BGT Pascual, the Brazillian financial firm, has announced plans to launch a US$500 million infrastructure fund in Colombia.

This announcement comes after the firm finalized the fundraising of the BTG Pactual Brazil Timberland Fund I in mid May. The firm raised commitments totaling US$860 million, creating a fund to invest in timberland in Brazil and other countries in Latin America.

The new fund will be focused on the development of infrastructure in Colombia. Specifically, the fund will support the second wave of 4G highway projects, which includes a total of 9 concessions. This second wave includes a total investment of about P11,800 billion (US$4.64 billion). 4G involves the construction of about 8,000 km of roads, including 1,200km of four-lane highways, with the majority of projects to be carried out as PPPs.

The fund is expected to be launched by October.

BTG Pactual provides management services for Latin American equity and fixed income investment funds. This presence was strengthened by the recent acquisition of Celfin Capital, with a presence in Chile and Peru, and Bolsa y Renta, with a presence in Colombia. Bolsa y Renta was founded in 1953 and has been providing investment fund management services in Colombia since 2007, with over US$800 million in assets under management.