Edgar Filing: IRSA INVESTMENTS & REPRESENTATIONS INC

Blueprint

United States

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report ___

For the transition period from ____ to ____

Commission file number 001-13542

IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anónima

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

IRSA Investments and Representations Inc.

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Republic of Argentina

(country of incorporation or organization)

Bolívar 108

(C1066AAD)

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

(Address of principal executive offices)

Matías Iván Gaivironsky - Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Tel +54(11) 4323-7449 - ir@irsa.com.ar

Moreno 877 24th Floor (C1091AAQ) - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act


Title of each class			Name of each exchange on which registered
Global Depositary Shares, each representing ten shares of Common Stock			New York Stock Exchange
Common Stock, par value Ps.1.00 per share			New York Stock Exchange*

*Not for trading, but only in connection with the registration of Global Depositary Shares, pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act: None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15 (d) of the Act: None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the period covered by the annual report: 578,676,460.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act:

☐ Yes ☒ No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or of such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days: ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of the Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). ☐ Yes ☒No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (check one):

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP ☐

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting statements included in this filing: ☒

Other ☐

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:

Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act):

☐ Yes ☒ No

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 23 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by the court. Yes ☐ No ☐

Please send copies of notices and communications from the Securities and Exchange Commission to:

Carolina Zang		David Williams Jaime Mercado
Zang Vergel & Viñes		Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Florida 537 piso 18º C1005AAK Buenos Aires, Argentina.		425 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10017

IRSA INVERSIONES Y REPRESENTACIONES SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA

Table of Contents

	Page number
DISCLAIMER REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	i
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER INFORMATION	ii
PART I	1
ITEM 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management, Advisers and auditors	1
ITEM 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable	1
ITEM 3. Key Information	1
A. Selected consolidated financial data	*
B. Capitalization and Indebtedness	7
C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds	7
D. Risk Factors	7
ITEM 4. Information on the Company	61
A. History and Development of the Company	61
B. Business Overview	70
C. Organizational Structure	139
D. Property, Plant and Equipment	141
ITEM 4A. Unresolved staff comments	143
ITEM 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects	143
A. Operating Results	143
B. Liquidity and capital resources	193
C. Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.	199
D. Trend Information	200
E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements	202
F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations	202
G. Safe Harbor	202
ITEM 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees	203
A. Directors and Senior Management	203
B. Compensation	209
C. Board practices	211
D. Employees	211
E. Share Ownership	212
ITEM 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions	214
A. Major Shareholders	214
B. Related Party Transactions	215
C. Interests of Experts and Counsel	219
ITEM 8. Financial Information	219
A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information	219
B. Significant changes	228
ITEM 9. The Offer and Listing	228
A. The offer and listing details	228
B. Plan of Distribution	229
C. Markets	230
D. Selling Shareholders	232
E. Dilution	232
F. Expenses of the Issue	232
ITEM 10. Additional Information	232
A. Share Capital	232
B. Memorandum and Articles of Association	232
C. Material Contracts	238
D. Exchange Controls	238
E. Taxation	242
F. Dividends and Paying Agents	249
G. Statement by Experts	249
H. Documents on Display	249
I. Subsidiary Information	250
ITEM 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	250
ITEM 12. Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities	250
A. Debt Securities	250
B. Warrants and Rights	250
C. Other Securities	250
D. American Depositary Shares	250
PART II	252
ITEM 13. Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies	252
ITEM 14. Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds	252
A. Fair Price Provision	252
ITEM 15. Controls and procedures	253
A. Disclosure Controls and Procedures.	253
B. Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting	254
C. Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm	254
D. Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting	254
ITEM 16. Reserved	254
A. Audit Committee Financial Expert	254
B. Code of Ethics	255
C. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.	255
D. Exemption from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees	256
H. Mine Safety Disclosures	257
PART III	258
ITEM 17. Financial Statements	258
ITEM 18. Financial Statements	258
ITEM 19. Exhibits	258

