Rob Dwyer

Latin America editor

Rob Dwyer is Latin America editor. He has been a financial journalist since 1997 and has worked in London, New York and São Paulo, Brazil, where he is now based.

RECENT ARTICLES

BANKING

As default looms, Argentina’s fiscal discipline slides

The country’s economy was already weak before a serious drought hit. Now it is broke, and the question in Buenos Aires isn’t whether finance minister Sergio Massa can muddle through to the presidential election at the end of October, it is whether he can make it to the primaries in August before a full-blown financial crisis.

Rob Dwyer, June 01, 2023
OPINION

Brazil’s PIX moves in the banks’ favour

The evolution of Brazil’s central bank payments programme could be good news for banks.

Rob Dwyer, May 10, 2023
BANKING

Silicon Valley Bank: Lessons from a bank collapse

As the drumbeat of bad news from the US regional banks grows steadily louder, Euromoney talks to market veterans about the lessons that can be learned from the event that started it all: Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse in March.

Rob Dwyer, May 05, 2023
WEALTH

Julius Baer senses opportunity in Brazil

UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse will further reduce the number of large international private banks in Brazil. Julius Baer has been quick to take advantage of this.

Rob Dwyer, May 04, 2023
BANKING

US regional banks circle the wagons

The US regional banking system has just sustained its third bank collapse this year. Following an initial sharp slump in reaction to the news, bank stocks have continued to fall as short sellers target perceived weakness. Can the sector stabilize as the impact of rate rises on many of these lenders’ business models becomes apparent?

Rob Dwyer, May 03, 2023
BANKING

Brazil’s banks battle credit risk

The country’s banking system seems as solid as ever, but its banks are seeing an uptick in delinquencies that could spin out of control.

Rob Dwyer, April 18, 2023
WEALTH

Brazil’s private banks go back to the future

The echoes of 2014 have been loud in Brazil’s private banking industry over the past 12 months. A precipitous fall in interest rates – followed by a meteoric rise – has left the market completely the same but also very different.

Rob Dwyer, March 30, 2023
OPINION

Crisis at SVB is bad news for others facing AOCI losses

The collapsing share price of Silicon Valley Bank, triggered by the realization of a loss on a portfolio sale, puts pressure on other US banks that have built up similar books of investments.

Rob Dwyer, March 10, 2023
OPINION

Argentina: Which peso are we talking about anyway?

When the news broke that Argentina was thinking of merging its currency with that of its neighbour, Brazil, my immediate question was: which Argentine peso?

Rob Dwyer, February 06, 2023
BANKING

Inter aims for 30% ROE in Brazil

The bank’s chief financial officer says Inter is moving into an expansion phase, following an ambitious and aspirational ‘north star’.

Rob Dwyer, January 31, 2023
BANKING

Rising rates aren’t the salvation US banks were looking for

After years at zero, rapid Fed hikes last year led to sharp increases in NII and NIM. But it is not all good news.

Rob Dwyer, January 09, 2023
BANKING

Banco do Brasil’s new CEO will face a testing year

The bank’s new head must withstand political pressure to extend subsidized credit and lower underwriting standards.

Rob Dwyer, January 06, 2023
BANKING

Nearshoring spurs regional credit growth in Mexico

A persuasive case can be made for nearshoring, but so far in Latin America there has been little direct evidence that it is happening. In Mexico, things are about to change.

Rob Dwyer, January 05, 2023
OPINION

Tracking next year’s Mexican wave

Nearshoring has been seen to drive credit growth among the country’s smaller regional banks.

Rob Dwyer, December 22, 2022
WEALTH

Cristiani sees LatAm as relative bright spot in 2023

The region’s advantage is likely to be short-lived and could fade by 2024, according to JPMorgan's private bank head.

Rob Dwyer, December 20, 2022
CAPITAL MARKETS

Brazilian bankers look to international buyers to drive demand

Local flows to fixed income and equity redemptions limit ECM liquidity.

Rob Dwyer, December 12, 2022
BANKING

Grupo Mexico in pole position for Citibanamex

Restrictions on redundancies force out larger banks in Mexico from bidding for business.

Rob Dwyer, December 12, 2022
BANKING

HSBC doubles down in Mexico as Citi leaves consumer banking

The bank is focusing on organic growth by acquiring retail clients and launching a private bank.

Rob Dwyer, November 22, 2022
BANKING

Inter defies expectations by over-performing as credit weakens

Proactive risk tightening in 2021 sees surging return on equity as scale brings operational leverage.

Rob Dwyer, November 21, 2022
OPINION

Bradesco shows equity meltdowns aren’t just for growth stocks

The market reaction to the third-quarter results from Brazil’s second-largest private bank has revealed investor sensitivity to banks’ deteriorating asset quality.

Rob Dwyer, November 15, 2022
ESG

Mexico’s Banorte eyes ESG leadership – and revenues

Bank’s ESG head urges competitors and regulators to respond more quickly to emissions accounting challenge.

Rob Dwyer, November 10, 2022
FINTECH

Fintech listings head north as B3 loses out

While fintechs have been thriving in Brazil and throughout Latin America, the region’s local stock exchanges have failed to attract IPOs.

Rob Dwyer, November 07, 2022
CAPITAL MARKETS

Private finance ploughs into Brazilian agriculture

Brazil’s agribusiness sector is booming on the back of sky-high commodity prices. The public banks that have long financed the sector now face a wave of new private-sector competitors.

Rob Dwyer, November 04, 2022
BANKING

PagBank: The biggest bank you’ve never heard of in Brazil

The Brazilian world of digital banks has it all: billionaire unicorns, sub-brands created by the incumbents and completely new disruptors. But one player has been quietly growing under the radar to become the country’s second-largest digital player.

Rob Dwyer, November 03, 2022
BANKING

Investors eye Brazil’s growth story as Lula retakes power

The new administration is expected to be less receptive to bank privatization as the result boosts ‘Lula portfolio’ stocks.

Rob Dwyer, November 03, 2022
BANKING

LatAm remittance-based products attract international attention

The market for remittances is expected to grow by almost 10% in 2022, driven by diaspora-linked savings.

Rob Dwyer, October 20, 2022
OPINION

Brazil’s banks face a de-risked Lula

If Lula wins in Brazil, he is unlikely to focus on the strength of the private-sector banks because fintechs are doing that for him already.

Rob Dwyer, October 06, 2022
TREASURY

Commodity trade finance gets tough in a destabilized world

While the impact on energy is centre stage, the war in Ukraine is also wreaking havoc on soft commodity prices and trade routes. Trade in agricultural commodities is taking a hit. The pool of banks financing these commodities is already dwindling, while the risks for those that remain are growing.

Rob Dwyer, September 15, 2022
FINTECH

Exceptional Creditas proves no rules in Brazilian fintech

In its latest funding round, Brazilian-based Creditas proved that valuations for the stronger fintechs can buck the falling trend seen among the large, publicly listed startups.

Rob Dwyer, August 26, 2022
OPINION

Banco do Brasil piles the pressure on Bradesco

Banco do Brasil’s outstanding second quarter means that scrutiny will intensify at its domestic rival.

Rob Dwyer, August 12, 2022