NADBank Summit 2023 takes place in San Antonio this week

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The North American Development Bank is hosting its NADBank Summit 2023 in San Antonio this week.

The theme is “Sustainable Regional Economic Integration: U.S.-Mexico.”

The summit takes place on August 30 and 31, at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio.

“This event brings together federal, state and municipal authorities, business organizations, academia, financial institutions, investors, project developers and experts, from both the U.S. and Mexico, in order to spur the development of environmental infrastructure in the border region, promote business opportunities based on the latest investment trends and build cross-border relations to achieve sustainable economic integration,” said NADBank’s managing director, Calixto Mateos Hanel.

The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service interviewed Mateos, pictured above, to learn more about the summit.

“The summit will offer a binational platform to foster discussion on relevant environmental and sustainability issues and the latest trends in regional economic integration along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as investment opportunities in the region and potential financing mechanisms and alternatives through the participating financial institutions,” Mateos said.

Mateos said he is particularly looking forward to two specific panels where officials from some of the US-Mexico border states will discuss their programs, investment plans and sustainable infrastructure projects.

He said approximately 40 distinguished panelists from both countries will participate. Keynote speakers include Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma; Governor of the State of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila; President of the Business Coordinating Council, Francisco Cervantes; Senior Vice President in charge of the El Paso and San Antonio Branches of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Roberto Coronado; President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Ramiro A. Cavazos; the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mexico, Jonathan Heath; Group President, Clean Energy and SEMPRA Infrastructure, Tania Ortíz Mena; and the Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Ron Nirenberg. 

Mateos said the summit will feature “a great group” of Texas border panelists, including Joaquin Spamer, CEO and president of CIL Group, and Martin Anzaldua Garza, director general of Grupo Rio San Juan, from the Rio Grande Valley, Daniel Covarrubias, director of TAMIU’s Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development, Hector Cerna, president of IBC Bank Eagle Pass and Jon Barela, CEO of the Borderplex Alliance.

Asked how many years summit has been going, Mateos said: 

“Well, it’s been a while. It started many years ago as the Border Energy Forum. We took it on in 2017 and it evolved to be cover more than just energy. So, at this year’s event we’re going to speak about sustainable infrastructure, we’re going to speak about the border region, we’re going to speak about binational collaboration, we’re going to speak about the problems of the border, the problems of the environment of the border, the challenges we face.”

Mateos said he is excited about the mix of speakers. 

“We’re gathering people from local authorities, state authorities, federal authorities, businesses, chambers of commerce, investors, infrastructure developers, entrepreneurs, academics, environmental experts, and opinion leaders.”

Asked about the history of NADBank, Mateos said: 

“I think it’s good to explain a little bit about the history of the bank. We were founded in 1994 by the US and Mexico governments right after NAFTA started, to deal with environmental infrastructure along the US-Mexico border. And we define the border as up to 62 miles north of the border and 186 miles south of the border. We were given the mandate to finance infrastructure investment for the betterment of the people that live along the border.”