Mercado Libre

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MercadoLibre, Inc.
Native name
Mercado Libre (Spanish)
Mercado Livre (Portuguese)
Company typePublic
IndustryE-commerce
FoundedAugust 2, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-08-02)[1] in Buenos Aires, Argentina
FounderMarcos Galperin
Headquarters
Buenos Aires
,
Argentina
Area served
18 Countries
Key people
Giancarlo Moreira(board of directors)}}
Brands
  • Mercado Pago
  • Mercado Crédito
  • Mercado Ads
  • Mercado Envíos
  • Mercado Shops
  • Mercado Play
  • Mercado Coin
ServicesOnline marketplace and e-commerce payment system
RevenueIncrease US$20.78 billion (2024)
Increase US$2.63 billion (2024)
Increase US$1.91 billion (2024)
Total assetsIncrease US$25.20 billion (2024)
Total equityIncrease US$4.35 billion (2024)
Number of employees
84,207 (2024)
Websitemercadolibre.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

MercadoLibre, Inc. (Spanish pronunciation: [meɾˈkaðo ˈliβɾe]), known as Mercado Livre in Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [meʁˈkadu ˈlivɾi]), literally meaning "free market" in both languages, is a company of Argentine origin and incorporated in Delaware in the United States that operates online marketplaces dedicated to e-commerce and online auctions. As of 2016[update], Mercado Libre had 174.2 million users in Latin America,[3] making it the region's most popular e-commerce site by number of visitors.[4]

Aside from being the sole player in Argentina's e-commerce market,[5] it also has operations in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.[6] In 2023, Time included Mercado Libre in the list of the 100 most influential companies in the world.[7]

History

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Mercado Libre was founded on August 2, 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[8][6] Founder and CEO Marcos Galperin established the company while attending Stanford University. He acquired funding from John Muse, co-founder of HM Capital Partners.[9][10] Mercado Libre received additional funding from JPMorgan Partners, Flatiron Partners, Goldman Sachs, GE Capital, and Banco Santander Central Hispano. In 1999, Mercado Libre was chosen as an Endeavor company.[11]

In September 2001, online auction company eBay purchased a 19.5% stake in the company.[9] eBay sold its stake in Mercado Libre in 2016, but the companies continue to collaborate to expand eBay sellers into Latin America.[12][13] eBay opened its first branded store on the Mercado Libre marketplace from Chile in March 2017.[14] The following month, Mercado Libre acquired iBazar Como, the Brazilian subsidiary of eBay's earlier acquisition, iBazar S.A.[15] In 2006, MercadoLibre.com launched new operations in Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.[16]

In August 2007, Mercado Libre became the first Latin American technology company to be listed on the NASDAQ, under the ticker MELI.[6][9] Mercado Libre acquired competitor DeRemate's operations in August 2008.[17] Mercado Libre also acquired Classified Media Group (CMG) in 2008. CMG established the Latin American e-commerce portals tucarro.com and tuinmueble.com.[18]

In 2011, the company transitioned its platform to open source technology. The transition allowed application programming interface (API) developers to expand the platform's solutions and services.[19] In 2013, Mercado Libre launched the MeLi Commerce Fund, dedicated to investing in technology startups that create software using Mercado Libre's APIs.[20] By August 2016, the fund had invested US$1.5 million in 15 companies in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.[21][22] Mercado Libre acquired Portal Inmobiliario, a Chilean classified ad website, in 2014.[23] In 2015, Mercado Libre announced its acquisition of Metroscúbicos.com, the portal of Mexico-based real estate company Grupo Expansión.[24]

In 2016, Mercado Libre relocated its Brazilian headquarters to new offices in São Paulo, Brazil. The 17,000 square meter complex, named Melicidade, held a cafeteria, auditorium, gym, beauty parlor, meeting and training rooms, and a recreation area.[25][26] In March 2016, Mercado Libre announced its expansion into Córdoba, Argentina with its new software center.[27] However, the company will close the Córdoba offices in August, 2025, citing the high cost of municipal taxes, with all staff continuing their work remotely.[28] Mercado Libre opened its first Colombian office in Bogotá in October 2016. It was the company's fourth customer service center in Latin America,[8][29] following centers in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.[30]

