Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2012

As in previous years, this report provides a quantitative overview of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and examines these capital flows by destination economic sector and geographical area of origin. It describes the pattern of FDI originating in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the international expansion under way at some of the region’s major companies, the so-called trans-Latins. The main theme of this report is the operations of European companies in Latin American and Caribbean. The report examines the behaviour and strategy of the major European transnationals and, in search of a more thorough understanding, takes a detailed look at two sectors where foreign capital, especially from Europe, plays a substantial role: commercial banking and power.