• Home
• Company
• Argentine Market

• Comision Nacional de Valores
• Securities Exchange in Argentina
• Buenos Aires Stock Exchange
• MERVAL
• Over the Counter Market

Comision Nacional de Valores

The Comisión Nacional de Valores is a separate governmental entity with jurisdiction covering the territory of Argentina. Its main purpose is to ensure transparency of Argentina’s securities markets, to watch over the market price formation process and to protect investors. The Comisión Nacional de Valores supervises corporations authorized to issue securities to the public, the secondary markets where these securities are traded, and all persons and corporations involved in any capacity in the public offering and trading of these securities. The Argentine markets are governed generally by Law No. 17,811, as amended, which created the Comisión Nacional de Valores and regulates stock exchanges, stockbrokers, market operations and the public offerings of securities. There is a relatively low level of regulation of the market for Argentine securities and of investors’ activities in this market, and enforcement of existing regulatory provisions has been extremely limited. Furthermore, there may be less publicly available information about Argentine companies than is regularly published by or about companies in the United States and certain other countries. However, the Argentine government and the Comisión Nacional de Valores, taking into consideration the deeper global awareness of the importance of having adequate corporate governance practices and a legal framework to enforce principles such as “full information,” and “transparency,” have issued decree No. 677/2001. This decree has the objective of determining the rights of the “financial consumer,” increasing market transparency and an adequate legal framework to increase the investor’s protection within the capital market. Most of its reforms are in line with world trends pertaining to corporate governance practices that have already been adopted by many emerging markets.

In order to offer securities to the public in Argentina, an issuer must meet certain requirements of the Comisión Nacional de Valores regarding assets, operating history, management and other matters, and only securities for which an application for a public offering has been approved by the Comisión Nacional de Valores may be listed on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. This approval does not imply any kind of certification or assurance related to the merits or the quality of the securities, or the issuer’s solvency. Issuers of listed securities are required to file unaudited quarterly financial statements and audited annual financial statements, as well as various other periodic reports, with the Comisión Nacional de Valores and the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange.

For more information visit www.cnv.gov.ar

Securities Exchange in Argentina

There are 10 securities exchanges in Argentina, of which the principal exchange for the Argentine securities market is the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, which handles approximately 99% of all equity trading in the country.

Back to the top

Buenos Aires Stock Exchange

The Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is a complex, non-profit and self-regulated organization. Various markets require different self-organizations of brokers within the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, which is one of its particular characteristics. The most important and traditional of such markets is Mercado de Valores S.A. (“MERVAL”).

The securities that may be listed on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange are: Stocks, Corporate Bonds, Convertible Corporate Bonds, Close-ended Investment Funds, Financial Trust, Indexes, Derivatives and Public Bonds. The Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is legally qualified for admission, suspension, and delisting of securities according to its own rules approved by the Comisión Nacional de Valores. Furthermore, the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange works very closely with the Comisión Nacional de Valores in surveillance activities. Also under a special agreement, registration and listing applications are directly filed with the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange for simultaneous processing.

For more information visit www.bcba.sba.com.ar

Back to the top

MERVAL

The MERVAL is a corporation whose 134 shareholder members are the only individuals and entities authorized to trade, either as principal or as agent, in the securities listed on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. Trading on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is conducted by continuous open outcry, or the traditional auction system, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each business trading day of the year. Trading on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is also conducted through the automated trading platform, Sistema Integrado de Negociación Asistida por Computación (“SINAC”). SINAC is a computer trading system that permits trading in debt securities and equity securities. SINAC is accessed by brokers directly from workstations located at their offices. Currently, all transactions relating to listed notes and listed government securities can be effected through SINAC.

For more information visit www.merval.sba.com.ar

Back to the top

Over the Counter Market

The Electronic Open Market (Mercado Abierto Electrónico or “MAE”) is an exchange organized under the laws of Argentina, which operates as a self-regulatory organization under the supervision of the Comisión Nacional de Valores. The MAE works as an electronic environment to process Over The Counter transactions. It is an electronic exchange where both government securities and corporate bonds are traded through spot and forward contracts.

The MAE has 90 brokers/dealers members, which include national banks, provincial banks, municipal banks, private national banks, foreign banks, cooperative banks, financial institutions, foreign exchange entities and pure brokers/dealers (exclusively engaged in brokerage activities). Both Argentine or foreign capital banks and financial institutions may be the MAE’s brokers/dealers. Securities to be traded must be registered with the pertinent supervising authorities and may be traded in the Mercado Abierto Electrónico, in other exchanges or in both of them concurrently.

For more information visit For more information visit http://www.mae.com.ar/