Impact investing has gained momentum in recent years, as increasing numbers of investors look to align their money with their values. Though the industry has blossomed in Latin America, there are still a number of challenges to its growth. An important one is the lack of quality data about the industry. The analysis shows that impact investing is off to a promising start in the region. Further, we are encouraged to see that investment activity is led by Latin American impact investors, rather than solely driven by international institutions. We anticipate that the industry will continue to grow in the coming years.
Focus areas: Banking, FinTech, financial services, financial inclusion, impact investing, emerging markets
Frederic de Mariz is Executive Director at UBS, where he is responsible for the coverage of Financial Institutions in Latin America. Frederic has 15 years of experience in investment banking in London, New York, Mexico City and São Paulo, where he now lives. Prior to UBS, he worked at JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. His team has been consistently ranked among the top 3 in independent industry surveys, including #1 in Impact Investing by Euromoney (2017). His areas of expertise include the banking segment, FinTech and impact investing. Frederic graduated from Columbia University – SIPA (MIA, 2005), La Sorbonne (MA in History, 2003), Sciences Po., Paris, (MPA, 2004), ESSEC, Paris (MBA, 2004). He completed his PhD in Finance at University of Sao Paulo (FEA-USP, 2017) with a thesis on Payments and Financial Inclusion. He has published a number of academic articles and teaches on a regular basis. He is a member of the Brazilian private equity association (ABVCAP), the Brazilian Social Impact Bonds Committee, the Brazilian Banking Association (FEBRABAN) and was an advisor to several microfinance institutions in Brazil.