Private banks build on Latin wealth boom

The number of wealthy individuals in Latin America is growing fast on the back of high commodity prices, buoyant equity markets and foreign interest in acquisitions and IPOs. Private banks are adapting quickly, developing new products to attract investors intent on diversifying from their traditional reliance on fixed income and offshore investment. Jason Mitchell reports.

THE RECENT EMERGENCE of a Mexican, Carlos Slim, as the world’s richest man is an indication of the growing wealth of Latin America.

According to the latest Merrill Lynch/Capgemini Annual world wealth report, there were 371,000 high-net-worth individuals (those with more than $1 million in investable assets as well as their principal home) on the continent at the end of 2006, up 10.2% on 2005. Total investable assets held by HNWIs in the region jumped by 23% last year to $5.1

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