DISCLAIMER REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report includes forward-looking statements, principally under “Item 3.D. Risk Factors,” “Item 4. Information on the Company,” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current beliefs, expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting our business. Many important factors, in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this annual report, could cause our actual results to differ substantially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, including, among other things:

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely include but are not limited to:

● changes in general economic, financial, business, political, legal, social or other conditions in Argentina or elsewhere in Latin America or in Israel or changes in developed or emerging markets;

● changes in capital markets in general that may affect policies or attitudes toward lending to or investing in Argentina or Argentine companies, including volatility in domestic and international financial markets;

● deterioration in regional, national and international business and economic conditions;

● inflation;

● fluctuations in prevailing interest rates;

● increases in financing costs or our inability to obtain additional financing on attractive terms, which may limit our ability to fund existing operations and to finance new activities;

● current and future government regulation and changes in law or in the interpretation by Argentine courts of the recently adopted Civil and Commercial Code, among others;

● adverse legal or regulatory disputes or proceedings;

● fluctuations and declines in the aggregate principal amount of Argentine public debt outstanding;

● political events, civil strife and armed conflicts;

● government intervention in the private sector and in the economy, including through nationalization, expropriation, regulation or other actions;

● restrictions on transfer of foreign currencies and other exchange controls;

● increased competition in the shopping mall sector, office or other commercial properties and related industries;

● potential loss of significant tenants at our shopping malls, offices and/ or other commercial properties;

● our ability to timely transact in the real estate market in Argentina or Israel;

● our ability to meet our debt obligations;

● shifts in consumer purchasing habits and trends;

● technological changes and our potential inability to implement new technologies;

● deterioration in regional and national businesses and economic conditions in Argentina;

● incidents of government corruption that adversely impact on the development of real estate projects;

● fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Peso and the NIS against other currencies;

● risks related to our investment in Israel; and

● the risk factors discussed under “Item 3.D. Risk Factors.”

You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “could,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “potential,” “continue” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, the effects of future regulation and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements after we distribute this annual report because of new information, future events or other factors. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this annual report might not occur and are not guarantees of future performance.

As of June 30, 2018, the Company has two operations centers to manage its global business, which we refer to in this annual report as the “Operations Center in Argentina” and the “Operations Center in Israel.”

You should not place undue reliance on such statements which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered in connection with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we might issue in the future.

Available information

We file annual, quarterly and other information with the United States Securities and Exchange Comission or “SEC”. You may read and copy any document that we file with the SEC at the SEC´s public reference rooms at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549; and 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661 and www.sec.gov. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Rooms by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our Internet address is http://www.irsa.com.ar. The information contained on this website does not form part of this annual report on form 20-F.

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or calling our offices, Bolivar 108, (C1066AAB) City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our telephone number is +54-11-4323-7400.

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER INFORMATION

The terms “Argentine government” and “government” refer to the federal government of Argentina, the term “Central Bank” refers to the Banco Central de la República Argentina (the Argentine Central Bank), the terms “CNV” and “CNV Rules” refers to the Comisión Nacional de Valores (the Argentine National Securities Commission) and the rules issued by the CNV, respectively. In this annual report, when we refer to “Peso,” “Pesos” or “Ps.” we mean Argentine Pesos, the legal currency of Argentina; when we refer to “U.S. dollar,” “U.S. dollars” or “US$” we mean United States dollars, the legal currency of the United States; when we refer to “NIS” we mean Israeli New Shekel.

As used throughout this annual report, the terms “IRSA,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anónima, together with our consolidated subsidiaries, except where we make clear that such terms refer only to the parent company.

Financial Statements

This annual report contains our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of June 30, 2018 and 2017 for our fiscal years ended June 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (our “Audited Consolidated Financial Statements”). Our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements have been audited by Price Waterhouse & Co S.R.L. City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, member of PriceWaterhouseCoopers International Limited, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report is included herein.

