For Gustavo Urbina, international business is second nature.
Mr. Urbina is a Peruvian entrepreneur, whose interest in electronic trading has been driven by a will to master the global FX market which he sees as an independent, self-determining method of generating further wealth, and is looking to bring the fruits of his enterprise to their maximum potential via trading retail FX.
Calm, experienced and measured, Mr. Urbina is one of Peru’s burgeoning number of successful entrepreneurs who is master of his own destiny.
Live from Lima, Peru, Mr. Urbina speaks to LeapRate about the importance of the FX industry to Latin America’s rapidly growing middle class, wealthy set, and how companies entering this region are instrumental in supporting the needs of a whole host of educated, urbane and successful investors.
“In Peru during recent years, people have begun to speak about Forex. I began to become very interested in this as a new asset class” explained Mr. Urbina.
“I used to trade gold, which bears some similarities to an FX platform within the trading features, however financial investment, especially FX, depends on macroeconomic events, and for me, this is something that I like very much because I can interpret this news my way and make a decision on what to trade and speculate on the interpretation of the news” he continued.
Mr. Urbina considers his previous lack of opportunity to have been able to trade FX rather than traditional commodities. “Even though I was interested in exploring more within the FX sector, I could not find a broker or the correct tools which would allow me to go into FX trading at the level that I wish to, and to achieve the results that I expect to achieve, as there were very little resources and no educational infrastructure or services at all to support retail FX traders within my network of equally astute professionals in this region.”
“Four years making this conclusion, I had the opportunity to be invited to an FX presentation and seminar which was held at the upscale BTH hotel in San Isidro, Lima. In the past I have received other invitations to seminars, but avoided them as I found that these were not recommended by members of the business community in Lima, however there was no possible means of gaining any perspective on the quality of the information, and the entities which provided them were unknown, therefore I did not participate” said Mr. Urbina.
Having attended the seminar which was held by Tutores FX in collaboration with BMFN, Mr. Urbina was unsure of what to expect, however this particular seminar was attended by similarly middle class, high net worth investors, and presented by leading financial industry figures including Omar Barrientos, Chief of Treasury at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Peruvian operations, and Luis Sanchez, CEO of BMFN.
As a result of the simplicity and structure of the presentation, as well as the industry knowledge of those providing the information, Mr. Urbina considered this to be the method by which to engender a quality and reliable infrastructure for his transition from traditional commodities to FX.
“After the presentation, my appetite grew for making my transition from gold trading into FX. Andrew, I will say that one week later, I am sitting here with you, and after many years of trepidation I have opened my first FX trading account. I am a very considered person, and of course survey any business that I look to enter, therefore this represents a large step forward” said Mr. Urbina.
“Once I had digested the information provided, that the evening, I went for coffee at the BTH Hotel, where I met many delegates who discussed their objectives and previous experiences in looking for investment opportunities from their bases in Latin America. Most were in a very similar position to me, and they also concurred that high quality seminars held by international senior industry figures from large banks and proven companies with substantial overseas business that are established in many key markets, combined with tools such as Tutores FX’s daily webinars are very important components which will ensure the longevity of trading in this region” he said.
“One of the most critical matters to consider in Latin America for any FX firm wishing to make a successful entry into this market, is that networks are everything” stated Mr. Urbina. “It is important that I evaluate all of the resources available in order that I am able to work within my network in ensuring that they also view my decisions as ones to adopt. That is part of the culture here in the business community” he said.
“I am quite convinced that this methodology which is now being established to construct a comprehensive FX industry infrastructure is the building ground that was long needed, therefore I am able to begin trading, as well as start recommending professionals within my network toward taking FX trading as a viable asset class to trade. I will become an introducing broker for BMFN, and hope that many other companies follow the lead taken by that specific company in entering the continental Latin American market and provide more choice as the industry grows here” he revealed.
Concluding, Mr. Urbina congratulated Luis Sanchez for “taking the lead in establishing a framework for the FX industry in such a way that the region can now be populated with further FX firms, in order that the ever increasing number of potential investors in the region can take it up en masse.”
Photograph: Gustavo Urbina with LeapRate’s Andrew Saks-McLeod