About the blog

IDB Invest

Like the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), our commitment is to economic growth and social inclusion; that is central to our identity as part of the IDB Group. But our focus is on the private sector. As the private-sector arm of the IDB Group, we know the region. We work where our clients are and can provide them with customized financing solutions and expert advice tailored to their specific industry and market. IDB Invest is owned by its 48 member countries, 26 of which are in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Each country’s voting power is proportional to the number of IDB Invest shares it holds.

IDB Invest

IDB Invest is the private sector institution of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, a multilateral development bank that supports private sector companies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides financial and advisory services for sustainable enterprises to promote economic, social, and environmental development in the region. The institution mobilizes private investment for projects, and is the new trade name for the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC).

IDB Invest Team

IDB Invest seeks to be the primary bank for private sector solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. We support projects to advance clean energy, modernize agriculture, strengthen transportation systems and expand access to financing. These are projects that have a significant impact and contribute to the sustainable development of the region. Like the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), our commitment is to economic growth and social inclusion, central concepts of our identity as part of the IDB Group. Our distinctive feature is our focus on the private sector.

Iker Vinageras

Iker Vinageras is Head of ESG at Mexico’s Institutional Stock Exchange, BIVA, spearheading BIVA’s efforts to accelerate Mexico’s adoption of ESG standards and sustainability metrics. A member of Chapter Zero and Mexico’s Green Finance Advisory Council (CCFV), Mr. Vinageras has accompanied BIVA’s growth since 2018, when it received formal authorization to operate as Mexico’s second stock exchange. Through BIVA’s Sustainable 360 Program, in whose design, implementation and evolution Mr. Vinageras played a key role, BIVA completed over thirty ESG placements, totalling US$5.7Bn. In 2021, 46% of the total amount financed through BIVA was achieved using an ESG instrument. Mr. Vinageras has been responsible for the implementation of BIVA’s 5-Pillar Strategy to expand ESG offerings in Mexico, guiding market participants in the issuance of ESG-compliant products, including debt, equity, and structured finance. Thorough Mr. Vinageras’ team efforts, BIVA has exponentially increased the number of listings in the International Quotation System (SIC BIVA), by over 500 listing, including, Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Coinbase, Airbnb, I Shares, JP Morgan ETFs, Principal, HSBC ETFs, and KKR.

Irani Arraiz

Irani Arráiz es economista en la División de Efectividad en el Desarrollo de BID Invest. Sus áreas de experticia incluyen evaluación de políticas y finanzas y desarrollo del sector privado. Ha publicado varios artículos en revistas académicas internacionales relacionados con la efectividad de programas destinados a aumentar la competitividad del sector privado en América Latina. Antes de BID Invest, Irani trabajó en el Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones y en la Oficina de Evaluación y Supervisión del BID. Irani tiene un Ph.D. en Economía de la Universidad de Maryland en College Park, la designación de CFA, y un MBA del Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración en Venezuela. Irani se graduó con honores como ingeniero electrónico en la Universidad Simón Bolívar en Caracas.

Irene Arias

Irene Arias Hofman is the CEO of IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the leading source of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion by supporting early-stage entrepreneurial solutions capable of transforming the lives of vulnerable populations. Previously, Irene worked for 20 years at the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she managed the Financial Institutions Group and also the LAC region with its 16-billion-dollar portfolio. Her focus has been on innovation and technology, venture capital, and organizational development.

Isabel Berdeja

Isabel is a Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at IDB Invest, where she joined in 2019. Isabel is responsible for designing and executing advisory services for deals in the financial and corporate institutions sectors. She has led advisory engagements to support clients in their diversity and gender inclusion strategies, with an emphasis on the inclusion of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples throughout the value chain and in the workforce. Before joining the IDB Group, Isabel worked for General Electric in the energy business and at the Pan American Development Foundation in the execution of projects for the development with identity of indigenous peoples. Isabel earned a master's degree in development studies from the Elliott School at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She also has a bachelor's degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico.

Isabel Montojo

Isabel Montojo is an associate in the sustainable finance consulting firm HPL, where she works mainly developing thematic bond frameworks for LAC issuers, and advising on the development of guides and guidelines on sustainable finance for different actors in the capital markets. of ALC. Previously, Isabel worked at the United Nations Global Compact, the UN agency in charge of promoting sustainability within the private sector, and has several years of experience practicing as a US compliance and civil litigation attorney in Spain. Isabel is a lawyer with experience in Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG research and ESG risk assessment and analysis. She has a Law Degree from the Faculty of Law, Complutense University of Madrid and holds an LL.M. in Law and International Justice cum laude from Fordham University School of Law, New York, with a specialization in corporate social responsibility and human rights.

Jaime García Alba

Jaime Garcia Alba is the Director of Strategy and Amazonia Forever Coordinator at IDB Invest. Throughout his career at IDB Group, Jaime developed IDB Invest's new business model and the corresponding $3.5 billion capital raise and led the Advisory Services and Blended Finance Program. Previously, he served as head of sustainability reporting and private finance at the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, where he coordinated the private sector's participation in the negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement.

James P. Scriven

James P. Scriven is the CEO of IDB Invest, a multilateral development bank dedicated to driving sustainable growth in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. A dual Argentine-British citizen, Mr. Scriven has over two decades of experience advancing the role of the private sector to increase development impact.

Before leading IDB Invest, he served as Vice President of Corporate Risk and Sustainability at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he held multiple leadership roles. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer of Banco Hipotecario in Argentina.

Mr. Scriven holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Universidad del Centro de Estudios Macroeconómicos in Argentina, and a Business Administration degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. 

To learn more, follow James on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Jan Petter Eskildsen

Jan Petter Eskildsen, Director, Financial Sector Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, BID InvestJan is the Director of Financial Services for Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic at BID Invest. He joined the team in 2017 to lead the origination and structuring of impact investments for financial intermediaries in this region from the IDB Group office in Panama City. Since joining BID Invest, Jan has led and participated in financing projects, including loans, equity investments, and capital market products for various types of financial intermediaries. Prior to joining BID Invest, Jan worked in the investment banking divisions of UBS and Lazard, providing financial advisory services to corporate and financial service clients across the U.S. and Latin America for over 12 years from the New York and Panama City offices. Jan holds a degree in Law and Political Sciences from Santa María La Antigua University in Panama and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Janne Sevanto

A citizen of Finland, Mr. Sevanto holds a master’s degree in financial engineering from the University of California at Berkely, Haas School of Business and master’s and bachelor’s degrees of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from Tampere University of Technology. Mr. Sevanto also has over 20 years of experience in development, most recently at the IFC where he led treasury client solutions for Latin America and the Caribbean region delivering innovative local currency, derivatives, debt capital market and structured finance solutions in the region while overseeing the local currency funding and asset and liability management activities.