IDB Development Corporation Ltd. (“IDBD”) and Discount Investment Corporation (“DIC”) report their quarterly and annual results following the Israeli regulations, whose legal deadlines are after the deadlines in Argentina and since IDBD and DIC fiscal years end differently from IRSA, the results of operations from IDBD and DIC are consolidated with a lag ofthree months and adjusted for the effects of significant transactions taking place in such period. For these reasons, it is possible to obtain the quarterly results of IDBD and DIC in time so that they can be consolidated by IRSA and reported to the CNV in its Consolidated Financial Statements within the legal deadlines set in Argentina. This way, the consolidated comprehensive income for the year ended June 30, 2018 includes the results of IDBD and DIC for the 12-month period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, adjusted for the significant transactions that occurred between April 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. In addition, IDBD’s results of operations for the period beginning October 11, 2015 (the acquisition of control) through March 31, 2016 are included in the company’s consolidated comprehensive income for fiscal year ended June 30, 2016, adjusted by significant transactions occurred between April 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016.

The Company has established two Operations Centers, Argentina and Israel, to manage its global business, mainly through the following companies:

(i) Corresponds to Company’s associates, which are hence excluded from consolidation.

(ii) The results are included in discontinued operations, due to the loss of control in June 2018.

(iii) Disclosed as financial assets held for sale.

(iv) Assets and liabilities are disclosed as held for sale and the results as discontinued operations.

(v) For more information about the change within the Operations Center in Israel see Note 4 to the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

Inflation

We have determined that, as of July 1, 2018, the Argentine economy qualifies as a hyperinflationary economy according to the guidelines to International Accounting Standard 29, Financial Reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies (“IAS 29”) since the total cumulative inflation in Argentina in the 36 months prior to July 1, 2018, as measured by the wholesale price index published by the INDEC, exceeded 100%. IAS 29 will be applicable to our financial statements for periods ending after July 1, 2018.

IAS 29 requires that the financial information recorded in a hyperinflationary currency be adjusted by applying a general price index and expressed in the measuring unit (the hyperinflationary currency) current at the end of the reporting period. Therefore, our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report will be adjusted by applying a general price index and expressed in the measuring unit (the hyperinflationary currency) current at the end of the most recent reporting period. We have not estimated yet the impact of the application of IAS 29 provisions in our audited consolidated financial statements. Our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in this annual report were not restated into constant currency.

For more information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Argentina—The peso qualifies as a currency of a hyperinflationary economy under IAS 29. We cannot assure you whether regulatory agencies of the Argentine national government will require us to not apply IAS 29 to financial statements furnished to such regulators” and “—Continuing inflation may have an adverse effect on the economy and our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Currency translations and rounding

In this annual report where we refer to “Peso,” “Pesos,” or “Ps.” we mean Argentine Pesos, the lawful currency in Argentina; when we refer to “U.S. Dollars,” or “US$” we mean United States Dollars, the lawful currency of the United States of America; when we refer to “Real,” “Reals,” “Rs.” or “R$” we mean Brazilian Real, the lawful currency in the Federative Republic of Brazil; when we refer to “NIS,” we mean New Israeli Shekels, the lawful currency of Israel; and when we refer to “Central Bank” we mean the Banco Central de la República Argentina (Argentine Central Bank).

iii

Our functional and presentation currency is the Peso, and accordingly our Financial Statements included in this annual report are presented in Pesos. We have translated some of the Peso amounts contained in this annual report into U.S. dollars for convenience purposes only. Unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, the rate used to convert Peso amounts to U.S. dollars is the seller exchange rate quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina of Ps.28.8500 per US$1.00 for information provided as of June 30, 2018. The average seller exchange rate for the fiscal year 2018, quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina was Ps.19.4888. The U.S. dollar-equivalent information presented in this annual report is provided solely for the convenience of investors and should not be construed as implying that the Peso amounts represent, or could have been or could be converted into, U.S. dollars at such rates or at any other rate. The seller exchange rate quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina was Ps.36.7900 per US$1.00 as of October 25, 2018. See “Item 3. Key Information—Local Exchange Market and Exchange Rates.” and “Item 3. Risk Factors— Continuing inflation may have an adverse effect on the economy and our business, financial condition and the results of our operations”.

