The financial crisis engulfing Ueno Bank in Paraguay has reached South American football’s governing body. Conmebol, led by Alejandro Domínguez, is listed among the largest depositors in the lender, which was taken over by the Central Bank, with investments exceeding US$14 million.
How much is at stake
According to the Paraguayan newspaper ABC, Conmebol held 85,470,450,000 guaraníes at Ueno Bank, roughly US$14.3 million. The funds were placed in savings deposit certificates, instruments that pay interest in exchange for keeping money deposited for a fixed period. Reports based on Infobae figures put the interest accumulated up to the moment of the intervention at around US$780,000.
Conmebol’s response
The uncertainty over whether those funds can be fully recovered is real, but Conmebol has played down any impact on its operations. Paraguayan media report that the organisation does not expect the situation to affect its running costs or its commitments to clubs. The Ueno Bank deposits represent only about 2.5% of Conmebol’s income, which the body cites as a reason for confidence.
The figure nonetheless places Conmebol among the bank’s major clients, a sign of how deeply the institution was tied to the wider football ecosystem.
Prize money and the finals ahead
The timing is awkward, as this season’s Copa Libertadores champion will collect US$25 million and the Copa Sudamericana winner will receive US$10 million. Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro meet in Barranquilla on 21 November to decide the Sudamericana, while Estudiantes de La Plata and Palmeiras face off in Montevideo on the 28th for the Libertadores.
Wider ties between the bank and football
Ueno Bank’s links with the game went beyond Conmebol’s deposits. Since 2024 the bank had been a sponsor of the Copa Sudamericana. It also held commercial agreements with the Paraguayan Football Association and with Paraguayan clubs Cerro Porteño and Olimpia.
Source: www.latercera.com
