PRONicaragua Number One Investment Promotion Agency: World Bank
April 27th, 2012
PRONicaragua stood out with the best results among all investment promotion agencies in the world in the 2012 Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking, recently published by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
Among the 189 institutions evaluated, PRONicaragua was the only institution to achieve a rating of “best practice,” the highest distinction awarded by the study in each of the three evaluations implemented. This edition marks the first time in history that a non-member country of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) receives such recognition.
Robert Whyte, the World Bank’s Project Manager for the GIPB 2012, mentioned that with FDI levels only slowly recovering post-crisis, it is more important than ever for government agencies to be highly responsive to the needs of potential investors as they search for new investment locations, adding that …
The Ten Best Moments of Nearshore Nexus 2012
April 25th, 2012
By Kirk Laughlin
More like a big bang than a quiet rumble, the Nearshore Nexus 2012 show last week seem to fall right in line with the electricity of Times Square, New York City. The conference, only in its second year of production, got off to a rousing start with the former President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe – and in the opinion of countless attendees – never seemed to lose a beat until we closed the main session and joined together for the “After Dark” reception. The day was studded with important moments – here are just a few that we wanted to make note of:
Patent Processing Signals New Opportunities for Central America
March 8th, 2012
Marlett: From Managua to Wall Street.
By Luke Bujarski
Nicaragua might be among the poorest of countries in the western hemisphere, but that hasn’t stopped MDB Capital Group from ramping up an ambitious patents processing operation there. In fact, widespread underemployment is one secret to the success behind PatentVest, the knowledge process outsourcing subsidiary of MDB Capital Group, on the ground in Managua since 2007.
The Customer Support Landscape in Mexico and Central America
February 17th, 2012log in or Register to Download the WhitePaper ( - PDF )
By Jones Lang LaSalle
The nearshoring of customer service operations is an increasingly important part of a global customer service delivery platform. Companies seeking low-cost, Spanish-English, or multilingual labor are discovering opportunities in Latin America, particularly Mexico and Central American nations such as Honduras and Costa Rica. The customer support industry is now widely distributed across nearly all major cities in the region.
This report provides a timely overview of customer service trends, crucial issues such as scale and sustainability, and foreign direct investment in the customer support industry.
LatAm Free Trade Zones: Are they Really Built to Support BPO and IT?
November 16th, 2011By Jeff Pappas
Over the years, the US has been Latin America’s primary outside investor and leading trading partner, followed by Western Europe. Latin America’s leading imports in past years have included cars, chemicals, electrical equipment, farm machinery, and pharmaceuticals, while its leading exports include bananas, coffee, cotton, meat, wood, and rubber.
Latin American Economies Gain in Global Competitiveness
October 3rd, 2011
By Robert L. Scheier
The World Economic Forum essentially gave a big round of applause to the tiger economies of Latin America recently, with it annual Global Competitiveness Report. Chile, Mexico and Brazil showed strong advancement – but one Caribbean country also is rising in the ranks, despite a bit of a quiet demeanor.
Uncontrollable factors such as rising commodity prices, as well as intentional choices such as business-friendly policies and modest levels of public debt, have set a foundation for the region to boost the fortunes of its economies and populations. But to take their game to the next level, the WEF recommends, these countries should focus on improving education, trust in public institutions and their transportation infrastructure.
Ortega’s Head of Foreign Investment Opens Up about BPO, Venezuela and Getting the Facts Out There
August 22nd, 2011
By Luke Bujarski
In an exclusive behind-closed-doors interview, Nearshore Americas and market research firm Ovum teamed up to speak with Mr. Alvaro Baltodano, politically appointed head of investment promotion for Nicaragua’s Ortega Administration. From labor capacity to investor perceptions, Mr. Baltodano was very well informed and open to talk about the key issues.
“Pro-Business” Ortega Makes Surprise Appearance at Nicaragua Conference
August 17th, 2011
NSAM's Luke Bujarski meets with Ortega in Managua
President Daniel Ortega made a surprise appearance last night at “Let’s Grow Together“, an International Investment forum organized by ProNicaragua and being held in Managua. In a surprise turn of events, “El Presidente” arrived at the Hotel Intercontinental to address a crowd of 150 foreign and domestic investors and economic development professionals.
In total, 65 companies from Latin America, Taiwan and the United States are at the event watching closely for signs of true investment potential and a commitment from government officials.
By Patrick Haller
When President Obama made a tour of Brazil, Chile and El Salvador in March 2011, many saw this as a signal of his commitment to the region, and a positive sign that the US would be endeavoring to shore-up its trade relations there.
Can a Regional Alliance Lift Up Central America?
May 25th, 2011
By Brendan Wolters | The Solace Group
There has been a push toward regionalization in Central America. Government and business leaders understand the importance of uniting a region inhabited by an estimated 42,000,000 people. Officials believe they must work together to build economies that compete on a global scale.
As El Salvador President Mauricio Funes said at a summit meeting in 2010, “Only by joining forces would we be able to lift our peoples from . . . poverty.” But, much like everything else in Central America, regionalization has moved at a snail’s pace. Each country faces political, social, and economic challenges that hamper development. (See the section at the end of this article for a snapshot of each country’s current economic situation.)
