More than 300 entrepreneurs met to discuss Argentina's role in the global investment ecosystem

In the first edition of the RepensAR Summit, investors agreed on the need to take advantage of the low international interest rates and highlighted the country's potential in terms of human and natural resources, although confidence must be generated in the long term.

With the aim of reflecting on the alternatives that Argentina presents today in the global investment landscape, business leaders from our country met today at MALBA to analyze global investment possibilities and think about how to develop an investment ecosystem that accompanies Argentine talent in the construction and attraction of capital.

The day began with a speech by Jorge Bustamante, businessman and journalist, and author of the book "La república corporativa" (The Corporate Republic). In his speech he recalled the great qualitative leap that Argentina made at the beginning of the 19th century, its different stages and economic cycles, and how the historical influences that led us to become a power were negatively affected by internal policies that did not look at the common interest but at benefits with sectorial regulations.

"The Venture Capitals"

In the second panel, whose slogan was "How to distribute capital among the various industries that offer opportunities in a region with more than 420 million consumers", Alexander Busse, Managing Partner of NXTP Ventures, Sofía Gutiérrez, Head of alternative investments of Compass Group Investments, Matías Peire, Co-founder of GRIDX, and Martín Otero Monsegur, Partner of Towerco Investments LLC, exchanged views on the investment landscape in our country as well as in Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay. They outlined an overview of how the economic situation in the United States can generate availability of capital so that investors decide to look at the region as a destination for their investments. "Venture Capitals will take advantage of these lower rates and Latin America will be favored", said Busse.

In the next panel, the focus was on the United States.

Ramiro Juliá, Founder & CEO Americas Capital Investments, Francisco Sosa del Valle, Co-founder & Bunker Invest, and Steve Weikal, Industry Chair of the MIT Real Estate Transformation Lab, analyzed the elements that should not be overlooked when investing in the world's largest economy. For Sosa del Valle, "In the financial world there are the usual and the newcomers.

Today we are in that battle and we are fighting it from the investment side thanks to technology, offering financial consultancy and giving people the possibility to invest better". Regarding Real Estate, Juliá highlighted the role of sustainability in the sector as a differential for investors: "it is not a cost but a question of basic engineering to build". For his part, Wikal highlighted the future role of Latam and emerging economies. "From before covid until now, the growth has been enormous. PropTech is a sector that has developed a lot and real estate in these countries has great potential due to their population growth," he said.

The engine of the economy

Agriculture, as the engine of our country's economy, is also the focus of investments. Consequently, Ignacio Bartolomé, CEO of Grupo Don Mario, had his moment of analysis, addressing the issue of financing as a central point for growth. "Today there is a huge opportunity to differentiate and add value in Argentine agriculture. We must be open to listen and take risks to take advantage of the opportunities that arise," he added.

Returning to the Latin American reality, the largest economy in South America had its moment of analysis in the panel "On the Adventure of Brazil". There, Hernán Kazah, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Kaszek Ventures and a deep knowledge of that market, reviewed his career and commented on the business opportunities. The former co-founder of Mercado Libre also mentioned the impact that technology is having on finance: "Technology increases possibilities. It has made funds from other regions of the world have information and platforms to make part of their venture capital reach other regions like ours".

The new shekel and opportunities

In the last of the panels, Miguel Gutiérrez, Partner of Rohatyn Group, and former CEO of YPF, captured the attention of the more than 200 attendees in a conversation with the academic Fernando Fragueiro, former dean of IAE. Together, they shared visions on the new cycle in which our country finds itself and its opportunities in different areas. "Although there is an opportunity for Argentina due to the drop in international interest rates, we must add two things: the shift towards protectionism in many countries around the world and the Chinese slowdown. Who will buy everything that emerging countries were selling?

In closing, Juliá and Sosa del Valle returned to the initial spirit of the call to point out that this forum sought to generate a concrete agenda, focused on the question of what Argentina needs to attract investment and what it must do to occupy a place in the international investment ecosystem.

Source: Bank Magazine