Chile consolidates its position as the leading platform for capital markets in South America

-- More than 200 top executives, senior authorities and opinion leaders from Chile's capital markets will come to London as part of the Chile Day conference, which will take place on 10th September at Mansion House.

-- With more than US$300 billion in assets (approximately £200 billion), Chile's capital markets encompass 50 per cent of MILA, the Latin American integrated market formed by the stock exchange markets of Chile, Colombia and Peru.

LONDON, Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading British investment funds, banks, brokers, hedge funds and companies will have a unique opportunity to personally meet top representatives of the Chilean financial sector and get up-to-date information about one of the largest stock exchange markets in Latin America. The Chile Day conference, which will take place at Mansion House on 10th September, will bring a delegation of over 200 senior executives, authorities and opinion leaders from Chile's capital markets to London. Felipe Larraín, the Chilean Finance Minister, will head the delegation and will give a keynote presentation at the event.

Thanks to the dynamism of its economy, the reliability and stability of its institutions, the development of its capital markets and its technological know-how, Chile has consolidated its position as the leading platform for capital markets in South America. With more than US$300 billion in assets (approximately £200 billion), its capital markets are the second largest in South America and encompass 50 per cent of MILA, the Latin American integrated market formed by the stock exchange markets of Chile, Colombia and Peru. With the inclusion of Mexico, which has already signed to become part of MILA, the stock exchange will become the largest in Latin America, surpassing the BM&F Bovespa of Brazil. MILA is a key component of the regional trend toward economic integration pursued by the member countries of the Pacific Alliance, established by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru in 2012.

The Chile Day Conference was hosted four times in New York, but in 2011 it moved to London, proving to be a great success among investment funds, brokers and companies. On the decision of hosting it again, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Roger Gifford, commented: "We are delighted to build on the success of our recent visit to Santiago by once again hosting Chile Day at Mansion House together with Finance Minister Felipe Larraín. This event will help to create jobs, growth and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic by showcasing the range of opportunities for partnership between Chile and the UK. London is a world leading financial centre and has unrivalled expertise that can support Chile's continued development and economic diversification".

Similarly, Alfredo Ergas, Chairman of InBest, the private non-profit organisation organising Chile Day with the support of the Chilean Ministry of Finance and the collaboration of ProChile UK, explained: "We decided to organise this version of Chile Day in London because this city is one of the main global financial hubs and can be the bridge between investors and businessmen from European markets interested in Chile. Chile is a highly attractive place for foreign investment and an excellent platform for fund management across Latin America".

Participants of Chile Day will have a unique opportunity to personally meet, in one location, the CEOs and top executives of Chile's main pension fund administrators, investment funds, banks, investment banks, brokerage firms, and the main companies listed on the Santiago Stock Exchange. Among these are AFP Habitat, AFP Provida, AFP Capital, Banco de Chile, Banco Bice, Banco de Credito e Inversiones (BCI), Grupo Security, Empresas Penta, Larrain Vial, Celfin Capital – BTG Pactual, IM Trust - Credicorp Capital, Moneda Asset Management, Cencosud, Endesa, Falabella, ILC Inversiones, Concha y Toro, and many others. The option of holding one-to-one meetings with these Chilean companies will be available throughout the day.

"Chilean capital markets are characterized by their openness, favourable financial conditions and government policies that may benefit investors from the United Kingdom", said Cristián López, director of ProChile UK. "Thanks to its stability, the reliability of its institutions, business opportunities and economic indicators, our country is becoming a prominent financial hub within South America, and increasingly attractive to foreign investors", he added.

Chile is an extremely competitive location for foreign investors to do business in, with low costs, high-quality support services, effective investor protection measures and high standards of corporate governance. The South American country was ranked No.1 in Latin America, and 37th out of 185 countries, in the 2013 'Doing Business' report prepared by the World Bank. In addition, it rose to No.17 in the world and was again rated No.1 in Latin America in terms of e-readiness and investment attractiveness for the 2010–2014 period, according to the 'Business Environment Rankings' published by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Ranking ahead of Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil in this ranking, Chile was placed on par with the world's safest countries for investment. Consequently, Chile was the second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Latin America in 2012, after Brazil, and the 11th largest in the world, receiving a total of US$30.3 billion (approximately £20 billion).

Over 200 hundred people representing 130 companies are already registered to attend Chile Day, including HSBC, RBS, Barclays, Lloyd's, Ashmore Investment Management, Investec Asset Management, Credit Suisse, Metlife, and Deloitte.

Note to Editors
To request further information or pictures, please contact:

César Jiménez
Press Officer - ProChile UK
Press.uk@prochile.gob.cl
T: 44 (0) 20 7233 2500
Twitter @ProChileUK