Yet seek they will, because building a new U.S. Web brand from scratch is almost prohibitively expensive and because emerging markets are poised for exponential Web growth. They include America Online CEO Steve Case, Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, and former Republican Presidential candidate Jack Kemp. Kemp, an entrepreneurial enthusiast who sits on the boards of nine other startups and advises two venture-capital firms, is chairman of Zonafinanciera's advisory board. He promises a lot. The site lists its offerings in the region's 18 countries in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Listings are more comprehensive for the bigger, wealthier countries.
Visitors can, for example, set up accounts online with brokers in Brazil and Mexico, and buy mutual funds. They can scan condominium listings in Costa Rica or price the latest Dodge pickup in Colombia. In Chile and Argentina, you can do all this and apply online for a mortgage from a BankBoston affiliate. For poor countries such as Bolivia, Zonafinanciera's offerings are limited to basic information such as interest-rate listings. The site also publishes articles on financial topics.