🧠 What is NUAM?
NUAM is the regional holding that integrates the stock exchanges of Santiago (Chile), Lima (Peru) and Colombia to build a single market with broader access, liquidity, and cutting‑edge technology for issuers and investors.
The legal integration that launched this project was finalized in November 2023 after meeting Chilean regulatory conditions.
NUAM’s goal is to operate on a multi‑currency, multi‑asset platform (equities, bonds, derivatives, etc.) with unified standards to simplify the user experience for everyone.
🌎 Why does it matter for the region?
- More liquidity and market depth: by uniting the three markets, the combined capitalization approaches US$300 billion, making the venue more visible to global flows.
Plus, the MSCI nuam Index already tracks 56 companies from Chile, Peru, and Colombia with a combined market cap of ~US$319 billion. - Unified rulebook and simpler operations: common operational manuals (MOA) have been approved to advance trading and post‑trade under a single framework—key to the unified market.
- World‑class technology: strategic partnership with Nasdaq for the trading platform and, more recently, to modernize central securities depositories (CSDs) and post‑trade, lowering costs and access barriers.
- Integrates previously fragmented ecosystems: it builds on lessons from earlier attempts (like MILA) and goes further with a single entity and common governance, rather than mere interconnection.
NUAM. Image generated with M365 Copilot.
👩🏽💻👨🏻💻 Concrete benefits for retail investors
If you invest from Chile, Peru, or Colombia, this touches you directly. 😉
- Direct access to stocks listed in the three countries via your local broker, without opening accounts abroad.
- Trade in local currency or in USD, depending on your preference and broker offering.
- Broader sector and geographic diversification within one platform (mining, retail, banking, energy, infrastructure, etc.).
- More efficient execution and potential cost reductions thanks to standardized technology (open APIs, FIX 5.0, common protocols) and integrated post‑trade.
- Greater transparency and security via Nasdaq infrastructure in trading and CSDs, boosting confidence among local and international participants.
- New products (regional indices like MSCI nuam, potential ETFs/derivatives) that broaden options for simple, diversified strategies.
🛠️ Where things stand and what’s next
- Project status: NUAM reports roughly 70% progress in consolidating the unified equity market.
- Roadmap: the major milestone is running on a single trading platform (equities first) while continuing to interoperate clearing houses and depositories.
- Cloud infrastructure for onboarding: recent agreements (e.g., Beeks Exchange Cloud®) aim to speed up onboarding of local and international participants, improving latency and user experience.
🧭 Quick retail checklist (hands‑on) ✅
Educational: does not replace financial advice.
- Follow official sources: check NUAM’s press and info hub for updates and operational changes.
- Ask your local broker whether they already enable access to the integrated market and which instruments (equities, ETFs, bonds) you can trade today. (Offerings vary by country & regulation.)
- Choose your trading currency (local vs. USD) and understand fees and FX per your broker.
- Diversify intentionally: combine sectors and countries to reduce idiosyncratic risk and use the regional index as a benchmark for exposure.
- Mind trading hours, settlement, and taxation: despite harmonization, each country keeps regulatory specifics—your broker should brief you.
Find more information at https://www.nuam.com/