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What are the biggest companies in South America by market cap?

This list ranks South America’s biggest public companies by market capitalisation. We’ll also highlight other key figures, such as revenue, gross profit, and 1-year return. Key facts like the company's exchange, founding year, and country are also covered.

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1. MercadoLibre (MELI)

• Market cap: $127.3 billion
• Revenue: $24.1 billion
• Gross profit: $11.05 billion
• 1-yr return: +18.99%
• Exchange: NASDAQ
• Year founded: 1999
• Country: Uruguay

Often called the "Amazon of Latin America," MercadoLibre is the dominant e-commerce and payments platform in the region.

• E-Commerce: Operates a massive online marketplace connecting millions of buyers and sellers.
• Fintech: Its Mercado Pago division provides a full suite of financial services, including digital payments, credit, and asset management.

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2. Petrobras (PBR)

• Market cap: $82.4 billion
• Revenue: $91.05 billion
• Gross profit: $37.72 billion
• 1-yr return: -10.15%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1953
• Country: Brazil

Petrobras is Brazil's state-owned and largest oil and gas company, with a major focus on deep-water oil exploration and production.

• Exploration and production: A global leader in deep and ultra-deepwater oil extraction technology.
• Refining and distribution: Manages oil refineries, pipelines, and a large network of service stations across Brazil.

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3. Nu Holdings (NU)

• Market cap: $77.34 billion
• Revenue: $10.33 billion
• Gross profit: N/A
• 1-yr return: +9.21%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 2016
• Country: Brazil

Nu Holdings is the parent company of Nubank, one of the world's largest independent digital banks. It has disrupted the traditional banking sector in Latin America.

• Digital banking: Offers a user-friendly mobile app providing free credit cards, bank accounts, and loans.
• International expansion: Rapidly growing its customer base in Mexico and Colombia in addition to its core Brazilian market.

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4. Itaú Unibanco (ITUB)

• Market cap: $73.74 billion
• Revenue: $62.93 billion
• Gross profit: N/A
• 1-yr return: +20.56%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1924
• Country: Brazil

Itaú Unibanco is Brazil's largest private-sector bank and one of the most valuable financial institutions in the world.

• Retail banking: Provides a full range of services to millions of individual customers, including accounts, credit cards, and mortgages.
• Wholesale banking: Caters to large companies and institutional investors with services like investment banking and treasury management.

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5. Vale (VALE)

• Market cap: $46.29 billion
• Revenue: $38.21 billion
• Gross profit: $12.55 billion
• 1-yr return: -1.62%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1942
• Country: Brazil

Vale is one of the world's largest producers of iron ore and nickel, key ingredients for the steel and electric vehicle industries.

• Iron ore production: Operates vast mining complexes in Brazil, producing high-grade iron ore for the global steel market.
• Base metals: A leading global producer of nickel, essential for EV batteries, as well as copper and cobalt.

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6. Ambev (ABEV)

• Market cap: $36.54 billion
• Revenue: $16.59 billion
• Gross profit: $7.67 billion
• 1-yr return: -2.54%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1853
• Country: Brazil

Ambev is a brewing giant and a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. It is the largest beverage company in Latin America.

• Beer production: Brews and distributes a huge portfolio of popular beer brands, including Skol, Brahma, and Antarctica.
• Soft drinks: Holds the license to produce, sell, and distribute PepsiCo products in Brazil and other Latin American countries.

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7. Banco Bradesco (BBD)

• Market cap: $33.25 billion
• Revenue: $55.8 billion
• Gross profit: N/A
• 1-yr return: +27.66%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1943
• Country: Brazil

Banco Bradesco is one of Brazil's largest banking and financial services companies, known for its extensive branch network and insurance operations.

• Banking: Offers a complete range of banking services to individuals, small businesses, and large corporations.
• Insurance: A market leader in Brazil's insurance sector, providing auto, health, life, and property insurance.

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8. WEG (WEGE3)

• Market cap: $28.77 billion
• Revenue: $7.1 billion
• Gross profit: $12.86 billion
• 1-yr return: -34.56%
• Exchange: BMFBOVESPA
• Year founded: 1961
• Country: Brazil

WEG is a multinational company that is a global leader in the manufacturing of electric motors and industrial automation equipment.

• Industrial motors: A top global supplier of electric motors, generators, and transformers for a wide range of industries.
• Renewable energy: A major player in the wind and solar energy sectors, producing wind turbines and solar power components.

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9. Ecopetrol (ECOPETROL)

• Market cap: $19.78 billion
• Revenue: $30.95 billion
• Gross profit: $8.72 billion
• 1-yr return: +4.86%
• Exchange: NYSE
• Year founded: 1948
• Country: Colombia

Ecopetrol is Colombia's largest and primary petroleum company, engaged in all parts of the oil and gas chain.

• Exploration and production: Manages oil and gas exploration and production activities primarily within Colombia.
• Refining and petrochemicals: Operates the country's main refineries and is involved in the production of petrochemicals.

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What are the biggest companies by total annual revenue?

• Petrobras: $91.05 billion 
• Itaú Unibanco: $62.93 billion 
• Banco Bradesco: $55.80 billion 
• Vale: $38.21 billion 
• Ecopetrol: $30.95 billion

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What are the biggest companies by workforce?

• Vale: 236,100 
• Ambev: 57,000 
• MercadoLibre: 54,338 
• Itaú Unibanco: 51,700 
• Petrobras: 46,730

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Summary

Understanding a company's performance is crucial; it's how you truly know what you own. These metrics directly drive the value of your stocks and funds. When you understand these key drivers, you can navigate market changes with confidence, rather than just reacting to headlines.

Next we’ll be looking at the biggest companies in India by market cap.

All market data sourced from TradingView and company reports as of 25.09.2025.

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When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than your original investment. Chip does not offer financial advice and this should not be considered as a personal recommendation.