Banking - Latin America Industry Competitors

You might say Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Chile (BBVA Chile) is fond of cold, hard cash in South America. The institution is a retail and commercial bank. In addition to residential mortgages, personal loans, and credit cards, the bank also offers commercial loans, working capital lines of credit, trade financing, and assistance with foreign trade operations to its corporate customers....

Banco Bradesco is a giant bank for the little guy. This no-frills bank has served low- and medium-income individuals in Brazil since the 1960s. Bradesco is not only the country's largest private-sector bank, with some 5,900 banking branches and outlets and a network of 26,000 ATMs, but is also a leader in insurance and pension management....

Banco Itaú is one way of saying "really big bank." The second-largest bank in Brazil by assets, Banco Itaú offers a variety of standard retail and commercial banking services as well as consumer credit, financial management, leasing, foreign exchange, and trade financing....

Banco Río de la Plata navigates the financial waters in South America. One of Argentina's largest banks, Banco Río de la Plata serves approximately one million customers through more than 200 branches. Its services include saving and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, and Visa and American Express credit cards....

If you're looking for a place to park a "brazilian dollars," Banco Santander Banespa might be able to help. The bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial services through some 2,000 branches, primarily in Brazil's southern and southeastern regions, with a major presence in the states of São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul....

A majority-owned, indirect subsidiary of Spanish financial services giant Grupo Santander, Banco Santander Chile is the largest bank in its home country. From more than 460 branches throughout Chile (including about 100 Banafe bank locations catering to middle-income clients), the bank offers consumer banking, residential mortgage financing, credit cards, auto loans, and investment management services for approximately 2.3 million customers....

A member of Spain's far-reaching Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria family, BBVA Banco Francés is one of Argentina's largest banks. Founded in 1886, it has some 230 offices that provide corporate, business, and individual customers with traditional banking services, as well as credit cards and brokerage services....

You have to give Credicorp where Credicorp is due -- in this case, Peru. Credicorp is the holding company for several financial services companies in Latin America. It owns 97% of Banco de Crédito (BCP), Peru's oldest and largest commercial bank with more than 270 branches....

Unibanco is one bank that knows its way around Brazil. With more than 950 branches, Unibanco is one of Brazil's largest banks. The holding company operates through five segments: Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance segments....

Banco de Chile proffers a place for pesos. Chile's second-largest bank after Banco Santander Chile, it has some 300 branches and 1,400 ATMs in its home country as well as operations in Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, and the US....

Banco de Crédito e Inversiones (also called Banco Crédito, Banco Bci, or just Bci) is a leading bank in Chile, with some 235 branches and about a 12% market share. Directly and through subsidiary operations, the group provides its customers with a range of financial services, including savings and checking accounts, commercial and consumer loans, mortgage loans, foreign trade financing, and more....

Banco Macro offers retail and commercial banking in Argentina. The group's bank brands -- Banco Macro, Nuevo Banco Suquía, Nuevo Banco Bisel, and Banco del Tucumán -- operate more than 400 branches across the nation. They provide customers with traditional offerings including checking and savings accounts, international financing, credit cards, and asset management services....

Betcha banking's big business for BB Holdings. The company (formerly Carlisle Holdings) operates The Belize Bank, the largest commercial and retail bank located in the nation of Belize, with about a dozen branches. The bank also has operations in the Turks and Caicos....

Caixa Econômica Federal, or CAIXA, is a Brazilian behemoth. With about 38 million customers, the government-owned company is Brazil's second largest bank by assets and the largest publicly held bank in Latin America. With outlets in hotels and restaurants throughout Brazil, the company claims some 17,000 locations and some 19,000 ATMs (For perspective, Bank of America has the largest number of ATMs in the US with about 18,500 total)....

As Chile's oldest operating bank, CORPBANCA has been processing, procuring, and protecting pesos since 1871. Through its network of more than 70 branches (which operate under the CORPBANCA and Banco Condell brand names) and more than 100 ATMs across Chile, the bank offers the conventional range of commercial and retail banking services....

In the world of microfinance, Banco Compartamos is a macro player. Mexico's top microfinance institution (MFI) offers very small loans ($90 average) to about 765,000 poor individuals trying to start a micro business or keep one going. The bank has loaned more than $300 million to people that are part of small groups; the groups share business experience and guarantee loan repayment....

Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires (Banco Galicia) is one of Argentina's top 3 private banks by assets. Through more than 400 offices, the bank offers loans to a client base primarily of businesses and individuals. It also provides consumer, corporate, and investment banking; insurance, through subsidiary Galicia Seguros; risk management; and credit and debit cards....

Though the song goes "don't cry for me" the Argentine bank merits a few tears. Banco de la Nación, the country's largest bank, is owned by the Argentine government. Under pressure from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to privatize it, the Argentine government was moving to sell shares of the bank publicly....

Banco do Brasil, a government-controlled bank, has some 15,000 branches in Brazil and offices in more than 20 other countries. In addition to its traditional retail banking services, Banco do Brasil sells insurance, underwrites and sells bonds, conducts asset trading, offers investors portfolio management services, conducts financial securities advising, and provides market analysis and research....

Bancolombia, the #1 bank in Colombia, provides commercial and consumer banking from some 700 branches in about 160 cities around the country. The company offers services to consumers, businesses, and governments including retail, commercial, and small business banking, government and institutional banking, treasury and off-shore services, leasing, and brokerage and investment banking services....