We have also translated certain NIS amounts into U.S. dollars at the offer exchange rate for June 30, 2018 which was NIS 3.6553=U.S.$1.00. We make no representation that the Peso, NIS or U.S. dollar amounts actually represent or could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars at the rates indicated, at any particular rate or at all. See “Item 3 – Key information - Local Exchange Market and Exchange Rates.”

Certain numbers and percentages included in this annual report have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown for the same category presented in various tables or other sections of this annual report may vary slightly, and figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them.

Fiscal years

References to fiscal years 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are to our fiscal years starting on July 1 and ending on June 30 of each such year.

Certain measurements

In Argentina the standard measure of area in the real estate market is the square meter (m2), while in the United States and certain other jurisdictions the standard measure of area is the square foot (sq. ft.). All units of area shown in this annual report (e.g., gross leasable area of buildings (“GLA” or “gross leasable area”,) and size of undeveloped land) are expressed in terms of square meters. One square meter is equal to approximately 10.764 square feet. One hectare is equal to approximately 10,000 square meters and to approximately 2.47 acres.

As used herein, GLA in the case of shopping malls, refers to the total leasable area of the property, regardless of our ownership interest in such property (excluding common areas and parking and space occupied by supermarkets, hypermarkets, gas stations and co-owners, except where specifically stated).

Market share data

Information regarding market share in a specified region or area is based on data compiled by us from internal sources and from publications such as Bloomberg, the International Council of Shopping Centers, or “ICSC,” the Argentine Chamber of Shopping Centers (Cámara Argentina de Shopping Centers), and Colliers International. While we believe that these sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information prepared by these sources.

PART I

ITEM 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management, Advisers and Auditors

This item is not applicable.

ITEM 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

This item is not applicable.

ITEM 3. Key Information

A. Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following selected consolidated financial data has been derived from our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of the dates and for each of the periods indicated below. This information should also be read in conjunction with our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included under Item 8. “Financial Information”, and the discussion in Item 5. “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects”.

The selected consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income data for the years ended June 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016, and the selected consolidated statement of financial position data as of June 30, 2018 and 2017 have been derived from our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been audited by Price Waterhouse & Co. S.R.L., City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, an independent registered public accounting firm. The summarized consolidated statement of comprehensive income and cash flow data for the fiscal years 2015 and 2014 and the summarized consolidated statement of financial position data as of June 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 which have been retroactively recast to give effect to the change of measurement basis for our investment properties. These financial statements are not included in this annual report.

We have determined that, as of July 1, 2018, the Argentine economy qualifies as hyperinflationary economy according to IAS 29. IAS 29 requires that the financial statements recorded in the currency of a hyperinflationary economy be adjusted in terms of a measuring unit current at the end of reporting period. We did not apply the restatement criteria to the financial information for the periods reported in this annual report since IAS 29 will be applicable to our financial statementes for periods ending after July 1, 2018. For more information on inflation, see “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects— Factors Affecting our Results of Operations—Effects of Inflation.”

On October 11, 2015, we obtained control of IDBD. In conformity with IFRS 3, IDBD’s information is included in our Financial Statements since the acquisition date, without affecting the information from previous years. Therefore, the consolidated financial information for periods after the acquisition date is not comparable to previous periods. For more information see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects−Factors Affecting Comparability of our Results.”

