Lord Mayor writes about successful visit to Chile in late April
During his visit to the country, the Lord Mayor of the City of London had the opportunity to witness the strong UK-Chile relations.
皇冠体育app Lord Mayor of London, HMA Fiona Clouder and Executives of Expomin Mining Exhibition.
As a shipbroker with an interest in naval history, I was delighted to discover that the UK and Chile have enjoyed strong relations ever since the British Royal Navy worked with Chile to establish the Chilean Navy almost 200 years ago. Of course, much has changed between us since then and our military relationship has been transformed into a professional one as Chile continues to grow stronger on the world economic stage.
Indeed 2016 is an exciting time: our companies are working ever more closely together and our respective strengths in the fields of mining and energy are opening up new opportunities. As Latin America鈥檚 top ranked country in the World Bank鈥檚 ease of doing business survey and a place where entrepreneurism is celebrated, Chile is a natural partner for the UK and one which we are keen to develop more fully.
As ambassador for the UK鈥檚 financial services industry, my visit focused on several areas: firstly - this was an invaluable opportunity to unlock commercial opportunities for UK-based and Chilean companies. Mining is a sector where the UK and Chile already work very closely together, with export opportunities in excess of 拢1.1BN (over the next 5 years). 皇冠体育appre are good reasons for this - London is home to everyone from geologists and engineers to bankers, brokers, accountants and lawyers, who know a great deal about listing and floating mining companies. It is also a safe and stable market where there is capital that is willing to be invested in mining.
I also discussed with business leaders and politicians the advantages for Chilean companies, legal firms and financial services professionals of listing in London. 皇冠体育app London Stock Exchange is one of the world鈥檚 most international capital markets, home to almost 3,100 companies from more than 70 countries around the world. Many of the world鈥檚 leading investment houses and financial institutions are based here and London鈥檚 professional investors are known for their outward-looking approach, offering companies from around the world access to a deep and wide pool of investment capital.
London remains the natural home of large, established metals producers and the London Stock Exchange鈥檚 alternative investment market continues to attract many development stage companies and those emerging from the exploration focused markets overseas. London markets have a long history of helping to facilitate the growth of Chilean companies including two of Chile鈥檚 most high profile companies 鈥� Banco de Chile and Antofagasta. I hope this visit will lead to even more collaboration between us and encourage more Chilean companies to look to London to raise capital and as a stepping stone to grow their business.
Finally I rose awareness of London鈥檚 asset management offering. 皇冠体育app UK is the largest European centre for investment management and manages around 拢2.2 trillion on behalf of foreign clients. It continues to be a hugely attractive destination for institutional funds as well as private families and individuals looking for a safe and stable investment environment.
I am confident that London has the expertise, depth of capital and liquidity to help support the next century of Chilean growth and I look forward to working with you in the future.
Jeffrey Mountevans, Lord Mayor of the City of London.