Since the onset of the financial crisis, Europe-based international banks such as HSBC and Santander have been scaling down operations in Latin America. This has created myriad opportunities for emerging regional financial players, which have lost no time in filling the gaps left by the European retreat.

A new proposal in Mexico is urging foreign-owned banks to list on the country's stock exchange. But while these banks achieve high returns on equity and the global equity markets remain volatile, the Mexican regulators may have a wait on their hands before these plans come to fruition.

Awash with liquidity and buoyed by a strong local economy, the story of Uruguay's banks seems to be a rosy one on first inspection. However, with its banking sector dominated by state-owned lenders, private banks have struggled to turn in a profit, leading them to look towards local consumer loans and mortgages.