Summarized Consolidated Financial and Other Information

	For the fiscal year ended June 30,
	2018	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
	(in millon of US$) (i) (ii)	(in millon of Ps. ; except per share data)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Revenues	1,147	33,088	27,004	12,916	3,403	2,845
Costs	(680)	(19,629)	(16,033)	(7,036)	(1,369)	(1,157)
Gross profit	467	13,459	10,971	5,880	2,034	1,688
Net gain from fair value adjustment of investment properties	784	22,605	4,340	17,536	3,958	4,139
General and administrative expenses	(134)	(3,869)	(3,219)	(1,639)	(374)	(297)
Selling expenses	(162)	(4,663)	(4,007)	(1,842)	(194)	(146)
Other operating results, net	20	582	(206)	(32)	33	(59)
Profit from operations	974	28,114	7,879	19,903	5,457	5,325
Share of profit / (loss) of associates and joint ventures	(25)	(721)	109	508	(813)	(328)
Profit from operations before financial results and income tax	949	27,393	7,988	20,411	4,644	4,997
Finance income	61	1,761	937	1,264	137	132
Finance costs	(730)	(21,058)	(8,072)	(5,571)	(1,107)	(1,749)
Other financial results	21	596	3,040	(518)	37	(102)
Financial results, net	(648)	(18,701)	(4,095)	(4,825)	(933)	(1,719)
Profit before income tax	301	8,692	3,893	15,586	3,711	3,278
Income tax	4	124	(2,766)	(6,325)	(1,581)	(1,392)
Profit from continuing operations	306	8,816	1,127	9,261	2,130	1,886
Profit from discontinued operations	433	12,479	4,093	817	-	-
Total profit for the year	738	21,295	5,220	10,078	2,130	1,886

Other comprehensive income / (loss):
Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss:
Currency translation adjustment	440	12,689	1,919	4,531	(214)	460
Share of other comprehensive income / (loss) of associates and joint ventures	32	922	1,920	(178)	106	85
Revaluation reserve	3	99	-	-	-	-
Net change in fair value of hedging instruments	(1)	(19)	124	3	-	-
Items that may not be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss, net of income tax
Actuarial loss from defined benefit plans	-	(12)	(10)	(10)	-	-
Other comprehensive income / (loss) from continuing operations	474	13,679	3,953	4,346	(108)	545
Other comprehensive income / (loss) from discontinued operations	15	435	560	(213)	-	-
Total other comprehensive income / (loss) for the year	489	14,114	4,513	4,133	(108)	545
Total comprehensive income for the year	1,227	35,409	9,733	14,211	2,022	2,431
Total comprehensive income from continuing operations	780	22,495	5,080	13,607	2,022	2,431
Total comprehensive income from discontinued operations	448	12,914	4,653	604	-	-
Total comprehensive income for the year	1,227	35,409	9,733	14,211	2,022	2,431
Total profit for the year attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent	520	15,003	3,030	9,534	1,898	1,762
Non-controlling interest	218	6,292	2,190	544	232	124
Profit from continuing operations attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent	183	5,278	1,383	9,196	1,898	1,762
Non-controlling interest	123	3,538	(256)	65	232	124
Total comprehensive income for the year attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent	538	15,532	4,054	9,605	1,773	2,202
Non-controlling interest	689	19,877	5,679	4,606	249	229
Total comprehensive income from continuing operations attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent	185	5,338	1,977	9,356	1,773	2,202
Non-controlling interest	595	17,157	3,103	4,251	249	229
Total profit for the year per common share attributable to equity holders of the parent:
Basic (1)	0.90	26.09	5.27	16.58	3.31	3.06
Diluted (2)	0.90	25.91	5.23	16.47	3.28	3.04
Profit per common share from continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the parent:
Basic (1)	0.32	9.18	2.41	15.99	3.31	3.06
Diluted (2)	0.32	9.12	2.39	15.88	3.28	3.04
CASH FLOW DATA
Net cash generated by operating activities	497	14,339	9,059	4,126	834	1,022
Net cash (used in) / generated by investing activities	(401)	(11,573)	(2,068)	8,223	261	(917)
Net cash generated by / (used in) financing activities	(134)	(3,867)	1,537	(3,968)	(1,390)	(597)

