Economy of Mexico banks”, bonded warehouses, bonding companies and foreign-exchange firms. A wave of acquisitions has left Mexico's financial sector in foreign hands. Their foreign-run affiliates compete with independent financial firms operating as commercial banks, brokerage and securities houses, insurance companies, retirement-fund administrators, mutual funds, and leasing companies. Mexico has a single securities market, the Mexican Stock Exchange (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, known as the Bolsa). The market has grown steadily, with its main indices increasing by more than 600% in the last decade. It is Latin America's second largest exchange, after Brazil's. The total value of the domestic market capitalization of the
Bolsa de Valores de la República Dominicana was originally known as the "Bolsa de Valores de Santo Domingo Inc". In 1997, as a result of the fact that its activities extended into other cities of the country, it changed its name to "Bolsa de Valores de la República Dominicana". This means that the market is still relatively new, and the concept of both an equity and capital market is just coming into consciousness. Despite the limitations resulting from inadequate legislation, transactions at the BVRD grew steadily during the 1990s. There are twenty brokerage houses registered at the BVRD. Thirteen belong to financial groups and only seven are