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Country Guide

Argentina

What you need to know to start investing in Argentina, in local currency and with regulated institutions.

Regulator & deposit protection

The CNV (Comisión Nacional de Valores) supervises brokers and the securities market; BYMA is the main exchange; the BCRA is the central bank.

SEDESA (Seguro de Depósitos S.A.) insures bank deposits up to a limit set by the BCRA, funded through the Fondo de Garantía de los Depósitos. Argentina's persistent inflation means this protects the nominal amount, not necessarily its purchasing power — check the current limit at bcra.gob.ar.

How to access government bonds

There is no single government retail portal here — CNV-regulated brokers (agentes de liquidación y compensación) give access to plazo fijo, government bonds, LECAPs and CEDEARs, which are the most commonly used building blocks for Argentine savers.

Common instruments here

  • Plazo fijo (traditional and UVA inflation-indexed time deposits)
  • CEDEARs (certificates that let you buy foreign stocks and ETFs in pesos, without opening an account abroad)
  • Government bonds and LECAPs (short-term peso notes) via a broker
  • FCI (fondos comunes de inversión) — pooled funds, from money-market to equity-focused
  • Dollar-denominated assets, widely used locally as an inflation hedge

Taxes, briefly

Argentina's tax rules on investment income change frequently alongside broader economic policy — bienes personales, income tax on certain instruments, and the rules around dollar purchases have all shifted repeatedly in recent years. Treat any specific rate as provisional and confirm current rules directly with AFIP (afip.gob.ar) or a local accountant before acting.

Your first steps

  1. Build your emergency fund, and think carefully about which currency it should sit in given local inflation.

  2. Open an account with a CNV-regulated broker (agentes like the ones listed in the investing-apps directory).

  3. Learn how CEDEARs work before touching them — they are one of the most-used tools locally but their peso price mixes the underlying asset's move with the exchange rate.

  4. Diversify currency exposure deliberately rather than by accident — this is a bigger decision here than in most of the region.

Frequently asked questions

What is a CEDEAR?
A CEDEAR (Certificado de Depósito Argentino) represents shares of a foreign company or ETF, traded in pesos on BYMA. It lets you invest in, say, a US index fund without an international brokerage account — but its price reflects both the underlying asset and the implied exchange rate.
Why do so many Argentines hold dollars?
Persistent peso inflation and periodic devaluations have made the dollar a widely used store of value locally. Holding dollars protects purchasing power against the peso but is not itself a productive investment — it earns little to nothing on its own.
Is a plazo fijo worth it in Argentina?
A UVA-indexed plazo fijo tracks inflation, protecting purchasing power; a traditional (non-indexed) one may not keep pace when inflation runs high. Compare the offered rate against current inflation expectations before choosing between the two.

Educational content only — not financial or tax advice. Confirm current figures and rules with the regulator or tax authority before deciding.

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