Declares US$2.217 Per Share Dividend on Preferred Shares

    Bladex Declares US$2.217 Per Share Dividend on Preferred Shares

    PANAMA CITY, May 16 -- Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S. A. 
("Bladex") (NYSE: BLX), announced that its Board of Directors, at a meeting 
held on April 17, 2006, declared a cash dividend of US$2.217 per share (par 
value of US$10.00 per share), payable on May 15, 2006 to holders of preferred 
shares outstanding.

    This dividend corresponds to the annual dividend to preferred shares that 
includes a minimum annual dividend of 8% and the preferred dividend equivalent 
to the percentage of the common dividend in excess of 8%, as a result of the 
special dividend declared in favor of the holders of common shares on January 
31, 2006.

    Bladex has currently 304,010 preferred shares outstanding.

    Bladex is a supranational bank originally established by the Central Banks 
of Latin American and Caribbean countries to promote trade finance in the 
Region.  Based in Panama, its shareholders include central banks and state-
owned entities in 23 countries in the Region, as well as Latin American and 
international commercial banks, along with institutional and retail investors.  
Through December 31, 2005, Bladex had disbursed accumulated credits of over 
US$135 billion.
    For additional information about Bladex, please access our web site on the 
Internet http://www.blx.com.

SOURCE  Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones, S.A.
    -0-                             05/16/2006
    /CONTACT:  Luisa Lin de Polo, Manager, Shareholder Relations,  
[phone], Fax - [phone], [e-mail], or Carlos Yap S., 
Senior Vice President, Finance, [phone], Fax - [phone], 
[e-mail], both of Bladex/
    /Web site:  http://www.blx.com /
    (BLX)





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