UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Long Form of Press Release

Commission File Number 1-11414

BANCO LATINOAMERICANO DE COMERCIO EXTERIOR, S.A.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

FOREIGN TRADE BANK OF LATIN AMERICA, INC.

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Business Park Torre V, Ave. La Rotonda, Costa del Este

P.O. Box 0819-08730

Panama City, Republic of Panama

(Address of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):

Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):

Yes ¨ No x

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: July 22, 2019

BLADEX ANNOUNCES PROFIT FOR THE SECOND QUARTER 2019 OF $22.3 MILLION, OR $0.56 PER SHARE;

HALF-YEAR 2019 PROFIT OF $43.5 MILLION, OR $1.10 PER SHARE

PANAMA CITY, REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, July 19, 2019

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE: BLX, “Bladex”, or “the Bank”), a Panama-based multinational bank originally established by the central banks of 23 Latin-American and Caribbean countries to promote foreign trade and economic integration in the region, today announced its results for the second quarter (“2Q19”) and six months (“6M19”) ended June 30, 2019.

The consolidated financial information in this document has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”).

FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

2Q19 & 6M19 Highlights

CEO’s Comments

Mr. N. Gabriel Tolchinsky, Bladex’s Chief Executive Officer said, “In the second quarter the Federal Reserve began to set the stage for lower interest rates in the second half of the year. The prospect of lower rates inverted the US dollar yield curve – a harbinger of economic recession, which usually weakens the US dollar. Nevertheless, further growth deceleration in both Europe and China continues to make the US dollar attractive, thereby reducing fund flows to emerging markets in general, and Latin America, in particular.

With lower fund flows to Latin America, sagging investment in key countries has become a drag on the Region´s economic growth. Bladex´s growth expectation for 2019 is now closer to the 1% range for Latin America. Our adjustments to economic growth are primarily driven by lower investment, the prospect of diminishing trade volumes, the weight of lower growth rates from developed markets, as well as political uncertainty in key countries.

As such, we continue to believe that the current macroeconomic context offers no room for complacency, and we adjust our portfolio accordingly. To summarize, Bladex continues to perform in the following areas:

Against this backdrop, the management of Bladex - as well as its Board of Directors - are cautiously optimistic for the second half of 2019 and look for a continuation of the profitability path we embarked on in the last two quarters.”

RESULTS BY BUSINESS SEGMENT

The Bank’s activities are managed and executed in two business segments, Commercial and Treasury. The business segment results are determined based on the Bank’s managerial accounting process as defined by IFRS 8 – Operating Segments, which assigns consolidated statement of financial positions, revenue and expense items to each business segment on a systemic basis.

COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SEGMENT

The Commercial Business Segment encompasses the Bank’s core business of financial intermediation and fee generation activities developed to cater to corporations, financial institutions and investors in Latin America. The extensive array of products and services include the origination of bilateral short- and medium-term loans, structured and syndicated credits, loan commitments, letter of credit contingencies such as issued and confirmed letters of credit, stand-by letters of credit, guarantees covering commercial risk, and other assets consisting of customers’ liabilities under acceptances. Profits from the Commercial Business Segment include (i) net interest income from loans; (ii) fees and commissions from the issuance, confirmation and negotiation of letters of credit, guarantees and loan commitments, and through loan structuring and syndication activities; (iii) gain on the sale of loans generated through loan intermediation activities, such as sales in the secondary market and distribution in the primary market; (iv) recovery (impairment loss) on financial instruments, such as loans at amortized cost and loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts, as well as impairment loss in other non-financial assets; and (v) direct and allocated operating expenses.

As of June 30, 2019, Commercial Portfolio balance totaled $6.2 billion, up 3% compared to $6.0 billion as of March 31, 2019, and June 30, 2018. Average Commercial Portfolio balances were $6.0 billion for the 2Q19 (-1% QoQ; +3% YoY) and 6M19 (+2% YoY).

The Bank’s traditional client base of financial institutions represented 56% of the total Commercial Portfolio at the end of 2Q19, compared to 55% a quarter ago and 47% a year ago. The portfolio is well diversified across corporate sectors, with total oil and gas exposure (integrated & downstream) down to a combined total of 11% of the total Commercial Portfolio at the end of 2Q19, from 16% a year ago, and the remaining sectors at 5% or lower.

As of June 30, 2019, trade finance transactions remained QoQ at 56% of the short-term Commercial Portfolio, but down from 67% a year ago. 79% of the Commercial Portfolio was scheduled to mature within a year, up from 77% a quarter ago and down from 81% a year ago.

Geographically, the Bank’s largest country exposure remained in Brazil, which decreased to 16% of the total Commercial Portfolio, from 18% a quarter ago and 17% a year ago, of which 85% was with financial institutions at the end of 2Q19. Due to the Bank’s short-term nature of the portfolio, it was able to reduce its exposure in Argentina to 6% of the total Commercial Portfolio from 9% a quarter and year ago, while the Bank increased its lending origination in Chile, taking advantage of good risk/return opportunities, to reach 8% of the total Commercial Portfolio, up from 4% a quarter ago and 3% a year ago. Mexico and Colombia remain the second and third largest country exposures, with 14% and 11% of the total Commercial Portfolio, respectively.

