Egelion

[Louis]

---

With financial stability and responsibility a high priority in Altea, the financial and banking community in Egelion have now had their third straight year posting above average returns on investments and an increase in international competition. Banks like Cascabel-Otienda, Santamer, and Villar y Zepeda have all begun to make a statement in the eastern hemisphere as far as access to global capital and stable policies. Just last year, the Royal Treasury, led by Royal Councilor Ibarra, announced new regulations and fiscal policies that would maintain Egelion's current financial stability by avoiding overwhelming spending and setting up safeguards at the nation's banks. This has led to an improvement of confidence within Egelian banks, who are not only established in Kerisian markets but international one's as well. Royal Councilor Ibarra's vision for the Egelian Crown is to be stable and easily available for international customers. With Cascabel-Otienda's expansions abroad, Egelian Crowns are now easily becoming available and are shadowing the Canrillaise Fleurs (CFR) in some areas.

With exceptional confidence in the Egelian currency and its position, Royal Councilor Ibarra stated that his family's private bank, Banco Ibarra, will be directly consulting with the Royal Treasury to create the Egelian Investment Fund (EIF), a new collection of Crowns that would be focused on direct investments in different global projects and regions. Royal Councilor Ibarra looked to the recent project with Tukarali that resulted in the successful expansion of its rail and port services in the nation. The EIF would be used for larger scale projects and for potential modernization activities in developing nations. Sources that work with the Royal Councilor say that the investment fund will not overshadow other Egelian financial entities that are operating abroad, rather work alongside. 

Banco Ibarra's responsibilities within the state fund are for "limited access funds" and in-depth regional economic "consultations". Banco Ibarra has stated that all of the funds associated with the EIF are given directly to by the state, but have asked Banco Ibarra to remain open for loans and financing for stability purposes. Many are asking question whether the Royal Councilor has a conflict of interest by having his own company work alongside the government's first ever investment fund. The High Councilor of the Royal Council dismissed the concerns stating that Ibarra was "the only person who could help bridge cooperation between the company and the government." 


Thanks to recent deposits made possible by Petroleon and an influx of trade made by possible by recent port expansions, the EIF is already gathering a robust capacity, nearing over 2.3 Billion Egelian Crowns. As more deposits are made thanks to steadfast governance, many have wondered where the first investments will be. Several Dovanian nations come into mind as well as the possibility of investing into Selyan projects in the next few years. Royal Councilor Ibarra stated that the existence of an investment fund signals that Egelion has reached unseen levels of prosperity in the nation's history and is ready to begin sharing it with the world. With the absence of a major investment entity on Terra the EIF is set to plug in the gap. "Terra is currently experiencing the long-term effects of absent leadership", said Royal Councilor Ibarra. "With this investment fund, we are prepared to take another step to reform the spirit of cooperation in Terra. We are happy to provide and work together on all economic fronts with any nation, near and far."

---