The CEO of BME calls for “breaking prejudices” so that Spanish investors perceive the value of Latin American companies

The CEO of BME, Juan Flameshas been in charge of inaugurating the 27th edition of the Latibex Forum, an annual meeting on listed Ibero-American companies, a speech that he took advantage of to make a call for the need to promote the growth of the region through the capital market and market infrastructures, which represent an “fundamental piece of gear”. “The participation of financial intermediaries, fund managers, authorities and, above all, Spanish end investors is essential,” he said.

In this sense, he has urged investors to “break prejudices and manage to perceive the value of Latin American companies and promote their growth with new financing in our markets”. Flames has highlighted the revaluation of the Latibex index so far this year with a rise of 29%, which has been accompanied by a trading volume that is 26% higher than that registered in all of 2024and whose protagonist is the banking and energy sector.

The improvement of Brazil’s economic situation, with the improvement of the risk premium at minimum levels since 2021, the weakness of the dollar amid tariff tensions and better-than-expected semi-annual results are some of the factors that explain the trend. “Ibero-America is currently going through a period of relative stability. “It does not face large-scale tariff disputes or serious geopolitical conflicts in its main economic centers,” he noted.

Flames has valued Spain as an investment destination in Europe and the second extra-regional destination for Ibero-American capital, only behind the United States. At the current moment, about 20 Ibero-American countries They maintain active investments in this country, forming a business community of more than 600 companies, which generate approximately 44,000 direct jobs. An ecosystem that “strengthens economic and cultural ties” between both regions.

The influx of capital to Spain has been sustained for more than a decade with an increase of 103% since 2010. During 2024 alone, foreign direct investment has reached 67 billion, 9.4% of the total. “Our challenge and opportunity from the Spanish Stock Exchange is to offer these entrepreneurs our services, in particular, from growth markets, such as BME Growth,” he commented. Flames has given as an example the Mexican Cox Energy, which was the predecessor of the Cox Group in listing.