On June 19, 2017, Mercado Libre became a NASDAQ-100 company.[31] In 2019, Mercado Libre opened its first distribution centers in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.[32] In March 2020, Mercado Libre announced its new distribution centers in Chile[33] and Colombia.[34] In June 2020, Mercado Libre announced its new software center in Colombia.[35] In March 2021, Mercado Libre announced an investment of $1.8 billion in its Brazilian operations.[36] In April 2025, Mercado Libre announced a US$2.6 billion investment in Argentina, representing a 53% increase from the previous year, as part of its regional expansion strategy across Latin America, with plans to hire 2,000 additional employees and expand its logistics network and technological capabilities.[37]

Operations

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Mercado Libre operates under five main business units. MarketPlace is its platform for users to sell products, Mercado Pago is its payment platform for online sales,[5] Mercado Publicado is the advertising portion of Mercado Libre, Mercado Shops is a tool designed to enhance the platform's overall ecosystem,[38] and Mercado Crédito is the company's credit line.[39]

Mercado Libre's MarketPlace is a platform designed to match buyers and sellers. Customers bid for items or pay a set price for offered products. Items are delivered after payment, and users can provide feedback.[40] 3,000 official stores or brands work with Mercado Libre.[41] Mercado Libre also runs a real estate and motors division under the name Mercado Libre Classificados. Realtors pay a monthly fee to list properties and automobiles on the Mercado Libre platform.[42]

Mercado Libre launched MercadoPago, a secure payment system, to diversify payment options.[43] MercadoPago processed 138.7 million transactions in 2016, which was a 73% improvement from 2015.[41] Launched in 2012, MercadoShops was designed to allow small and medium-sized companies to open virtual stores on their existing websites. The stores feature integration with social network sites.[44] In October 2014, a mobile app was released for MercadoPago which used a credit card reader to allow charges to be processed using a tablet or smartphone using a QR code.[43][45] The company expanded MercadoPago into Colombia in July 2016.[46] Mercado Crédito's credit process works with buyers and sellers. Rate types for credit lines are determined through a borrower profile.[47]

Sponsorships

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Mercado Libre is the title sponsor of the Liga Profesional de Fútbol, having signed a deal for the 2026-2027 season,[48] and sponsors all CONMEBOL club competitions until 2026.[49] Mercado Libre is the personal sponsor of Argentine Formula One driver Franco Colapinto, hence the company's logo appears on the Williams and Alpine cars he has driven.[50]

Corporate affairs

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The key trends for Mercado Libre are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):[51][52][53]

Revenue
(USD billion) 		EBIT
(USD billion) 		Total Assets
(USD billion)
2015 0.65 0.15 1.00
2016 0.84 0.18 1.36
2017 1.29 0.05 1.67
2018 1.43 (0.07) 2.23
2019 2.29 (0.11) 4.78
2020 3.97 0.08 6.52
2021 7.06 0.24 10.10
2022 10.53 0.78 13.73
2023 14.95 1.55 17.61
2024 20.77 2.43 25.19

