Publicación de U.S.-Argentina Business Council (USABC)

A través de la Comunicación “A” 8074 del 23 de julio, el Banco Central de la República Argentina avanzó en una flexibilización de los controles de capitales en lo que respecta a los plazos para el pago de importaciones de bienes, el acceso a los dólares financieros para las personas físicas y el monto a cobrar en divisas para las personas físicas que exportan servicios.   Más información: https://lnkd.in/dV2XuFha

In line with our engagement on the critical minerals space, the USABC held a call with representatives from the three provinces making up Argentina’s lithium triangle. We met with Julio Argentino San Millan, Foreign Affairs Representative of Salta; Pablo Palomares, Secretary for Regional Integration and International Relations of Jujuy; and Elena Herrera, Secretary of International Relations of Catamarca. The introductory call allowed for the USABC and the three provinces to share their priorities and highlight opportunities for collaboration both in Argentina and the U.S. In addition to lithium, Argentina’s northwest region has a variety of investment opportunities of interest to the U.S. private sector. We look forwarded to continued engagement with Salta, Jujuy, and Catamarca, and hope to see them at the Chamber during a future visit to Washington DC!

The USABC’s first event of our critical minerals educational campaign was a success! This morning, we were on Capitol Hill to give a briefing to relevant Hill staff and the private sector on Argentina’s critical mineral reserves, and the importance of Argentina as a strategic ally. In addition to a presentation by the USABC, we had an expert panel to outline current opportunities and the outlook of Argentina in the critical minerals space, specifically lithium and copper. Thank you to Paula Uribe of Rio Tinto, Edward Bryztwa of Consumer Technology Association, and Meredith M. Broadbent of Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) for your insights and highlights of the most salient issues in Argentina, including critical global supply chains, sustainability, and bilateral trade. We look forward to continuing our engagement on the Hill in this space and spreading the word on why Argentina is the hot topic of the hemisphere for critical minerals and investment opportunity. 

Ahead of our briefing on Capitol Hill on Friday, the USABC met with its Lithium Coalition members to discuss bilateral commercial opportunities in the critical minerals space. Friday’s briefing is the first step of our educational campaign to highlight Argentina’s lithium, copper, and other critical minerals resources. The private sector and expert stakeholders will convene together, touching on topics such as nearshoring, supply chains, and energy. Stay tuned for updates!

Closing out our week of working group calls with our Innovation Working Group! The USABC reviewed our 2024 policy priorities in relation to innovation and IP, as well as discussed strategic engagement for our USABC Business Forum and delegation to Buenos Aires in August. 

In continuing our working group calls for this week, the USABC met with its Energy and Critical Minerals Working Group earlier today. In addition to discussing 2024 policy priorities, the group discussed upcoming engagements with critical minerals on Capitol Hill and what's ahead for our August delegation to Buenos Aires.

Congratulations to Argentina's national soccer team for their Copa América win yesterday! Now back to business, the USABC's Trade and Investment Working Group met for a virtual call to continue discussing our 2024 policy priorities and new initiatives such as the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI). We continue to have these conversations in preparation for our delegation next month to Buenos Aires. 

In May, Argentina posted a primary fiscal surplus of 2.33 trillion pesos ($2.57 billion), the largest yet under President Javier Milei who has ushered in tough austerity measures since taking office in December. The surplus demonstrates Milei’s pledge to achieve a “zero deficit” this year. The Milei administration blames years of over-spending and large fiscal deficits for Argentina’s many economic challenges and seeks to right them by increasing the country’s fiscal surplus. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d73KTj_S

El 12 de junio, el ministro de Economía, Luis Caputo, declaró que el Gobierno logró “bajar la inflación bajando tasa (de interés)” y que “la época de la tasa real negativa para nosotros culminó hoy.” Caputo explicó que el Ministerio de Economía realizó una licitación con una tasa mínima de 4.25 a 90 días. La tasa baja del 2% se debió a la certeza de que la inflación iba a continuar bajando. Según Caputo, “… logramos esta baja de la inflación sincerando un montón de precios relativos que estaban pisados desde la administración anterior.”   Leer más: https://lnkd.in/eRZnK_qh