	For the fiscal year ended June 30,
	2018	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
	(in millon of US$)(i)(ii)	(in millon of Ps.)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
ASSETS
Non-current assets
Investment properties	5,640	162,726	99,953	82,703	19,217	15,796
Property, plant and equipment	465	13,403	27,113	24,049	237	219
Trading properties	209	6,018	4,532	4,730	141	131
Intangible assets	426	12,297	12,387	11,763	127	124
Other assets	7	189	-	-	-	-
Investment in associates and joint ventures	854	24,650	7,885	16,880	2,970	2,587
Deferred income tax assets	13	380	285	51	57	41
Income tax and MPIT credit	14	415	145	123	109	110
Restricted assets	71	2,044	448	54	-	-
Trade and other receivables	282	8,142	4,974	3,441	115	92
Employee benefits	-	-	-	4	-	-
Investments in financial assets	59	1,703	1,772	2,226	703	275
Financial assets held for sale	270	7,788	6,225	3,346	-	-
Derivative financial instruments	-	-	31	8	206	-
Total non-current assets	8,310	239,755	165,750	149,378	23,882	19,375
Current Assets
Trading properties	112	3,232	1,249	241	3	5
Inventories	22	630	4,260	3,246	23	17
Restricted assets	147	4,245	506	564	9	-
Income tax and MPIT credit	14	399	339	506	19	16
Group of assets held for sale	180	5,192	2,681	-	-	1,649
Trade and other receivables	518	14,947	17,264	13,409	1,143	707
Investments in financial assets	884	25,503	11,951	9,656	295	234
Financial assets held for sale	155	4,466	2,337	1,256	-	-
Derivative financial instruments	3	87	51	19	29	13
Cash and cash equivalents	1,293	37,317	24,854	13,866	375	610
Total Current Assets	3,328	96,018	65,492	42,763	1,896	3,251
TOTAL ASSETS	11,639	335,773	231,242	192,141	25,778	22,626
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Capital and reserves attributable to the equity holders of the parent
Share capital	20	575	575	575	574	574
Treasury shares	-	4	4	4	5	5
Inflation adjustment of share capital and treasury shares	4	123	123	123	123	123
Share premium	27	793	793	793	793	793
Additional paid-in capital from treasury shares	1	19	17	16	7	-
Legal reserve	5	143	143	117	117	117
Special reserve	95	2,751	2,751	2,755	2,755	3,126
Other reserves	73	2,111	2,165	990	428	931
Retained earnings	1,071	30,902	19,293	16,259	7,235	4,551
Total capital and reserves attributable to equity holders of the parent	1,297	37,421	25,864	21,632	12,037	10,220
Non-controlling interest	1,287	37,120	21,472	14,224	943	998
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	2,584	74,541	47,336	35,856	12,980	11,218
LIABILITIES
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings	6,275	181,046	109,489	90,680	3,736	3,756
Deferred income tax liabilities	908	26,197	23,024	19,150	5,830	4,546
Trade and other payables	121	3,484	3,040	1,518	255	202
Provisions	123	3,549	943	532	29	29
Employee benefits	4	110	763	689	-	-
Derivative financial instruments	1	24	86	105	265	321
Salaries and social security liabilities	2	66	127	11	2	4
Total non-current liabilities	7,434	214,476	137,472	112,685	10,117	8,858
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables	507	14,617	20,839	17,874	896	679
Borrowings	887	25,587	19,926	22,252	1,237	737
Provisions	36	1,053	890	1,039	52	18
Group of liabilities held for sale	112	3,243	1,855	-	-	938
Salaries and social security liabilities	54	1,553	2,041	1,707	123	99
Income tax and MPIT liabilities	18	522	797	616	135	65
Derivative financial instruments	6	181	86	112	238	14
Total current liabilities	1,621	46,756	46,434	43,600	2,681	2,550
TOTAL LIABILITIES	9,055	261,232	183,906	156,285	12,798	11,408
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND LIABILITIES	11,639	335,773	231,242	192,141	25,778	22,626

