Latin American Association of Services Exporters (ALES)
Definition
Latin American Association of Services Exporters (ALES)
The Latin American Association of Services Exporters (ALES) is a regional trade group founded in 2008 to promote Latin America as an outsourcing hub for IT and BPO services, uniting 35 member institutions across 17 countries via shared data and annual conventions.
Founded by trade promoters from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay, ALES gives members a joint voice at bodies like the World Trade Organization and pushes buyers toward nearshore alternatives to Asia.
The group’s work has grown alongside Latin America’s services-export boom. UNCTAD’s TiSSTAT shows regional commercial-services exports climbing steadily through the 2010s, with Uruguay’s software-services exports topping USD 1 billion annually by the early 2020s.
Buyers weighing Latin American providers can estimate offshore savings with the OA outsourcing calculator before shortlisting national agencies.
Key takeaways
- Founded in 2008 to promote Latin America as a services-export destination.
- Unites about 35 institutions across 17 countries.
- Runs the SRIAM regional statistics system (launched 2014) and an annual convention (since 2011).
- Covers IT outsourcing, BPO, KPO, and shared services.
- Complements peers like India’s NASSCOM in raising nearshore visibility.
How it works
ALES works as a networked federation, not a single agency. Each member country nominates a trade-promotion institution, often public-private, which pools data, funds joint delegations, and shares buyer intelligence via the ALES secretariat annually.
Four pillars carry the load:
| Pillar | Launched | Function |
|---|---|---|
| SRIAM data system | 2014 | Regional statistics, methodology, investor briefs |
| Annual convention | 2011 | Buyer-vendor meetings rotating across member states |
| Member network | 2008 | 35+ institutions across 17 Latin American countries |
| Sector coverage | Ongoing | IT outsourcing, BPO, KPO, shared services |
Regional data support also comes from bodies like the Inter-American Development Bank, which tracks services-trade flows and investment across the region.
ALES layers member-country detail on top, letting buyers compare Uruguay’s software cluster to Colombia’s contact center base or Costa Rica’s shared-services hub.
Delegates meet at the annual convention to align on messaging, publish joint studies, and lobby for services-trade liberalization. Between conventions, working groups keep the sector taxonomy current so cross-country comparisons stay apples-to-apples.
Governance sits with a rotating presidency. Officers come from member agencies and serve short terms so no single country dominates. A small secretariat handles day-to-day coordination and publishing.
Examples
ALES showcases country-level cases. Uruguay’s software and IT-services exports have topped USD 1 billion annually since the early 2020s, while Costa Rica anchors regional shared-services growth through its CINDE investment agency.
Colombia’s ProColombia works alongside ALES to attract nearshoring contracts, particularly in bilingual contact centers serving U.S. buyers.
Argentina’s Argencon promotes software talent and creative-services exports, positioning Buenos Aires as a regional design and engineering hub.
Peer bodies outside the region, such as India’s NASSCOM, inspired ALES’s federated model of joint statistics plus buyer outreach.
Brazil’s ApexBrasil and Chile’s InvestChile round out the regional pitch. Both agencies package sector briefs, tax incentives, and site tours for foreign investors, the same playbook ALES coordinates region-wide.
Together these agencies feed one pitch: Latin America offers same-time-zone nearshoring, bilingual talent, and mature services clusters. It increasingly wins mandates that once defaulted to India or the Philippines, especially in customer experience work.
Related terms
- Business process outsourcing (BPO): the delegation of back- or front-office processes to a third-party provider.
- Information technology outsourcing (ITO): the contracting of IT functions such as development, infrastructure, or support to external teams.
- Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO): the higher-skill outsourcing tier covering research, analytics, and specialist advisory work.
- Shared services and outsourcing (SSO): the consolidation of internal functions into a captive or hybrid delivery center.
- Foreign direct investment (FDI): the cross-border capital committed to local operations, a lead metric ALES tracks.
- Offshoring: the movement of work to a lower-cost country, often paired with nearshoring comparisons.
FAQ
What countries belong to ALES?
ALES has grown to about 35 member institutions across 17 Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay. Membership shifts as national agencies join or restructure.
When was ALES founded?
ALES was founded in 2008 by trade promoters looking to give Latin America a coordinated voice in global services trade.
What is SRIAM?
SRIAM is the regional statistics and information system ALES launched in 2014 to standardize services-trade data across member countries. Buyers use it alongside the OA outsourcing glossary to compare sourcing options.
How does ALES compare to NASSCOM?
NASSCOM speaks for India’s tech industry, while ALES federates multiple national bodies across Latin America. Both publish sector data and buyer events, but ALES coordinates across borders rather than one government.
How can buyers engage with ALES members?
Most engagement starts through national member agencies — ProColombia, Uruguay XXI, CINDE — that run trade missions and matchmaking. Buyers can also attend the annual ALES convention for direct vendor meetings.
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