A seasoned Latin American business magnate has recently been putting his dollars into Argentina’s lithium and copper resources.
“Energy Mogul Makes 100-Year Bet on Argentina’s Mineral Wealth,” was Bloomberg’s headline on Monday, referring to 68 year old José Luis Manzano. He owns the financial firm Integra Capital, which is involved with multiple industries.
Integra has made major investments in lithium resources within Argentina’s Jujuy and Catamarca provinces. The firm has also allocated significant capital into uranium exploration in the nation’s Chubut province.
“Manzano has been snapping up mines and lithium-rich acreage in northern Argentina as well as tapping neighbouring Brazil’s lithium valley,” Bloomberg reported.
Manzano says Integra has been consistently recruiting new workers for those sites. He added that he is glad Argentina has become a mining country.
“We believe we are positioning ourselves in things that will be necessary for the next 50 to 100 years,” Manzano said in a recent interview.
Argentina’s news outlet Minería y Desarrollo reported earlier in May that Manzano’s company Minera Aguilar had made bids on a series of copper properties in the San Juan province. Minera Aguilar was the only bidder at the time, so they are likely now in the company’s possession.
José Luis Manzano gave @DanCancel & me a rare interview on his incursion into minerals. He's joining Argentine energy leaders—Bulgheroni, Rocca, Mindlin—turning to the nation's vast, underdeveloped deposits. "We see the big window in Argentina," he said 👇https://t.co/dF7mjCW3uB
— Jon Gilbert (@jongilbert9) May 21, 2024
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Manzano buys Peruvian mining company from Glencore
He recently made a strategic decision to purchase Peru’s copper and silver miner Volcan Compania Minera SAA (BME: XVOLB) from the Swiss mining giant Glencore plc (LON: GLEN). Integra Capital’s company Transition Metals will provide Glencore with US$20 million for it.
Manzano describes himself as “an Argentine businessman with a deep understanding of Latin American public policy and global emerging markets.”
In addition to his leadership with the Integra firm, he is also the top shareholder of Integra Resources Corp (TSX-V: ITR). The businessman is known to be involved with the oil and gas industry in his home country too and holds a major stake in Phoenix Global Resources.
Manzano served as Minister of the Interior in Argentina’s government between 1989-1992. He is one of the founders of the state’s largest media company: Grupo América.
Lithium South Development Corporation is a sponsor of Mugglehead news coverage
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