The following graphs illustrate the geographic distribution of the Bank’s Commercial Portfolio, highlighting the portfolio´s risk diversification by country and across industry segments:

Refer to Exhibit IX for additional information relating to the Bank’s Commercial Portfolio distribution by country, and Exhibit XI for the Bank’s distribution of loan disbursements by country.

"n.m." means not meaningful.

2019 Second Quarter and Half-Year Commercial Business Segment’s results were $24.2 million (+9% QoQ; +22% YoY) and $46.3 million (+26% YoY), respectively. These results were mainly driven by higher fee income derived from the successful closing of two syndicated transactions during the 2Q19, along with reduced impairment losses and lower operating expenses YoY.

TREASURY BUSINESS SEGMENT

The Treasury Business Segment focuses on managing the Bank’s investment portfolio and the overall structure of its assets and liabilities to achieve more efficient funding and liquidity positions for the Bank, mitigating the traditional financial risks associated with its balance sheet, such as interest rate, liquidity, price and currency risks. Interest-earning assets managed by the Treasury Business Segment include liquidity positions (cash and cash equivalents), and security instruments related to the investment management activities, consisting of securities at fair value through other comprehensive income (“OCI”) and investment securities at amortized cost (“Investment Portfolio”). The Treasury Business Segment also manages the Bank’s interest-bearing liabilities, which constitute its funding sources, mainly deposits, short- and long-term borrowings and debt.

Profit from the Treasury Business Segment includes net interest income derived from the above mentioned treasury assets and liabilities and related net other income (net results from derivative financial instruments and foreign currency exchange, gain (loss) per financial instruments at fair value through profit or loss, gain (loss) per financial instruments at fair value through OCI, and other income), recovery (impairment loss) on financial instruments, and direct and allocated operating expenses.

Liquidity balances totaled $843 million at the end of 2Q19, of which 99% were deposits placed with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, compared to $771 million, or 99% of liquid assets, at the end of 1Q19, and to $649 million, or 97% of liquid assets, at the end of 2Q18. As of these quarter-end dates, liquidity balances to total assets represented 12.8%, 11.9% and 10.3%, respectively, while the liquidity balances to total deposits ratio was 28.0% at the end of 2Q19 and 1Q19, and 21.7% at the end of 2Q18.

The Investment Portfolio balances totaled $88 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $90 million as of March 31, 2019, and compared to $94 million as of June 30, 2018. As of these dates, this portfolio accounted for only 1% of total assets, mostly consisting of readily-quoted Latin American securities, and of which 78% represented sovereign or state-owned risk at the end of the 2Q19, compared to 76% a quarter ago and compared to 77% a year ago (refer to Exhibit X for a per-country risk distribution of the Investment Portfolio).

On the funding side, deposit balances were above $3.0 billion at the end of 2Q19, a 10% increase from a quarter ago, and a 1% increase from a year ago. Deposits represented 55% of total funding sources at the end of 2Q19, compared to 52% and 57%, in 1Q19 and 2Q18, respectively. The majority of the deposits are placed by central banks or designees (i.e.: Class A shareholders of the Bank), representing 64% of total deposits at the end of 2Q19 and 1Q19, compared to 73% a year ago. Short- and medium-term borrowings and debt totaled $2.4 billion, which represented a 4% QoQ decrease and an 8% YoY increase, as bond issuances in the Mexican and Tokyo capital markets matured during the quarter, partially offset by a new debt issuance in Japanese Yen. Weighted average funding costs reached 3.28% in 2Q19 and 3.32% in 6M19, down 7 bps from the previous quarter on lower average LIBOR-based market rates and funding spreads, but up 63 bps from 2Q18 and 84 bps from 6M18, mainly reflecting a yearly increase on LIBOR-based market rates.

"n.m." means not meaningful.

Second Quarter and Half-Year 2019 Treasury Business Segment’s losses were $1.9 million (-121% QoQ; +40% YoY) and $2.8 million (+51% YoY), respectively. The quarterly decrease was mainly associated to lower other income primarily related to the Bank’s results on its hedging positions. Year-to-date annual improvements were primarily associated to the net positive effect of the Bank’s interest rate GAP position in net interest income, in addition to higher other income reflecting the gain on sale of financial instruments and results on the Bank’s hedging positions, and to lower operating expenses.

NET INTEREST INCOME AND MARGINS

NII for the 2Q19 was stable QoQ at $27.9 million, with NIM up 7 bps QoQ to 1.81% in 2Q19 driven by lower average funding costs with a higher average liability deposit base, and the interest-earning assets improved mix as low-yielding liquidity balances declined. NII and NIM were flat YoY.

