Obtaining a Financial License in Argentina

A financial license in Argentina is necessary for businessmen who want to carry out their activities in this important sector. This is also the case for branches of foreign banks, and also about insurance companies, investment and consulting firms, brokerage companies, and more. We invite you to discover, in the following lines, some useful information about how to obtain a financial license in Argentina. On the other hand, we remind you that our specialists in opening a company in Argentina can guide you in this endeavor and can take care of everything related to the financial license and the formalities involved.

Requirements for obtaining a financial license in Argentina

Those who want to open a company in Argentina and obtain a financial license must meet certain conditions. Here are some of them:

• Having a legal business address in Buenos Aires is mandatory.
• A guarantee of performance must be presented by the directors of the financial entity in question.
• A shareholding report is requested with information about participation (at least 5% of the corporate capital deposited before applying for a financial license) in other companies, as the case may be.
• Proof of payment for the cost of the evaluation of the proposal is also solicited.
• The initial capital of the financial entity in Argentina is requested by the Central Bank.
• A list of persons who are part of the supervision and company administration, including heads of the general management is required.
• A draft of the company constitutive act by which the financial entity will be governed is needed.
• The draft manual for the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism is also requested.

We advise you to talk to our agents and learn everything about obtaining a financial license in Argentina. Complexities can be avoided if you have specialist support at hand, as offered by our specialists in company incorporation in Argentina.

Who issues authorizations and financial licenses in Argentina?

The Argentine Central Bank authorizes financial entities established in this country if all conditions are met. In this situation, the Central Bank of Argentina analyzes the following aspects:

• features of the business project,
• specific and general conditions of the market,
• the background of the applicant,
• the experience of the applicant for a financial license in Argentina linked to this sector.

Who needs to obtain a financial license in Argentina?

Besides the foreign banks that want to operate in Argentina through their branches, other financial entities need authorization and licenses before carrying out their activities on the market. Here are some of them:

• insurance companies,
• investment companies,
• brokerage companies,
• providers of payment services like virtual wallets,
• fintech companies, etc.

In the case of those who operate on the capital market with public offering of securities, they must be authorized by the Argentine Securities Commission. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to set up a company in Argentina and operate in the financial sector. We can help you prepare the documents and submit them to the relevant authorities in order to obtain the necessary license, avoiding possible difficulties.

About the banking sector in Argentina

Here are some data about the banking sector in Argentina:

• Argentina’s banking sector registered the highest capital ratio in Latin America at around 39.5% in Q1 of 2024.
• The net interest income in the banking sector in Argentina is expected to reach about USD 80.47 billion by the end of 2024.
• Traditional banks in Argentina dominate the market with a projected volume of around USD 53.16 billion by the end of 2024.

We assist entrepreneurs in starting a company in Argentina by managing all the formalities. Please get in touch with us and ask for information about how to obtain a financial license in Argentina.