contracts and commitments providing debt, equity, and capital markets transactions for housing, energy, telecommunications, agro industry and transportation projects increasing the agency’s global portfolio exposure in those regions. Prior to DFC, Juan Carlos served as a Senior Director and Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Meso-American Investments, LLC (MAI), a firm located in Denver, Colorado, focusing in the evaluation and development of conventional and renewable energy projects around the world. Working as an international environmental consultant and project manager, he was responsible for the environmental permitting, management plan and baseline studies for Exxon Mobil’s Cerro Negro $3.2 billion extra heavy oil project, the $350 million light crude oil La Ceiba project in Venezuela and several other energy and infrastructure projects in Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Honduras. Juan Carlos has also performed consulting assignments for the government of Honduras, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the World Bank, the BRGM (France), Samsonite Corporation (USA), the International Methane Company (Canada), and the Honduran Foundation for Investment and Development of Exports (FIDE). Juan Carlos was awarded a degree in geological engineering from the prestigious Colorado School of Mines, an MBA in international relations and marketing from the Jesuit Regis University in Denver, Colorado and a graduate program certificate in International Finance from Georgetown University in Washington DC. He received certified professional training from the BRGM in France, the Swedish Geological Survey, the World Trade Centers in Dallas and in Denver and Fannie Mae in Washington DC.  Additional training includes technical certificates in financial analysis, project finance, corporate and trade finance, securitizations, geographic information systems (GIS), remediation and reclamation technologies, water and wastewater treatment and renewable energy. Juan Carlos maintains an impressive network of contacts developed through U.S. government agencies, U.S. embassies, multilateral institutions, U.S. chambers of commerce, Industry associations, overseas investment promotion agencies and American chambers of commerce. He has substantial experience and expertise as a public speaker in TV, radio, news media, international conferences, technical seminars, and workshops. He has traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

Multilateral Lenders

Financial Instruments

To facilitate and support an overseas investment in Latin America, MDG is pleased to offer financial and technical advisory services in the following areas:

With fixed rate senior debt loans and loan guaranties up to $1 billion with tenor up to 25 years to cover up to 60 percent of total project costs for new ventures, and up to 75 percent for expansions, including project development and up-front financing costs, capital expenditure requirements and working capital.

As investment opportunities to participate with project financing subordinated to the senior debt provided by multilateral lenders.

To protect the value of your overseas investment and mitigate long term political risk. In addition to the standard insurance coverage for inconvertibility events, expropriation and or political violence, the Breach of Contract coverage protects foreign investors against losses arising from the host government’s breach or repudiation of a contractual or concessionary agreement with the investor. The coverage insures terms under government power purchase agreements, natural resource concessions, licenses, and sale contracts.

Options with swaps and forward contracts with competitive rates provided by specialized multilateral firms focusing on developmental impacts generated by foreign direct investments.

MDG works through a Fintech trade finance digital platform built to address the operational risks associated with small and medium size exporters. The digital platform enables exporters with immediate access to working capital by factoring their trade account receivables and can reduce the length of the traditional loan origination process from over two months to one week and provide funding to approved exporters within 24 hours.

MDG works with institutional and impact investors, multilateral and bilateral development banks, commercial and nonprofit organizations to structure complex and sophisticated transactions using an array of financial instruments including concessional debt and equity capital, credit and political risk guarantees, technical assistance funds and design stage grants focusing to address a variety of developmental needs in low income countries including low levels of access to safe drinking water, internet, sanitation and hygiene, energy, high levels of pollution, marine conservation and lack of physical infrastructure.

Projects

Bien Para Bien (“BpB”) is a Mexican lending Fintech and Non-banking financial institution that offers an attractive alternative solution to traditional credit products offered by banks through medium-term liquidity loans secured by real estate properties, for both SMEs and individuals. Founded in 2014 by Victor Borras, one of the most experienced public and private bankers in Mexico and a key player in the transformation of the Mexican banking industry, BpB sets itself apart from its competitors in the implementation of cutting-edge technological structures to enhance loan origination and portfolio management. MDG served as financial arranger for structuring a Credit Facility through the DFC formerly OPIC.

The facility consisted of the provision of political risk insurance coverage for a syndicated loan by leading Guatemalan and Panamanian banks to finance the construction and commissioning of a natural gas power generation plant located in Mexico.

URBI Desarrollos Urbanos SAB de CV designs, develops, constructs, and markets residential housing, specializing in the low-income market. The company has 39 years of history, reaching a national operation in 28 cities and building more than 432,000 homes. URBI became a public company in the Mexican Stock Market in 2004 and is listed under code URBI.MX. Urbi is now one of the few highly specialized companies that exclusively develops low-income housing projects along the US Mexican border targeting workers from the US maquila industry operations that are eligible for INFONAVIT mortgage financing.

Destino Desarrollos, previously known as “Multivistas Group”, is an American owned company with wide experience in the development of housing projects for middle-income families in Guatemala. In 2016, MDG structured for the company an OPIC Credit Facility for the development of middle-income projects in the secondary cities of Escuintla, Xela and Chimaltenango. MDG is currently structuring a second Credit Facility through the Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”) to finance the expansion of new middle-income projects located in Cobán, Fraijanes and Xela in Guatemala.

Financia Credit is a Finance-Technology company based in Panama that operates regionally in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica. Financia Credit focuses in providing technology web-based platforms to assist SMEs effectively managing their costs and payment operations. MDG serves as the financial arranger for the structuring of a Credit Facility with the Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”) to fund the expansion of Financia Credit’s portfolio of fintech products in the region.

La Curacao is a well know retailer with 92 stores locations through the country that targets the low-income segment of the population in Peru. MDG served as financial arranger for structuring a loan through the Inter American Investment Corporation (“IIC” now “BIDINVEST”) to fund the expansion of 25 new stores in provincial cities in Peru.

MDG served as financial arranger for structuring a loan through the Inter American Investment Corporation (“IIC” now “BIDINVEST”) to fund the installation of necessary infrastructure and devises to recover, transport, and generate electricity on-site using the capture of natural associated gas at Petroamazonas EP Block 15 Oil field in Ecuador.

The project involves the provision of financing to small farmers and coffee growers for the incorporation of Big Mike bananas in their productive activities; technical assistance for a land titling program for small farmers and coffee growers, a vehicle for industrial, logistics and community infrastructure and an Export Program for Japan and Korea under Denomination of Origin – Verapaz, Guatemala

Clients

Representative Offices

Main Office: Washington DC, United States

Mexico City, Mexico

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Panama City, Panama

Lima, Peru

Santiago, Chile

Montevideo, Uruguay

Bogotá, Colombia

Contact Us

700 12th Street, NW, Suite 700 – Washington DC 20005