Mexico City, September 17, 2025.— With an inspiring message about the financial future, María Ariza, CEO of the Institutional Stock Exchange (BIVA), delivered a keynote address at the Universidad Panamericana Mexico City campus, where she encouraged young people tostart investing early and to lose their fear of the stock market.
“You are not only part of this transformation, but you must be active participants in it,”, Ariza told the audience, emphasizing that the world is undergoing “brutally rapid” change driven by technology, where “anything that doesn’t innovate at the pace of change will be left behind.”
Also named “CEO of the Year” by Women in Finance LATAM, she began her remarks by sharing her extensive career, which spans from private equity to her leadership in the consolidation of BIVA, which in seven years has achieved an average market share of over 20% and has facilitated 756 billion pesos in financing for companies.
Demystifying Investing: It's Not Just for Millionaires
One of the central themes of his talk was debunking the myths surrounding the stock market. “Don’t be afraid of the market because that’s the noise everyone feeds us. We don’t talk about the market in terms of millions, no. The market is for millionaires… for those who don’t mind losing.”
“It’s true, there are many stories, but the fact is that the billionaires you know today have made all their money in the stock market,” he added.
Ariza emphasized that you don’t need to be an expert or have a lot of money to get started. “Do you need a lot of money? No, not at all. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m not a millionaire—millions are built up over time. That’s what compound interest is all about.”
The Power of Youth Savings: Building Wealth and the Nation
The director of BIVA highlighted the benefits of compound interest for young people and the twofold impact of investing: building personal wealth while also boosting the national economy.
““You’re going to invest your savings through the market in companies or projects. What does a company generate? A company generates jobs and economic growth. How does that come back to you? Through the country’s economic development,” he explained.
Citing compelling statistics, Ariza noted that Mexico has gone from 200,000 investment accounts to more than 20 million in just a few decades, reflecting young people’s growing interest in the stock market. “This is very important because it also generates liquidity in the market,” he noted, which allows companies to grow and investors to enter and exit their investments more easily.
Where to Start? ETFs and the Path to Diversification
For beginners, Ariza strongly recommended ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) as the smartest and most accessible option. “I think it’s the smartest way to get started, because doing fundamental analysis on a stock is complicated and involves a lot of risk. Someone else (the asset managers) does it for you.”
He illustrated the potential for returns by highlighting the performance of the FTSE BIVA Index, which has returned 63% since its inception. “Our ETF is called VMAX and costs 35 pesos. So, with just 35 pesos, I can buy a share—and in doing so, I’m buying a basket of assets that diversify risk.”
His closing message was a clear and powerful call to action: “Now that you know this, what do you want to be? Do you want to be a bystander or do you want to be a stakeholder?”he asked.
María Ariza’s lecture not only introduced students at the Universidad Panamericana to the world of finance, but also gave them the tools and motivation to stop being mere spectators and become the shareholders, innovators, and leaders who will shape Mexico’s economic future.
The Universidad Panamericana financial literacy
Through its colleges and schools, the Universidad Panamericana is committed to providing its students with a well-rounded education, giving them access to industry leaders and cutting-edge knowledge that prepares them for the challenges of the global professional world.
Learn more at: https://www.up.edu.mx/sobre-la-universidad-fundamentos-y-valores/
