We champion and deliver transformational, long-term, positive impact for our clients, employees, investors, society and the environment, whilst providing sustainable returns globally.

We champion and deliver transformational, long-term, positive impact for our clients, employees, investors, society and the environment, whilst providing sustainable returns globally.

Our
Commitment

to Sustainability

CIFI’s commitment to sustainability has grown significantly over the years to become part of our business model, increasingly demanding a holistic approach that we hope our stakeholders will value as much as we do.

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Our Commitment

to Sustainability

CIFI’s commitment to sustainability has grown significantly over the years to become part of our business model, increasingly demanding a holistic approach that we hope our stakeholders will value as much as we do.
Read more

Access our
latest report

Responsible
investment and

Positive Impact

For us, responsible investment incorporates ESG factors into the decision-making process of all operations, while striving to generate the greatest positive impact on all our financed projects.

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Learn about our

Thematic Bonds

  • Promote projects that care for the planet’s renewable resources under the highest environmental and social standards..
  • Support the global agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Diversify your investment portfolio.
  • Align your business model towards the fight against climate change, investing in more resilient projects in the long term.

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Learn about our

Thematic Bonds

  • • Promote projects that care for the planet’s renewable resources under the highest environmental and social standards..
  • • Support the global agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • • Diversify your investment portfolio.
  • • Align your business model towards the fight against climate change, investing in more resilient projects in the long term.

Read more

Robust

Corporate Governance

CIFI’s Board of Directors actively oversees the portfolio’s performance concerning environmental and social risks through its Credit and Risk Committees. Also, each of the key senior management units plays an important role in the identification, assessment, and management of E&S risks in the project cycle. The ESG Unit plays a central role in ensuring the effective implementation of CIFI’s environmental and social policies and procedures.
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Measurable impact

Measurable impact

Carbon emissions
avoided
1,142,380 tCO2e/year

People benefited 3,176,859

Jobs generated
+18,000

FY2022

Policies

  • We adhere to the Equator Principles risk management framework, and have adopted the World Bank Group’s Performance Standards for Environmental and Social Sustainability as our benchmark.
  • We have aligned our positive impact with the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • We recognize the Paris Agreement as an instrument to combat Climate Change and are committed to a Low Carbon Economy.
  • We offer full transparency and accountability with all our investments.

ESG in our

Investment Process

ESG in our

Investment Process

Our Risk Management Framework imposes a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), which policies and procedures help us meet our commitment to sustainability consistently.

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Our Risk Management Framework imposes a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), which policies and procedures help us meet our commitment to sustainability consistently.

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Contact our experts

Carla Chízmar

Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance

Carla Chizmar is the Head of the ESG department at CIFI, in charge of developing and implementing an ESG strategy in line with the company’s business plan. She holds a BS degree in Biology, specialized in botany from the University of Panama, a master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Yale University and is Certified in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from a joint program of Yale School of the Environment and the School of Management.

She has 18 years of experience in scientific research, applied sciences for global problems, sustainable development, clean energy, climate change, green lending, and impact investment. Prior to CIFI, Carla worked extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean with scientific research organizations (Smithsonian), the academia (Yale University), and multilateral organizations (United Nations).

At CIFI, oversees managing E&S risks and impacts prior to investments, supervises ESG performance of the portfolio, compliance with CIFI’s policy framework, stakeholder engagement, identification of green business opportunities and funding, development of tools, and reporting with transparency. Carla is currently developing a Decarbonization Strategy to align CIFI’s investment portfolio to a 1.5°C economy, is responsible for the Gender Equality Strategy of the company, and commitments towards Human Rights in all our investments.

She was part of the team that issued the first Green Bond Programme in Panama for $200MM, designed of an ESG Software, a Key Risk Indicator, and a Scoring System to manage ESG risks. Carla is an Equator Principles Association Steering Committee member, and Lead of the Regional Network for Latin America.

She has strong technical expertise, is results oriented, has great networking skills, creative-analytical thinking, outstanding organizational and communication skills, is proactive, and an excellent researcher with knowledge management. She is fluent in Spanish, English and proficient in Portuguese.

She has been with CIFI since 2016, joined the management team of the company in 2018, and became a shareholder in Valora in 2019.

Carla Chízmar

Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance

carla.chizmar@cifi.com

María A. Vega

Senior of Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer

Maria is a Senior ESG specialist at CIFI, in charge of conducting and evaluating environmental & social impact due diligence assessments of prospective projects. She holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering, from the Simon Bolivar University, and a master’s business administration degree from Metropolitana University.

She has 20 years of experience in Environmental, Social Management, Climate Change, IFC’s Performance Standards implementation, leading the development and implementation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and Environmental and Social Action Plans of several infrastructure projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to CIFI, Maria worked extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean with an International inspection, verification, and certification company, and a global building materials company.

At CIFI, she conducts and evaluates environmental & social due diligence assessments of prospective projects, oversights and manages client’s E&S consultants, establishes E&S management frameworks for new projects, and contributes to the ESG impact measurement, policies development and ESG organizational knowledge. She was part of the team that designed an ESG Software and a Scoring System to manage ESG risks.
She has excellent analytical skills, strong technical expertise, is results oriented, outstanding organizational and communication skills, is proactive, and excellent understanding of strategic ESG matters. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

María A. Vega

Senior of Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer

maria.vega@cifi.com

Verónica Villacis

Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer

Veronica Villacis is an ESG specialist at CIFI, in charge of conducting environmental & social due diligence processes of s prospecting financing, E&S monitoring of credits, and contributing to the ESG Team to develop new sustainability assessment tools.

She is an Environmental Engineer from the International University SEK in Ecuador and holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Management and Audits from the Universitad Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain. She has a proven history of working applying environmental, social, quality, and international technical standards in different industrial sectors such as oil&gas, energy, mining, telecommunications, manufacture, and in several E&S management areas such as climate change, chemicals, hazardous materials, waste to energy and co-processing technologies, environmental policies, clean energy, energy efficiency, ecosystem and biodiversity conservation.

As a highly experienced environmental engineer with more than 14 years of working in the field, she has an excellent understanding of the unique challenges of sustainable development in both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations in the private and public sectors. This wealth of experience and her personal qualities and engagement will help CIFI reach and generate new institutional goals facing the green, climate, and sustainable financing opportunities. She is also fluent in Spanish, English and proficient in German.

Verónica Villacis

Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer

veronica.villacis@cifi.com

Grievances
about projects

There are several ways to access our grievance mechanism in relation to projects that we finance. Upload here

Grievances
about projects

There are several ways to access our grievance mechanism in relation to projects that we finance. Upload here