Status: Researched · based on direct email correspondence with Balanz (May 2026).
Why Balanz
For a foreign non-resident, the single biggest friction in opening an Argentine brokerage account is the CDI/CUIT tax ID — and brokers split on whether they’ll handle it. Balanz handles the CDI for you as part of onboarding. That’s the whole reason it’s the recommended starting point: you don’t have to find and appoint a trusted Argentine resident to act as your legal representative, which is the deal-breaker at most other brokers (see PPI).
What it is
Balanz is a CNV-registered Argentine broker (an ALyC). Through it you can hold Buenos Aires (BCBA) local equities, bonds, mutual funds and CEDEARs — Argentine depositary receipts that let you hold foreign stocks locally. Custody is at Caja de Valores.
What foreign individuals need (per correspondence)
- Passport
- Proof of funds
- Proof of address
- All documents translated to Spanish, notarized and apostilled — this is the rate-limiting step.
Balanz then handles the CDI tax-ID acquisition on your behalf. There’s no account minimum, no maintenance fee, online onboarding and no in-person visit. Once your apostilled documents are ready, account opening proceeds in weeks rather than months — so front-load the document preparation.
Communication
Balanz communicates with foreign clients in English and Spanish, and the correspondence has been responsive.
My take
For a foreign individual without an Argentine resident contact, Balanz is the materially easier path into the Argentine market — the CDI handling alone settles it. The one real chore is getting your documents translated, notarized and apostilled up front; everything after that is straightforward. (Apostilled documents are reusable across Argentine brokers once prepared.) Note that for many investors, the US-listed Argentine ADRs cover the thesis without any local onboarding at all — Balanz is for when you specifically want direct BCBA/CEDEAR access or local small/mid-caps.
Sources
- Direct email correspondence with Balanz (May 2026) — foreign-individual onboarding requirements and confirmation that Balanz handles the CDI tax-ID setup
- Balanz public account-opening materials: https://www.balanz.com