By: Franco Mondo
Why is Latin America key to CFO strategy?
Latin America has become a strategic partner for CFOs seeking nearshoring, bilingual talent, and operational resilience. The region combines competitive costs, growing innovation ecosystems, and hubs like Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic, ideal for global service centers and business expansion.
That was the tone of LATAM Day organized by AUXADI and Miami Dade College, where CFOs, international expansion directors, and tax leaders gathered to answer a key question:
Is Latin America still just a cheaper option… or is it now the new global standard for value, talent, and innovation?
My conclusion, after sharing the panel with Etienne Guillard from ManaTech and Mike Houston from LLYC, is clear: Latin America is ready to play in the major leagues. And for CFOs, this opens a strategic window that goes far beyond cost savings.
Why the conversation shifted from costs to value in Latin American nearshoring
For years, the main argument was simple:
“Set up your operation in LATAM: you pay less per hour.”
Today, the numbers tell another story.
According to the Inter-American Development Bank, nearshoring could add $78 billion in additional annual exports for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Deloitte ranks Costa Rica and Mexico among the world’s most attractive destinations for shared services centers and BPO, thanks to their combination of bilingual talent, stability, and operational maturity.
The focus has shifted from “how much do I save?” to “what strategic capacity do I gain?”:
Resilience in the value chain, operational continuity, specialized talent that understands the business and aligns with the work culture of the United States and Europe.
For a CFO, this means something very concrete: nearshoring is no longer a cost reduction tactic—it’s a growth lever and risk mitigation tool.
Latin American talent: bilingual, digital, and in continuous learning mode
One of the most valuable messages at LATAM Day revolved around talent.
The region, in addition to offering competitive salaries, offers people who learn fast, adapt to change, and move confidently in digital environments.
Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2025 shows that Latin America is one of the regions with the highest growth in generative AI and digital skills training. It reports a 435% increase in Gen AI course enrollments in the region.
At BMA Group, we see it every day: teams in Latin America moving from operational processes to analytics, automation, and complex process management roles, without losing warmth in customer service.
For companies, this translates to:
Less turnover when people see real development opportunities.
Higher productivity by combining structured processes with talent that masters digital tools.
Better cultural alignment with US operations, thanks to bilingualism and time zone proximity.
Innovation ecosystems that are already a reality
Another axis of the panel was innovation ecosystems.
While other markets slow down, Latin America shows clear signs of recovery and maturity:
Investment in Latin American startups grew around 26% in 2024 and continues rising in 2025, surpassing the pace of regions like Europe and contrasting with declines in other parts of the world.
What does this mean for companies analyzing the establishment of service centers, talent hubs, or business units in the region?
Greater availability of talent with an entrepreneurial mindset, accustomed to solving real problems, not just following processes.
More local technology partners capable of supporting digital transformation, automation, or advanced analytics projects.
Scalability: when investment arrives, so do opportunities for specialization and professional growth.
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico: three hubs setting the standard
- Costa Rica
- Consolidated global services ecosystem.
- Strength in technology, customer service, and financial roles.
- Culture deeply oriented toward quality and bilingualism.
- Dominican Republic
- Accelerated growth in logistics, professional services, and BPO.
- Strategic location for nearshoring and multichannel operations.
- Caribbean hub for commercial operations.
- Puerto Rico
- Regulatory alignment with the United States and use of the dollar.
- Bilingual talent with native understanding of the North American market.
- Ideal infrastructure for hybrid models: onshore + nearshore.
It’s no coincidence that BMA Group has had regional presence in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Dominican Republic, serving clients across multiple industries since 1997.
This presence allows us to do something very valuable for CFOs: design talent and service models that combine stability, efficiency, and flexibility, rather than offering “one size fits all” solutions.
What CFOs are asking themselves (and how to answer from a talent perspective)
Many of the hallway conversations at LATAM Day sounded like this:
“If Latin America is no longer just ‘cheaper,’
how do I turn this environment into a real competitive advantage?”
From my perspective, there are four key decisions:
Move from isolated projects to a regional talent strategy
It’s not about opening a single service center, but defining a talent architecture for the entire organization, connecting hubs in different countries based on role type and work complexity level.
Measure value beyond labor cost
Integrate metrics such as:
- Response time to internal clients.
- Level of automation achieved.
- Talent retention and engagement rates.
- Impact on operational resilience (continuity, redundancy, time zone coverage).
Invest in upskilling as part of the financial model
The budget for AI, analytics, and digital tools training is no longer a “nice to have”; it’s a strategic line in the cost model. Regional talent responds quickly when given access to proper training.
Choose partners that integrate talent + processes + technology
The current scenario demands allies capable of combining:
- Specialized recruitment.
- Outsourcing or outtasking.
- Process redesign consulting.
- Change management and culture.
That’s precisely what we at BMA call business and talent consulting: not just “filling positions,” but designing models that support our clients’ growth strategy.
From Miami to the next step: where to begin?
If you’re a CFO, expansion director, or talent leader, the question is no longer “is it worth looking at Latin America?”
The real question is: What part of your growth strategy are you leaving on the table if you haven’t yet integrated Latin America as a key partner?
Some practical actions to start:
Map functions that you could relocate or scale via nearshoring today (operational finance, payroll, analytics, customer service, sales support, IT).
Evaluate key hubs (Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, among others) based on your industry, language, time zone, and regulatory requirements.
Define a high-impact pilot: a project where you can measure, in 6–12 months, the impact on efficiency, quality, and resilience.
Choose a regional partner who knows the terrain, culture, and regulations to reduce your learning curve.
At BMA Group, we help CFOs and expansion leaders design Latin American talent models for operations in the United States, the Caribbean, and Central America. We’re supporting organizations that decided their future competitiveness involves an intelligent combination of local and Latin American talent.
From Miami, it became crystal clear: the conversation stopped being “whether to invest” in Latin America; now the challenge is designing the