VanEck deepens commitment to Latam with expanded leadership

VanEck announced expanded leadership and resources for its Latin America business, reinforcing the firm’s long-term commitment to investors and financial professionals throughout the region. The expansion includes plans to grow its dedicated distribution team and continue investing in product access and market support.

VanEck has been active in Latin America since 2008. Since then, the firm has continued to expand its business and capabilities across the region, increasing access to its investment strategies through local exchanges, brokerage platforms and cross-border accounts.

As part of this continued investment, Karen Knight has been named Managing Director, Head of Latin America, effective August 1, 2026. In this role, Knight will oversee regional strategy and distribution, strengthening how VanEck serves clients and partners across key Latin American markets while also supporting select US Offshore initiatives.

Knight joined VanEck in January 2022 and has played an integral role in expanding the firm’s efforts across Latin America. She has helped shape VanEck’s go-to-market approach in key markets, working closely with distribution and product teams and drawing on client and financial professional perspectives to strengthen how the firm serves the region.

“Latin America’s investment landscape has evolved considerably and so has the opportunity to serve investors and financial professionals across the region,” said Knight. “VanEck has built a strong foundation across Latin America over many years. I’m excited to build on that work and continue strengthening the relationships that have been central to how we serve the region.”

Nicolas Fonseca has also been promoted to Senior Product Manager, Director of Latin America Product. Fonseca has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s product footprint across the region, broadening the range of VanEck strategies available to Latin American investors. In his expanded role, he will continue to expand the availability of VanEck’s ETF and UCITS lineup on local exchanges and work closely with Knight to align product initiatives with the evolving needs of investors and financial professionals across Latin America.

To support this next phase, VanEck plans to expand its distribution team dedicated to Latin America. Eduardo Escario, who has played a foundational role in developing VanEck’s Latin America business since 2008, will continue to support the team during the leadership transition as he takes on an expanded role within VanEck’s European business.

“Latin America has been an important market for VanEck for nearly two decades, and we see significant opportunity to continue expanding how we serve investors across the region,” said Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck. “We are continuing to invest in the leadership, distribution and product resources needed to support our clients and partners and deepen our commitment to these markets over the long term.”

Brazil is also an important part of VanEck’s broader Latin America strategy. In March 2024, VanEck made a majority investment in Investo, a Brazil-based ETF manager that recently surpassed BRL 10 billion in assets under management (approximately USD 2.1 billion). The milestone reflects Investo’s continued growth and its strong commitment to serving Brazilian investors.

As of June 30, 2026, VanEck manages US 237.4 billion in assets globally and brings more than 70 years of investment experience to clients around the world. Across Latin America, the firm remains focused on expanding access to its investment capabilities and serving as a long-term resource for investors, financial professionals and partners across the region.