Financial Services

Once reserved for ambitious start-ups and industry-leading tech operators, financial technology (fintech) has more recently caught the attention of major private sector firms and government planners alike, becoming a regular feature in budget speeches and strategic development plans. As fintech progressively plays a larger part in the lives of consumers, investors have quickly...

While the market-friendly policies of the administration of President Mauricio Macri have been welcomed by international investors and local businesses alike, the prevailing view of initial public offerings (IPOs) has become increasingly bearish.

In 2001 an economic depression and the Argentine peso being pegged to the US dollar led to the country defaulting on sovereign debt by approximately $93bn, which prevented Argentina from accessing international markets and resulted in the cancellation of IMF loans. The subsequent crisis deeply impacted credit penetration, with credit to the...

Maintaining robust levels of profitability through the use of financial instruments rather than the development of core competencies, Argentina’s insurance industry has remained relatively stable since 2008. Though technical profits remain low, they were compensated by assets held in government bonds or short-term central bank notes known as Lebacs. The introduction of more...

Argentina’s historic issuance of $16.5bn worth of bonds in April 2016 marked the country’s return to the international capital markets after effectively being barred for 15 years. Argentina has had a troubling history in global markets, having defaulted on its sovereign debt eight times since 1816, the most significant being the 2001 default on more than $80bn.