Latin America and Caribbean Trade Association
for Business Angels (LACBAN)
The Latin America and Caribbean Trade Association for Business Angels (LACBAN) is an international umbrella organisation aiming to ease access to finance for businesses from startup to scale-up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and more social justice in Latin American and Caribbean economies. LACBAN is committed to collaborating globally to empower world economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, startups, and SMEs. The four missions of LACBAN are: (1) easing access to smart finance for entrepreneurs and angel investors, (2) promoting gender equality, (3) increasing financial inclusion, and (4) enhancing digital inclusion.
LACBAN is based in Mexico City as the global voice of early-stage equity and capital markets in the region. The establishment of the association was announced and celebrated with a bell ceremony on 25 October at the World Congress of Angel Investors WBAF 2022 in Turkey, with the participation of founding members from WBAF, Mexico, Chile, Guyana, Spain, after a video message from Martha Delgado, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.
It advances its agenda at the G20 level through its collaboration with the World Business Angels Investment Forum – an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), chaired by Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
Easing access to smart finance in Latin America and Caribbean
"At LACBAN, we will focus on key strategic challenges, including closing equity gaps, encouraging stock exchanges to create more liquidity, involving chambers of commerce to increase the number of angel investors, encouraging corporations to set up their own corporate ventures, fostering cross-border investments, and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems by providing innovative and workable solutions in Latin American and Caribbean economies. I believe our strategic partnership with the World Business Angels Investment Forum will be crucial in reaching our ultimate goals: creating more jobs, more social justice, and increasing financial inclusion in the region."
Marcus Dantus, President LACBAN
Increasing financial inclusion in the region
"We believe LACBAN will play a crucial role in empowering the Mexican, Latin American and the Caribbean startup economies. I congratulate all founders of the Association, and I thank WBAF for their collaboration and efforts for the development of the region’s economies through innovation and entrepreneurship. It is a great pleasure to witness the World Business Angels Investment Forum’s continuing support to the economic development of Latin American and Caribbean economies by opening the doors of the WBAF Financial Inclusion Center to LACBAN members and by hosting its secretariat. It is a great pleasure for Mexico to host such an important institution."
Martha Delgado, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion and Economic Cooperation Agreement
"The World Business Angels Investment Forum signed a Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion and Economic Cooperation Agreement with the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Mexico in 2020.
The World Business Angels Investment Forum is pleased to witness an output of this agreement: the establishment of the Latin America and Caribbean Trade Association for Business Angels – LACBAN. The World Business Angels Investment Forum will continue supporting the economic development of Latin American and Caribbean startup economies by opening the doors of the WBAF Financial Inclusion Center to LACBAN members."
Baybars Altuntas, Executive Chairman, World Business Angels Investment Forum
Board Members
President, Marcus Dantus, Angel Investor, Mexico
Vice President for International Relations, Miguel Martin, WBAF, Senior Senator for Spain
Vice President for Latin America, Roberto Ramos, Angel Investor, Mexico
Vice President for Central America, H.E. Manuel A.Gonzalez-Sanz, Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Costa Rica
Vice President for Caribbean, Sandra Glasgow, Angel Investor, Jamaica
Secretary General, Christina Mc Gimpsey, WBAF
Board Members: Brazil, Angel Investor, Cassio Spina; Brazil, Angel Investor, Juliano Almeida Lopes; Costa Rica, Angel Investor, Marcelo Lebendiker; Chile, Angel Investor, Juan Carlos Silva; Ecuador, Angel Investor, Ernesto Kruger; Guyana, Angel Investor, Miranda Thakur-Deen; Mexico, Angel Investor, Nelly Sanchez Ortega; Mexico, Angel Investor, Roberto Ramos; Panama, Angel Investor, Sandra Moreno; Peru, Angel Investor, Isabel Velarde; Trinidad and Tobago, Angel Investor, Sterling Belgrove; Uruguay, Angel Investor, Víctor Machín; Venezuela, Angel Investor, Fernando Ríos Díaz; WBAF, Executive Chairman, Baybars Altuntas
LACBAN Founders
