Impulsa Mendoza took part in the Province’s official mission to the 2026 edition of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the world’s leading mining and exploration convention held in Toronto, Canada. The event brought together more than 30,000 attendees from 130 countries, including over 1,100 exhibitors and 2,500 investors.
The Mendoza delegation included Vice Governor Hebe Casado; Minister of Energy and Environment Jimena Latorre; Impulsa Mendoza CEO Sebastián Piña; and Mining Director Jerónimo Shantal. Throughout the convention, the delegation carried out an intensive agenda of presentations, institutional meetings, and networking activities aimed at strengthening Mendoza’s position within the global mining exploration and financing ecosystem.
Piña highlighted the strong level of interest and participation generated by Mendoza during the convention.
“We are truly encouraged by the turnout and the interest that major players from the global mining ecosystem have shown in Mendoza,” he stated.
The CEO of Impulsa Mendoza explained that the mission was structured around two main pillars: building relationships with active mining companies and potential investors, and strengthening connections with financial institutions, investment banks, and stock exchanges in order to accelerate exploration and development processes through capital market instruments, always with a focus on boosting investment.
“We have returned to the global mining stage. Recently, we received the news that Mendoza has re-entered the Fraser Institute’s international ranking. This is very significant for us because the province had not been evaluated in that survey for three years,” Minister Latorre emphasized, referring to the prestigious annual report that evaluates the world’s most attractive jurisdictions for mining investment.
Andean Bridge: Full House Presentation and Capital Markets Integration
Mendoza presented the Andean Bridge initiative at the Toronto Stock Exchange’s TMX Market Centre before an audience of more than 150 representatives from the international mining and financial sectors.
The initiative, designed to connect mining projects from the Andean region with global capital markets, was introduced alongside institutional partners including Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos (BYMA), the Mendoza Stock Exchange (BCM), the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and the international organization IN-VR.
During the event, IN-VR CEO Stelios Papagrigoriou and IN-VR Executive Director Chryssa Tsouraki presented the platform’s vision, objectives, and potential as a tool to facilitate financing, institutional cooperation, and project development across the Andean region.
Latorre and Piña also addressed the audience, emphasizing the strategic value of the initiative in promoting the development of critical minerals and strengthening international investment attraction throughout the region.
Regarding exploration financing strategies, Piña stated:
“Impulsa continues refining its strategies based on work that is already very solid. Everything accomplished so far has allowed us to be here today with such a strong turnout. But we also understand that this is the moment to accelerate. And a large part of that acceleration, especially in exploration, depends on access to capital markets.”
“Mendoza has very particular characteristics that position it well to become a place where capital connects with investments, not only from our province but also from across the country and the region. Andean Bridge seeks precisely to create these connections, very much in line with the goals of Plan Pilares: building relationships that allow us to connect, generate trust, and create value through shared visions,” he added.
“In Argentina, in a way, we are all risk managers. That is almost a comparative advantage compared to other countries. Investors in fixed income here often assume a level of risk equivalent to options in more stable economies. That characteristic also allows us to better understand the exploration business, which is inherently risky and requires education, knowledge, and an understanding of those risks. The geology in Mendoza exists. What we need is to drive exploration forward. And these financial vehicles are designed precisely to contribute to that goal,” he concluded.
Strategic Meetings and First Quantum’s Expansion into Mendoza
During the mission, the Mendoza delegation held meetings with mining companies, financial institutions, and international investment banks to present the province’s project portfolio, analyze financing structures for exploration and development, and strengthen Mendoza’s positioning in global mining and energy transition markets.
Within this framework, a major milestone was confirmed: First Quantum announced the opening of exploration offices in the Province of Mendoza in the coming weeks.
Among the companies and institutions that participated in meetings with the delegation were Kobrea, Ausenco, First Quantum, Aurubis, Beacon, Export Development Canada, ArcelorMittal, BHP, Teck, Appian Capital, Société Générale, CIBC, Argentina Metals, and Orion Resource Partners. The agenda also included meetings with banks such as COMAFI and Banco Macro, multilateral organizations including the World Bank, and representatives from the Government of Ontario.
As part of the agenda involving companies already operating in Mendoza, the delegation also met with Canadian company Kobrea Exploration, which recently began its first diamond drilling campaign within the Malargüe Western Mining District (MDMO), specifically at the El Perdido project.
Discussions with banking institutions focused on financial structuring alternatives linked to exploration, project development, and supplier financing.
Participation in High-Visibility Market Events
During PDAC, Mendoza once again participated in the TSX Latam Market Opening Ceremony at the Toronto Stock Exchange, an institutional visibility event dedicated to Latin America and closely linked to the global mining and financial sectors.
In addition to the Andean Bridge presentation and TSX opening ceremony, Mendoza also took part in several panels, exhibitions, and presentations, including the panel of Argentine ministers featuring Minister Latorre and the event “Unlocking a Giant in Argentina for the World: Mendoza’s Path Toward Mining Excellence,” organized by the Argentine-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Gowling WLG.
In another panel discussion, Mining Director Jerónimo Shantal described the path Mendoza has taken beginning with the reform of the Mining Procedure Code, which introduced major changes aimed at modernizing, organizing, and increasing transparency within the sector.
“It was the starting point and the foundation that supported this entire legal strategy,” he explained.
The panel also featured Guillermo Pensado, President of the Mendoza Chamber of Mining Entrepreneurs and Vice President of the Plan Pilares Foundation, and Alberto Carlocchia, Coordinator of the Mining Committee at the Argentine-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, who discussed Mendoza’s geological potential and analyzed investment and growth opportunities within the sector.
Representatives from companies investing in Mendoza also participated, including James Hedalen, Director of Kobrea Exploration, and Fabián Gregorio, Executive Director of PSJ Cobre Mendocino.
Mendoza on the Global Stage
The province’s participation also included a commercial mission coordinated together with ProMendoza, bringing together more than ten supplier companies and business chambers seeking to establish contacts, close agreements, and integrate into international value chains.
Participating companies included Conosur Drilling SA, Hugo Fabián Valenti, Ng Store, Maqoil SAIC, Red Córdoba SA, Centauro SA, Geoservice SRL, Logística Bachi SA, Soliss SA, GT Ingeniería SA, WDF SA, Pablo Sarmiento Abogados, CaMEM, and Asinmet, representing a diverse business network spanning drilling, geotechnics, logistics, engineering, environmental services, and institutional representation of the mining and industrial sectors.