La Jornada: Gender bonuses benefit 1.6 million women

The issuances of gender bonds, which FIRA (Trusts Instituted in Relation to Agriculture) has carried out since 2018, contribute to the solution of gender inequality, open businesses and help the country’s rural sector have more balanced growth, said Victoria Rodríguez Ceja, governor of the Bank of Mexico (BdeM).

During the Biva shout, on the occasion of the fifth edition of the FIRA gender social bond, for an amount of 8 billion pesos in three tranches, the governor of the Mexican central bank highlighted that this type of placement has benefited more than 1.6 million women annually, through funding schemes and financial guarantees, since 2018.

“I celebrate this fifth edition of the social gender bonus by FIRA, since it not only combines technical excellence and social vocation; but, above all, it contributes to the solution of a problem of inequality between the female and male population, opens new business opportunities, and helps the rural sector of our country to achieve more balanced growth,” he stated.

Meanwhile, María Ariza, director of the Institutional Stock Exchange (Biva), revealed that today FIRA will list three issues, for an amount of 8 billion pesos, with an excess demand of 50 percent and with a maximum credit quality rating.

Alan Elizondo, general director of FIRA, explained that this broadcast brings development instruments to the countryside, mainly among women.

The social bond will offer three types of credit for women. The first will be the one dedicated to financial inclusion: 30 percent will be received by women who receive credit for the first time. The second will seek to promote the labor and productive initiative of women, those who have already started their activity, but require credit to purchase inputs for their production.

Elizondo added that the third type of credit will be for the purchase of machinery, which will allow her to leverage her productive capacity and take women on a development path with new tools.

“At FIRA we believe that this type of credit will reverse this vicious circle of non-development to one of development.”