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "MercadoLibre.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 21, 2025.
  3. ^ "The Free Market portal sold 181.2 million products in 2016". La Republica. March 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Most popular online retailers in Latin America". Statista. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Ormerod, Alex González (April 26, 2023). "MercadoLibre is a massive fish in a medium-sized pond". Rest of World. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Mercado Libre will celebrate its17th birthday with discounts of up to 70%". La Republica. September 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2023: Mercado Libre". Time. June 21, 2023. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Mercado Libre opens offices and customer service center in Colombia". Terra. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Irene Caselli (October 12, 2014). "The man behind the eBay of Latin America". BBC News.
  10. ^ Tom Metcalf, Blake Schmidt (September 28, 2016). "Argentina Sees First Tech Billionaire in Macri Renaissance". Bloomberg Technology.
  11. ^ "Endeavor Entrepreneur Marcos Galperin on Mercado Libre (World Economic Forum report)". Endeavor. May 25, 2011.
  12. ^ Vanessa Page (October 14, 2016). "eBay to Sell Stake in Mercado Libre". Investopedia.
  13. ^ "eBay Selling 20% Stake in Mercado Libre". Portada. October 17, 2016.
  14. ^ Axel Christiansen Z. (March 14, 2017). "EBay Store arrices in Chile through Mercado Libre". La Tercera.
  15. ^ Paul Sawers (October 13, 2016). "eBay divests majority of its stake in Latin American e-commerce giant Mercado Libre". Venture Beat.[dead link]
  16. ^ "MercadoLibre, Inc. Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter and First Nine Months 2007". SEC Archives. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. November 13, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2026.}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "MercadoLibre buys DeRemate's operations". Clarin. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  18. ^ "Officialized the sale of TuCarro.com and TuInmueble.com to Mercado Libre". Salude Technologia. January 26, 2008.
  19. ^ "Mercado Libre Opens to Developers". InfoTechnology. April 27, 2011.
  20. ^ "Mercado Libre reports 37% growth in electronic commerce in Latin America". Portada. August 6, 2013.
  21. ^ Gabriela Samela (August 8, 2016). "In search of innovation, big companies launch their accelerators". Clarín.
  22. ^ Diego Dávila (October 12, 2016). "Mercado Libre targets entrepreneurs". La Voz.
  23. ^ "Mercado Libre buys Real Estate Portal and GuiaDinmuebles in USD $40 million". FayerWayer. April 15, 2014.
  24. ^ "Terms & Conditions". El Economista. April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  25. ^ "Free Market in São Paulo: a small town with an Argentine flavor". Clarin. January 30, 2017.
  26. ^ Cláudio Florenzano. "Mercado Livre inaugurates a new headquarters of R$105 million in São Paulo". CBSI. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  27. ^ "Mercado Libre doubles its software center in Córdoba". La Voz. March 23, 2016.
  28. ^ Página|12 (July 7, 2025). "Mercado Libre cierra oficinas en Córdoba y vuelve a chocar con los impuestos provinciales | La fintech más grande del país, en pulseada con intendencias y gobernadores". PAGINA12 (in Spanish). Retrieved July 10, 2025.}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Mercado Libre invested $10 million in headquarters". La Republica. October 20, 2016.
  30. ^ "Mercado Libre to invest $10 billion in Colombia". Dinero. October 27, 2016.
  31. ^ "MercadoLibre, Inc. to Join the NASDAQ-100 Index Beginning June 19, 2017" (Press release). Nasdaq. June 10, 2017.
  32. ^ "MercadoLibre abre tres nuevos centros de distribución en América Latina - Reuters". lta.reuters.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  33. ^ PE, FashionNetwork com (March 3, 2020). "Mercado Libre invertirá 100 millones de dólares en Chile". FashionNetwork.com (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "Mercado Libre se expande, pero fuera de Argentina: abre un nuevo centro logístico en Colombia". iproup.com (in Spanish). March 12, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  35. ^ "Mercado Libre to bring 200 new jobs to Bogota in 2020". Reuters. June 10, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  36. ^ "MercadoLibre to Invest Record $1.8 Billion in Brazil". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021.
  37. ^ Grainger, James (April 9, 2025). "Mercado Libre to invest US$2.6 billion in Argentina this year". Buenos Aires Times. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  38. ^ "Free Market Opens 'Stores' For SMES". Expansion. July 11, 2012.
  39. ^ "Mercado Libre advances to be (also) a bank: Market Credit already offers up to $30,000". Info Negocios. December 16, 2013.
  40. ^ Javier Drovetto (May 2, 2016). "E-commerce:fashion, big star of consumption in the country". La Nacion. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  41. ^ a b "Mercado Libre Reported One Of The Best Years Of Its History". Latin Spots.
  42. ^ "Mercad Libre bets on the recovery of the real estate business". El Cronista. August 11, 2016.
  43. ^ a b "MercadoPago introduced its card reader to charge from a mobile device". La Nacion. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  44. ^ Julio Sanchez Onofre (July 11, 2012). "Mercado Libre bets SMEs with MercadoShops". El Economista. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  45. ^ Ana Clara (October 24, 2016). "Que el cliente entre al sistema por donde quiera, la batalla es con el efectivo". El Cronista.
  46. ^ "Mercado Pago is now available for trade in Colombia". El Tiempo. July 16, 2016.
  47. ^ "MercadoLibre avanza a ser (también) un banco: Mercado Crédito ya ofrece hasta $ 30.000" [MercadoLibre moves forwards to (also) being a bank: Mercado Crédito already offers up to $ 30.000 (Argentine pesos)]. inneuquen.info. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  48. ^ Cunningham, Euan (November 3, 2025). "Mercado Libre in as Argentine LPF naming rights partner". Sportcal. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  49. ^ "Mercado Libre is new Official Sponsor of CONMEBOL". FC DIEZ MEDIA. September 6, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  50. ^ Brittle, Cian (February 19, 2025). "F1: Alpine harness Franco Colapinto link to secure Mercado Libre deal". Black Book Motorsport. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  51. ^ "MercadoLibre (MELI) - Revenue". companiesmarketcap.com. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  52. ^ "MercadoLibre (MELI) - Earnings". companiesmarketcap.com. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  53. ^ "MercadoLibre (MELI) - Total assets". companiesmarketcap.com. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
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