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

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
CAPITAL MARKETS

Argentina: Is Massa the right answer to the wrong question?

Argentina faces yet another financial crisis and has brought in a new ‘super-minister’ to try to calm the market and placate the IMF. While he will find a sympathetic ear at the fund, not many other international investors are listening anymore.

Rob Dwyer, August 12, 2022
CAPITAL MARKETS

JPMorgan backs central America in Latam wealth management drive

The US bank has reorganized its Latam wealth management business to focus on faster growing countries, but home bias remains a tough instinct to overcome.

Rob Dwyer, August 12, 2022
ESG

Commodities and net zero drive ESG financing in Latin America

Latin America’s corporates are embracing sustainable local debt financing with enthusiasm. The region’s bankers are betting that it’s going to be as good for bookrunner fees as it promises to be for the environment.

Rob Dwyer, May 23, 2022
WEALTH

Private bankers embrace independence in Brazil

Eric Cardozo, co-founding partner, COO and CFO of Brazilian private banking boutique WHG, talks to Euromoney about quitting a mainstream firm in 2020 and why more private bankers in the country seem to be following suit.

Rob Dwyer, May 06, 2022
OPINION

Latin American banks: Where is the risk?

Asset quality is under threat across the region, but particularly in Peru.

Rob Dwyer, May 03, 2022
CAPITAL MARKETS

BNDES’s project finance revolution

Plans to incentivize foreign capital aim to boost capacity, with a new internal ‘investment bank’ to drive growing pipeline.

Rob Dwyer, April 06, 2022
CAPITAL MARKETS

Latin America DCM issuance conspicuous by its absence

This year, many Latin American debt issuers eschewed the traditional practice of issuing in January, believing the expensive market would move in their favour. That reading now looks like a bad one.

Rob Dwyer, March 30, 2022
OPINION

Ukraine-Russia war: We need to talk about ESG

ESG has been an intense focus for banks in recent years – not least for their communications teams. But with war in Ukraine, ESG has hit its first real test – and the talking has stopped.

Rob Dwyer, March 28, 2022
BANKING

Brazil’s central bank increases operational costs for country’s leading fintechs

The rule change will be phased in, but shares in publicly listed fintechs dip.

Rob Dwyer, March 25, 2022