Alea Global Group’s next event is our annual LATAM Family Office Investment Summit in partnership with Alba Medina Flores. This well-established event attracts international family office investors and a wide array of regional opportunities.
For family offices seeking diversification beyond the traditional corridors of Europe, North America, and Asia, Latin America (LATAM) is emerging as one of the most strategically compelling destinations in 2026. While headline growth remains modest, the region holds deep structural advantages in food security, energy transition, critical minerals, infrastructure, and digital finance — sectors that are increasingly relevant to long-term global portfolios.
Macro Outlook: Slow Growth, Strong Structural Drivers
Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to reach 2.4% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2026, according to the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The IMF offers similar forecasts. While these numbers point to steady rather than rapid expansion, they mask the region’s outsized importance in global supply chains and commodity markets.
LATAM remains the world’s leading net food exporter, with food exports reaching approximately US$349 billion in 2022. It plays a significant role in global agricultural production and agrifood exports. Beyond agriculture, the region is essential to global energy transition efforts, supplying around 35% of the world’s lithium and 40% of its copper — both critical to decarbonisation.
Energy Transition & Renewables: A Growth Engine for 2026
Latin America is increasingly seen as a future leader in global energy transition. According to IRENA, accelerating the transition could boost South America’s annual GDP growth by 1.1 percentage points through 2050 and generate 12 million energy-sector jobs.
Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia now control over 60% of global lithium resources, while Chile remains the world’s largest copper producer. Major industry players are taking notice. Rio Tinto, for example, has committed US$900 million for a stake in Chile’s Maricunga lithium project.
Significant investments are also being made in biofuels, green hydrogen, and renewable power, with platforms emerging across Brazil, Colombia, and the wider Andean region. For family offices, this presents a window into mid-market developer financing, co-investment in infrastructure platforms, and entry into green-molecule production ecosystems.
Infrastructure & Logistics: A Major Investment Gap
The Inter-American Development Bank has indicated that Latin America requires significant infrastructure investment to meet sustainable development goals by 2030 — potentially upwards of US$2 trillion. Core demand spans transport, energy, water, logistics, and digital connectivity.
Private capital is increasingly filling the gap, with recent transactions underscoring strong momentum. Concession-backed infrastructure assets — especially toll roads, highways, and utilities — offer inflation-linked, long-duration returns.
Mexico, in particular, stands out as the region’s most advanced near-shoring hub. Its strategic position under USMCA and deep integration with U.S. supply chains are driving long-term demand in manufacturing, electronics, aerospace, and automotive sectors. This has led to rising interest in logistics hubs, industrial parks, and data infrastructure—key targets for family offices seeking stable real-asset exposure.
Gulf capital has begun entering Mexico as well. In 2023, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) partnered with Mexican food group Grupo Gusi in a strategic agribusiness joint venture focused on protein supply chains—representing one of the first major Saudi investments in Mexico’s export-oriented food sector.
Digital Economy & Fintech: One of the World’s Liveliest Ecosystems
Latin America’s fintech sector has expanded dramatically in recent years, with the number of fintech firms growing from 703 in 2017 to over 3,000 by 2023, according to the Inter-American Development Bank and Finnovista. The surge is fuelled by high smartphone usage, low traditional banking access, and a digitally engaged youth demographic.
Estimates suggest the sector could grow from a valuation of US$71 billion in 2024 to over US$125 billion by 2033. Payments, SME lending, and embedded finance are especially promising segments for family offices looking to enter via early-stage funds, VC co-investments, or platform rollups.
Agribusiness & Food Security: Global Significance and Local Scale
LATAM is a cornerstone of the global food system. It contributes substantially to global agricultural and fisheries output and is the world’s top net food exporter. Forecasts suggest the region will continue to supply a large share of global exports in commodities like soybeans, sugar, corn, and chicken through the 2030s.
These figures underpin major export opportunities and supply-chain investments, especially in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. For family offices, the most scalable routes may lie in the ecosystem around production: cold-chain, logistics, storage, processing, and vertically integrated export platforms.
Mining & Critical Minerals: Essential to Global Decarbonisation
The region supplies a large share of the world’s critical minerals, including approximately 35% of lithium and 40% of copper. Chile alone holds the world’s largest copper reserves. Argentina and Bolivia are also expanding their extraction capacity in line with rising global demand.
Opportunities for family offices are strongest not at the mine face but in the value chain: refining, midstream infrastructure, transport corridors, and battery-material processing platforms. Selective equity stakes or infrastructure-linked financings may offer attractive long-term returns aligned with ESG objectives.
Why LATAM Belongs in Global Family Office Portfolios
Latin America provides access to long-duration opportunities in sectors where global demand is accelerating. For family offices with multi-generational capital and a global remit, the region offers:
- Diversified exposure to agriculture, minerals, and green energy
- Inflation-linked real assets, especially in infrastructure and utilities
- Fast-growing consumer tech and fintech platforms
- Access to supply chains tied to North America, Asia, and Europe
Long-standing institutional platforms — such as sovereign wealth fund footprints and multilateral co-investment facilities — provide ready-made vehicles for capital deployment.
Strategic Considerations for 2026
The most effective family office strategies in LATAM will be thematic, long-term, and partnership-led. Co-investing with established regional players, prioritising platform scalability, and ensuring governance discipline will be essential. Emerging ESG frameworks, especially around renewables, food, and financial inclusion, offer added alignment with mission-driven capital.
Approached strategically, LATAM is not just a diversification play — it is a long-term value engine for family offices positioning themselves at the centre of global transition.
To learn more and connect directly with leading stakeholders in the region, join us at latamfosummit.com.