LATAM : Foreign Investors Survey 2017
Latin America : Survey for foreign investors 2017
Introduction and work methodology
The current study “ Latin America : Foreign Investor Survey 2017 ” is , as its name suggests , the result of a survey carried out by Attitude Consulting between Corporate or Dispute Resolution lawyers from some of the main business law firms operating in the region according to the rankings and references of leading publications : Chambers & Partners ; Legal500 ; TTR-Transactional Track Record- ; Latin Counsel and Iberian Lawyer .
The survey was conducted in the last months of 2016 following a questionnaire that asked the same questions to the participating lawyers and , in some cases , was followed by clarifying interviews . The answers have been systematized in a table that responds to the different blocks regarding foreign investment in their own country ; The greatest attractions ; Political risks ; The attractiveness and / or the disadvantages of labor regulations ; The appropriateness of the transparency and anti-corruption framework and the fiscal framework ; The level of promotion and reciprocal protection of investments .
The responses are encouraging even with respect to countries like Cuba - with nuances - and Bolivia - both of which belong to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Treaty of Commerce of the Peoples - or ALBA and exception made with respect to Venezuela for the unfortunate circumstances in which the country lives . The feedback received demonstrates the dynamism of the Region and the real efforts being made to create an adequate framework that will effectively attract foreign investors beyond some claims not accompanied by politics and serious structures of which the Region has been accused of in the past .
At the time the survey was published , Donald Trump ’ s first executive orders were issued , with logical concern in Mexico . But respondents consider that despite the US withdrawal of the TPP -including Chile , Mexico and Peru- , there are still optimistic reasons and progress will be made through bilateral treaties .
What this survey is not
This survey is not intended to be an exhaustive guide for foreign investors who want to make decisions in the Region but rather a vision facilitated by some of the most relevant business lawyers in each of the jurisdictions analyzed .
Attitude Consulting considers that law firms facilitate a privileged vision of each country and that , although their perception is always subjective and is conditioned by the particular experience of each law firm , it provides a very useful vision when carrying out an analysis of risk .
For those wishing to delve into the legal and political risk environment in the Region , there are numerous resources such as the Transparency International ’ s map 1 and index of corruption , the OECD ’ s “ FDI Index 2 ” on regulatory restrictions , the Economic Freedom Index of the Heritage Foundation 3 and many studies and works carried out by international agencies and agencies such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ( ECLAC 4 ), which we invite to consult .
Of course , the survey should also not be considered as any investment recommendation , nor as legal or financial advice of any kind and Attitude Consulting and all participating law firms assume no responsibility for the content or uses that may be made of it to this end , without prejudice to the fact that said law firms are at the complete disposal of the investors to advise them on their eventual investment decisions .
Marie-Christine Battier Managing Director mcbattier @ attitude-consulting . com
1
http :// www . transparency . org / cpi2015 ? gclid = CMz1 __ yOytACFUG4Gwod444NyA
2 http :// www . oecd . org / investment / fdiindex . htm
3 http :// www . heritage . org / index / heatmap
4 http :// www . cepal . org / es
2 www . attitude-consulting . com