NII and NIM for 6M19 reached $56.0 million and 1.77%, a 3% and 2 bps increase YoY, respectively, mainly on the net positive effect from the repricing of higher average LIBOR-based market rates, as the Bank maintained a narrow interest rate gap structure benefitted from the short-term nature of its loan portfolio, which allows an agile pass through of the LIBOR-based rates repricing to its asset base.

FEES AND COMMISSIONS

Fees and Commissions, net, includes the fee income associated with letters of credit and other contingent credits, such as guarantees and credit commitments, as well as fee income derived from loan structuring and syndication activities, together with loan intermediation and distribution activities in the primary market.

"n.m." means not meaningful.

Second Quarter and Half-Year 2019 Fees and Commissions income totaled $5.1 million and $7.5 million, respectively. The successful closing of two syndicated transactions during the 2Q19 more than doubled quarterly Fees and Commission income from a quarter ago, which also represented a 2% YoY increase. Quarterly fee income from the letters of credit business reverted the seasonally lower start of the year with a 13% growth QoQ.

PORTFOLIO QUALITY AND TOTAL ALLOWANCE FOR LOANS, LOAN COMMITMENTS AND FINANCIAL GUARANTEE CONTRACT LOSSES

The total allowance for credit losses on the Commercial Portfolio totaled $105.8 million at June 30, 2019, or 1.70% of the portfolio, compared to $105.0 million, or 1.75%, respectively, a quarter ago, and compared to $87.4 million, or 1.44%, respectively, a year ago. The $0.8 million QoQ increase was primarily associated to Commercial Portfolio’s growth at the end of the 2Q19, and higher individually assessed allocation based on lifetime expected credit losses, partially offset by prepaid and reduced exposures on lifetime collectively assessed provision.

Credit-impaired loan balances remained unchanged QoQ at $64.7 million, representing 1.16% of total Loan Portfolio balances, a 2 bps decrease QoQ on higher lending balances at the end of 2Q19. This also compares to credit-impaired loans of $54.3 million, or 0.98% of total Loan Portfolio at the end of 2Q18. As of each reporting period, the total allowance for losses represented 1.6 times the credit-impaired loans balances.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Operating Expenses totaled $20.4 million in 6M19, 20% lower YoY, mainly from lower variable compensation expense and expenses related to personnel restructuring in 2018, as well as from the resulting lower salary expense base. 2Q19 operating expenses were $10.6 million, up 7% QoQ mostly explained by higher business-related expenses compared to a seasonally low first quarter and down 7% YoY on lower salaries and other expenses.

Efficiency Ratio stood at 31% for both the 2Q19 (stable QoQ; -4 pts YoY) and 6M19 (-10 pts YoY).

CAPITAL RATIOS AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

The following table shows capital amounts and ratios as of the dates indicated:

The Bank’s equity consists entirely of issued and fully paid ordinary common stock, with 39.6 million common shares outstanding as of June 30, 2019. At the same date, the Bank’s ratio of total assets to total equity was 6.6 times, and the Tier 1 Basel III Capital Ratio stood at 20.4%, with year-on-year decreased level of risk-weighted assets by 6% on the shift of the Commercial Portfolio’s mix composition towards improved country risk exposures, more than offsetting lower year-on-year total equity balances on impairment losses accounted for in 2018.

RECENT EVENTS

Notes:

- Numbers and percentages set forth in this earnings release have been rounded and accordingly may not total exactly.

- QoQ and YoY refer to quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year variations, respectively.

Footnotes:

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

ABOUT BLADEX

Bladex, a multinational bank originally established by the central banks of Latin-American and Caribbean countries, began operations in 1979 to promote foreign trade and economic integration in the Region. The Bank, headquartered in Panama, also has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States of America, supporting the regional expansion and servicing its customer base, which includes financial institutions and corporations.

Bladex is listed on the NYSE in the United States of America (NYSE: BLX), since 1992, and its shareholders include: central banks and state-owned banks and entities representing 23 Latin American countries; commercial banks and financial institutions; and institutional and retail investors through its public listing.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

There will be a conference call to discuss the Bank’s quarterly results on Friday, July 19, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. New York City time (Eastern Standard Time). For those interested in participating, please dial (800) 311-9401 in the United States or, if outside the United States, (334) 323-7224. Participants should use conference ID# 8034, and dial in five minutes before the call is set to begin. There will also be a live audio webcast of the conference at http://www.bladex.com. The webcast presentation will be available for viewing and downloads on http://www.bladex.com.

The conference call will become available for review on Conference Replay one hour after its conclusion, and will remain available for 60 days. Please dial (877) 919-4059 or (334) 323-0140, and follow the instructions. The replay passcode is: 62357689.

For more information, please access http://www.bladex.com or contact:

Mrs. Ana Graciela de Méndez

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +507 210-8563

E-mail address: amendez@bladex.com

EXHIBIT I

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

EXHIBIT II

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS

(In US$ thousand, except per share amounts and ratios)