Mexico’s steelmaker Imsa is buying the steel division of Australia’s Broken Hill Propietary for about $230 million. Imsa already makes auto batteries and construction equipment in the US. Imsa recently […]
Category: Regions
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Laws to Enforce a Payment Culture
Mexico has Latin America’s strongest economy but one of the region’s weakest banking systems. New legislation is meant to encourage lending, but politics and capricious courts remain an obstacle.
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New Leadership at Grupo Tribasa
Grupo Tribasa, the financially troubled Mexican construction company, has made Salvador Linares, a board member, its new chief executive. He replaces David Peñaloza, the company’s chairman. Tribasa also named José […]
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Mexico Approves Bancruptcy Code
Mexico’s Congress has approved two important new financial industry reforms, which the government hopes will make it easier for banks to recover loans and so resume lending. The previous legislation, […]
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Ecuador Wins IMF Support
The International Monetary Fund approved a $304 million loan for Ecuador, clearing the way for $2 billion in further loans and aid. The decision to resume lending is a setback […]
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Mexico Garners Japanese Buyers
In early May, Mexico successfully issued a 50 billion yen bond, pointing up the degree to which Japanese investors are becoming more comfortable – and interested in – emerging market […]
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The Credibility Conundrum
Ecuador’s finance minister and chief debt negotiator admits that foreign creditors have reason to doubt the country’s integrity. But Jorge Guzmán says radical economic changes can restore faith.
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Mutual Funds Gain Ground in Mexico
Legal changes and growing prosperity have assured Mexico’s mutual fund industry a significant role. The beneficiaries are savers and financial institutions, including foreign and independent players.
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Santander Buys Serfin
Spain’s Banco Santander Central Hispano won the auction for Mexico’s third-largest bank, Grupo Financiero Serfin, with a bid worth 14.7 billion pesos ($1.56 billion). The government took over Serfin last […]
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A Clean Balance Sheet
Bancolombia has gained the confidence of international investors and cleaned up its balance sheet. Now the bank must prove it can thrive in Colombia’s feeble economy and fend off foreign competition.