Actis increases focus on Latin America with office opening in Mexico City

On June 9th 2015, in a move to reinforce the firm's position in Latin America's energy sector, Actis opened an office in Mexico City - its 12th office globally.

As the second largest economy in Latin America and currently undergoing extensive reform of its energy market, Mexico is a compelling market for investment in the power sector.

Michael Harrington, Head of the Mexico office, stated:

"Mexico is a scale OECD market and a cornerstone to Latin America, as such it is an important market for Actis to have presence as a dedicated emerging markets investor. We see particular promise in the energy sector due to the size and expected growth of the opportunity. The recent reforms add momentum to our investment thesis and we see future promise in other sectors as well."

Actis has an established track record in Latin America, with investments in the energy, education, financial services and consumer industries. To date, it has invested over US$1.2 billion across the region, representing 16% of Actis' capital, of which over 50% has been in the energy sector.

Last year, Actis established Zuma Energia, a Mexican wind platform targeting 500+ MW of installed capacity in the country. This is the fourth renewable energy business Actis has established in Latin America and the sixth globally, reflecting high demand growth for electricity and the increasing competitiveness of renewable energy in emerging markets.

Actis expects to put 1.5 GW of wind assets into operation globally over the next 3 years.