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LATAM: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE REGION

Dec 11, 2020

Post-COVID Scenario and Biden Administration Point to Opportunities of Infrastructure Investments in Latin America

Live event with the CEOs of World Trade Centers in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Peru will point out opportunities for foreign trade companies or companies that intend to go international

The post-pandemic scenario is promising for companies in Latin America, which should benefit from investments in infrastructure, which are essential for the economic recovery of the region. The preview is from the economist Carlos Ronderos, former Colombian Minister of Commerce and Regional Director for Latin America of the WTCA, an international entity that coordinates more than 320offices of the brand around the world.

Ronderos is one of the most respected voices in the Southern Cone in macroeconomic analysis. He will moderate the debate “LATAM: Investment Opportunities in the Post-pandemic Region” with the presence of the World Trade Center executives in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Peru. The event is promoted by the World Trade Center (WTC) Curitiba and is scheduled for next Tuesday, December 15th, at 10 a.m. through the WTC channel on YouTube. The subscription is free.

Carlos Ronderos will debate with WTC CEOs of Guanajuato and Nuevo Laredo, Jorge Acevedo; from WTC Cartagena, Juan Pablo Velez; from WTC Lima, Juan Carlos Mathews; and Josias Cordeiro, from WTC Curitiba and Joinville. In the following interview, he anticipates some of the trends that will be addressed in the debate and that should guide the planning of companies that operate in foreign trade or intend to start internationalization processes.

Infrastructure Investments

The opportunities are different according to each country, but there are already major investments in infrastructure in the post-COVID scenario, mainly by the government, to reactivate local economies. “There are opportunities for acquisitions and mergers of companies that need capital and are more affordable, due to the devaluation of currencies. And also essential industrial sectors associated with infrastructure," anticipates Ronderos.

Biden Administration

According to the Latin America Regional Director of the WTCA, the change in the United States’ administration will improve the commercial relationship with the countries of Latin America, since the ideological issue is likely to be off the agenda, a topic that has been raised over the years by right-wing or left-wing countries.

“For countries that have free trade agreements with the United States, such as Peru, Chile, Colombia and Central American countries, there was a risk of a renegotiation of the treaties, as in the case of NAFTA, with Mexico. These are trade agreements with strict clauses in labor rights, environmental matters which can threaten, to a certain extent, the competitive advantages of these countries. With clear game rules, continuity of these treaties and the opening of negotiations for new treaties, and countries willing to bilateral relations, such as Brazil and Uruguay, the region can be strengthened as a more fluid trade hub to attract investments external.”

Nearshore Opportunities

According to Ronderos, there are several post-COVID attractions in Latin America, especially on nearshores. “With the disruption of production chains, companies that do business with Asian countries have had their trade routes diverted or interrupted by the pandemic. Naturally, this caused the existing offshore strategies in the United States and Canada to become nearshore with other countries -- that is, the outsourcing of IT jobs to companies in countries that share borders, due to the ease of travel and communication, in addition to reducing costs. Moving beyond the sphere of North American countries, the nearshore opens opportunities for production centers in Latin America to supply these production chains. “

Live “LATAM: Investment Opportunities in the Post-pandemic Region”
December 15 (Tuesday) at 10 a.m. (Brazil time zone)
At YouTube channel of WTC Curitiba
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