Investor sentiment fell 8 points in Colombia in one year

tyba by Credicorp Capital, an investment platform that provides access to opportunities and products through technology and advice, found that in the last year in Colombia the investor mood fell from 46 in 2023 to 38 this year, being the lowest figure compared to Peru and Chile, which were analyzed in a study.

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He said that although Colombia continues to be the most optimistic country in the perception variables, in this measurement there is a significant decline in them; besides, In the variables related to banking and investment alternatives, there is a contraction in the use of financial products.

Tyba said this deterioration in the Index is influenced by various reasons: financial situations in which it is difficult to build capital are growing (2022: 52%, 2023: 56% and 2024: 59%), in addition, the financial situation with which most identified is Getting out of debt, and, this year, there is a significant growth in the Indebted situation (2023: 7% vs 2024: 11%) which further highlights the generalization of debt in Colombia.

This creates a panorama of difficulties in generating financial surpluses. Likewise, compared to last year, the proportion of situations that have been called in this study as “investor mode” (2023: 26% vs 2024: 23%), says the report.

The behavior is aligned with indicators that confirm a moderation in expectations: a lower amount of use of savings methods and a decrease in the adoption of financial products.

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Added to this, the number of Colombians who claim not to have any type of investment (financial or not) reached 49%, a level not seen since 2021. The situation reflects a change in the investment behavior of the population, influenced by macro and sectoral factors.

“Although Colombians continue to be optimistic in some of the perceptual variables, such as confidence in their future income and intention to invest in the short term, in the current measurement there is a significant decline in perceptual aspects. In the results of the behavioral variables, related to banking access and investment alternatives, there is a contraction in the use of financial products. The indicators point the general index of Colombia downwards”, said Valdemaro Mendoza, co-founder and Deputy CEO of tyba by Credicorp Capital.

Tastes in Colombia

The Real Estate remains the preferred aspirational investment among Colombians, since, for the fourth consecutive year, It ranks first when people are asked, if they had extra money, what investment they would like to make.

But something atypical for Colombia is that this year Real Estate falls (2023: 17% vs. 2024: 12%) as a real investment, and is now in third place after Financial Products (2024: 14%); and first is Doing Business (2024: 15%). This is consistent with the crisis in the real estate sector, since high rates affected access to housing loans; a mechanism widely used by Colombians. Fewer Colombians say they are investing in dollars or other currencies (2023: 13% vs. 2024: 9%).

Digital investment

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Among the financial investment products that Colombians have, Voluntary Pension Funds are the option with the highest penetration, just like last year, reaching 28%. On the other hand, CDTs, which are again in second place, registered a drop of 6 percentage points and currently represent 18%. Foreign currencies, the third most mentioned product, have a penetration of 14%, but a decrease of 6 pp compared to 2023.