Building resilience and embracing innovation in UK-Latin American Finance

The partnership between Latin America and London can continue to deliver innovative and resilient financial services. That optimistic sentiment was evident throughout Canning House’s latest UK-Latin American Finance Conference, in partnership with Citi.

Investment in Latin America has been growing consistently over the past 20 years. Our first panel addressed how to continue this trend in the face of growing uncertainty. The consensus on the panel was that the past two years have been particularly challenging for risk management. The speakers agreed that Latin America was well placed to take advantage of this, given that its financial institutions are accustomed to a higher level of volatility. To counter this increased risk, the financial sector needs to remain open to technological change. The widespread use of open banking in Brazil was analysed as an informative example.

London’s role as a hub of international finance and a springboard for Latin American ventures was highlighted repeatedly throughout the evening. The speakers on both panels praised London’s resilient and innovative financial regulations and the presence of major funds and financial institutions. Miles Celic, CEO of TheCityUK, participated in a Fireside Chat that focused on London’s international importance. He celebrated London’s capacity to meet every business need: high-skilled labour, top universities, agile regulations, and its position as the country’s professional service centre. Unlike New York, London looks outward and is actively involved in developing financial centres across Latin America.

AI was at the centre of the conference’s discussions of technological innovation. Speakers agreed that the way we work in finance is changing rapidly. The second panel highlighted fintech’s agility and ability to adopt AI faster, but recognised the importance of banks’ data and depth of experience. Their differences could produce exciting collaborations. Latin America is a region that is open to technological change and new financial products, as you can see in the high uptake of stable digital coins. Exciting developments such as the tokenisation of shares and agentic commerce are on the horizon, but panellists stressed the need for education and regulation on any risky investments.

The day provided a valuable space to consider Latin America’s healthy financial sector and the importance of London as a partner in continued growth. Canning House thanks Citi for hosting the event and all of the speakers for their contributions.