There is no doubt that Argentine households are affected by the economy, the wallet and the thousand ways to achieve financial security or at least avoid shocks. According to a recent survey conducted by Brain Network, a consulting firm specializing in research services for the financial industry, 84% of those surveyed believe saving is important; However, 56% say they have “just enough” at the end of the month and have no room for savings.
30% save “sometime” and only 13.5% “usually”. Looking back, almost 52% said their ability to save had decreased compared to the previous year. The survey was conducted in November among users at socioeconomic levels ABC1 to C3 who have at least one financial service (either a bank account or a virtual wallet).
So what do those who can normally put money aside save and how do they invest? Lionel Holzman, CCO & Value Offer Head of Brain Network, sums up how the way of managing personal finances is gradually changing: “35% responded that the only safe alternative is to buy dollars. The percentage could have been much higher in a country so dependent on the dollar; however, it shows that almost two thirds do not necessarily agree with this.” “It shows a change in habits around saving and investing”.
Another piece of information that emerges from the Brain Network survey is the following Argentinians generally have a conservative attitude to risk, and this is more pronounced at lower socioeconomic levels.
In higher-income segments, “there is increasing interest in other types of instruments, such as common investment funds (FCI), bonds, stocks and cryptocurrencies,” says Holzman.
Because they have fewer resources, they now prioritize liquidity “and their only connection to the investment is the remunerated account,” says Holzman, quantifying the result of the current survey: “35.3% have low knowledge about investments, while 55.3% have medium knowledge and only 9.5% have high knowledge. In this sense, only 5.2% define an aggressive risk profile.”
Even within brokers, they see the need for society to explore new investment alternatives and ways to generate returns: “At IOL Inversiones we have observed that over the last two years the search for coverage has been the dominant preference: buying dollars and cedars, driven by high inflation and exchange rate volatility,” explains Lorena Malatesta, vice president of marketing at IOL.
However, he continues: “We see a reversal in the trend in 2026. With a scenario of lower inflation and moderate devaluation, investors are leaning towards more balanced and long-term strategies.”
Auxtin Maquieyra, commercial director at Sailing Inversiones, sees it similarly. “After decades of economic problems and loss of purchasing power, we are now noticing this “Argentinians prioritize instruments that protect capital and offer moderate dollar returns”explains the manager.
“In this context,” Maquieyra continues, “tradable bonds continue to be the most commonly used investment, mainly due to their conservative profile and the attractive hard currency rates offered by leading companies.”
At Front, a fintech company that encourages savings and investments based on specific goals, “users can see what other investors are investing in on the platform (as long as the other person accepts the request), and that gives us a good X-ray view of actual behavior,” says Alan McCarthy, CEO and co-founder of Front. “Today, 63% of users have cedar wood, and among them the technological ones are clearly the most popular,” he concludes.
“We have also seen greater adoption of Argentine stocks. Since the acquisition of Milei, the number of users connected to local businesses has increased by more than 80%. This is directly linked to the attractive prices that Argentine assets continue to have,” he assured.
Users of financial products are not all the same and based on their needs, income and ability to save, banks, brokers and fintechs develop ad hoc strategies.
Malatesta creates experience-based scenarios: “We see a more active, better informed user with clear expectations. Are you looking for simple solutions, global and personalized.
The Brain Network survey also goes in this direction. It highlights the very attributes that Argentinians value most when managing savings and investments: “Simplicity, speed and transparency.” “These will be the key axes to penetrate sectors that are unaware and/or afraid to try new tools,” says Holzman.
In order to get closer to the client, the key from Brain Network’s perspective rotates in three axes:
• Communication with fewer technical details, clearer.
• Segmentation: Identifying the unique needs of each group with differentiated approaches, with different levels of support, sophistication and even care format.
• Personalization: “Recommendations and suggestions will tend to be hyper-personalized.” for each customer, also taking into account their balance, expenses/consumption and other preferences. AI will play a fundamental role,” says Holzman.
Aside from that, AI will continue to grow in importance and will be a fundamental player in designing proposals for retail investors, both to attract and retain them.
“At Front, we launched an AI-powered virtual assistant through which users can receive advice from great historical investors such as Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham or John Maynard Keynes.
“This innovation positions Front as the first platform in the world to combine learning from legendary figures with extreme personalization for the amateur saver. Unlike other financial tools that use AI as a complement, Front was built from the ground up with this technology,” says McCarthy.
“Our focus for 2026 is to accompany the development of our customers. We will deepen the use of analytics and applied intelligence and further expand functionalities – such as direct investments in the US, CCL Simple and new IOL Common Investment Funds, which will be added to the existing ones,” says IOL’s Malatesta.
“We will also consolidate strategic verticals such as IOL Empresas and Wealth Management, which are growing in triple digits today,” the executive adds, anticipating that they will “launch a new offshore app from Uruguay so that Argentinians can diversify their assets with a truly global offering.”
After all, what is the main goal of Argentinians who manage to save systematically? According to Brain Network, in a list that allows multiple entries, seven out of ten save and invest as a “hedge against contingencies”; almost four in ten for travel and vacations; 25% for their retirement planning and a weight of 20% for other goals such as home renovations, buying or changing a car and starting a business.
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