Documentos CIDOB América Latina; 5

A study of the evolution of Spanish businesses from the Latin American investment perspective of the early 1990s, a stage in which internationalisation gained impetus as a protagonist in the opening up of the Spanish economy, fostering a historically unprecedented level of investment. This economist makes an agile review of the principal investments made between 1990 and 2000, to then focus on the period between 2000 and 2004, highlighting the investments of the main banks, Santander and BBVA, and the most significant companies, Telefónica, Repsol, Endesa, Iberdrola, Gas Natural, Unión Fenosa, Aigües de Barcelona, and others. This essay is complemented by other aspects of interest, like the determining factors for choosing Latin America as a main destination for investments, a strategic analysis of the current situation, and other occasionally controversial issues, such as investment efficiency, image, and social responsibility.

Ramón Casilda is an economist and is the Director of the Santander Group’s Professorship in International Management of Businesses at Antonio de Nebrija University. He is the author of an extensive list of economic works focusing on Latin America, among which some that stand out are his publications on direct Spanish investment, especially in the area of banks and telecommunications.

ISSN: 1697-7688 (print edition)

ISSN: 1697-8137 (online edition)

64 pp.

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