BancoSol: Financial Inclusion in the Perfect Storm

In the pandemic, financial inclusion icon BancoSol faces a government-mandated year-long deferral of all loan payments, followed by the sudden Covid death of its CEO. In a Bolivia mired in political turmoil following a failed presidential election, with clients not obligated to pay either interest or principal from March to the end of 2020, the bank faces a severe cash deficit. This is exacerbated by the regulatory determination that, as the deferrals are mandated, loans must be deemed current and performing and resulting profits continue subject to income taxes that must be paid. BancoSol management must decide how to respond to this crisis. When the mandated deferrals come to an end, the bank regulators issue instructions as to how the restructuring must take place. As the total deferred amounts add up to 85% of its loan portfolio, this is a critical matter for BancoSol. Prior to the regulatory instructions, management had painstakingly designed its own restructuring program. Convinced that it is the optimal way to proceed, management strongly recommends its implementation regardless of contradicting the regulatory instructions. The deteriorating financial condition of the bank adds urgency to the decision. In the midst of these issues, in February 2021, Covid suddenly claims the life of the bank's longtime CEO, Kurt Koenigsfest, the architect of the modern BancoSol. With the bank's very existence at stake, Esteban Altschul, the chair of the board of directors, must come to grips with how the restructuring of the deferred loans will take place and how the various management gaps exposed by Koenigsfest's death will be filled. At the same time, convinced that the future leadership of BancoSol is linked to its adaptation to the digital age, Altschul must assess the efforts of the bank to-date in this area and how it should proceed in the future.