CAF launches VELA fund to mobilise up to $150M for impact investing in Latin America
What's the deal? CAFDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, has launched Fondo VELA, an impact investment vehicle that aims to mobilise between $100 million and $150 million. The fund will back companies and projects that generate financial returns alongside measurable social and environmental results across the region.
Who's involved? CAF acts as anchor investor, with US impact-investing firm Sonen CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → managing the fund alongside Mexico's Fondo de FondosDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The vehicle targets institutional capital and high-growth companies driving sustainable development.
Where's the money going? VELA will focus on biodiversity, the blue economy, regenerative agriculture, sustainable food systems, financial inclusion, health, education, connectivity, and basic services. The aim is to strengthen economic resilience in vulnerable communities and widen access to essential services.
Why now? The launch was announced in Mexico City during a CAF board session, attended by María del Carmen Bonilla, Mexico's deputy finance minister, and impact-investing leaders. CAF calls VELA the first regional impact fund structured by a multilateral development bank.
What makes it different? The fund ties financial incentives to impact targets, uses standardised measurement metrics, and adds independent verification. CAF chief executive officer Sergio Díaz-Granados said it proves it is possible to combine financial returns with measurable social and environmental outcomes.
The signal: For Fondo de Fondos, VELA is its second impact-focused vehicle after LATAM Impact Fund — a sign that impact capital is scaling in the region, and that multilateral banks are moving to draw private money into it.
Read more: techla.pro
Image credit: CAF Development bank Latin America