	For the fiscal year ended June 30,
	2018	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
OTHER FINANCIAL DATA	(in millon of US$)(i)(ii)	(in millon of Ps.)
	(except for number of shares, per share and GDS data and ratios)
Basic profit from continuing operations per GDS(3)	3.18	91.79	24.05	159.93	33.07	30.59
Diluted profit from continuing operations per GDS(3)	3.16	91.16	23.89	158.83	32.84	30.45
Basic profit for the year per GDS(3)	9.04	260.92	52.70	165.81	33.07	30.59
Diluted profit for the year per GDS(3)	8.98	259.12	52.33	164.66	32.84	30.45
Diluted weighted – average number of common shares outstanding	578,676,417	578,676,471	578,700,307	578,811,837	578,004,721	578,676,470
Depreciation and amortization	130	3,737	3,377	1,531	33	29
Capital expenditures	263	7,597	5,482	47,059	532	318
Working capital	1,708	49,262	19,058	(837)	(785)	701
Ratio of current assets to current liabilities	0.07	2.05	1.41	0.98	0.71	1.27
Ratio of shareholders’ equity to total liabilities	0.01	0.29	0.26	0.23	1.01	0.98
Ratio of non-current assets to total assets	0.02	0.71	0.72	0.78	0.93	0.86
Dividends paid(4)	(92)	(2,651)	(2,037)	(106)	(69)	(113)
Dividends per common share	(0.16)	(4.61)	(3.54)	(0.18)	(0.12)	(0.20)
Dividends per GDS	(1.60)	(46.10)	(35.43)	(1.84)	(1.20)	(1.97)
Number of common shares outstanding	575,421,864	575,421,864	575,254,979	575,153,497	574,450,945	573,771,763
Share capital	575	575	575	575	574	574

(i) Totals may not sum due to rounding.

(ii) Solely for the convenience of the reader we have translated Peso amounts into U.S. Dollars at the seller exchange rate quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina as of June 30, 2018, which was Ps.28.8500 per US$1.00. The average seller exchange rate for the fiscal year 2018, quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina was Ps.19.4888. The seller exchange rate quoted by Banco de la Nación Argentina was Ps.36.7900 per US$1.00 as of October 25, 2018. We make no representation that the Argentine Peso or U.S. Dollar amounts actually represent, could have been or could be converted into U.S. Dollars at the rates indicated, at any particular rate or at all. See "Exchange Rates." Totals may not sum due to rounding.

(1)

Basic net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income available to holders of common shares for the period / year by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period / year.

(2)

Diluted net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income for the year by the weighted average number of ordinary shares including treasury shares.

(3)

Determined by multiplying the amounts per share by ten (one GDS is equal to ten common shares).

Dividend amounts, corresponding to fiscal years ending on June 30 of each year, are determined by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, which takes place in October of each year.

Local Exchange Market and Exchange Rates

Operations Center in Argentina

A.1. Local Exchange Market and Exchange Rates

In the period from 2001 to 2015, the Argentine government established a series of exchange control measures that restricted the free disposition of funds and the transfer of funds abroad. In 2011, these measures had significantly curtailed access to the MULC by both individuals and private sector entities. This made it necessary, among other things, to obtain prior approval from the Central Bank to enter into certain foreign exchange transactions such as payments relating to royalties, services or fees payable to related parties of Argentine companies outside Argentina.

With the change of government and political environment, in December 2015, one of the first measures taken by the Argentine government was to lift the main restrictions that limited access to individuals to the MULC. Through Communication “A” 5,850 and later, as the local economy stabilized, Communication “A” 6,037, the Central Bank lifted the previous limitations and allowed unrestricted access to the foreign exchange market, subject to some requirements, as detailed below.

The following table shows the maximum, minimum, average and closing exchange rates for each applicable period to purchases of U.S. dollars.

	Maximum(1)(2)	Minimum(1)(3)	Average(1)(4)	At closing(1)
Fiscal year ended:
June 30, 2014	8.0830	5.4850	6.9333	8.0830
June 30, 2015	9.0380	8.1630	8.5748	9.0380
June 30, 2016	15.7500	9.1400	12.2769	14.9900
June 30, 2017	16.5800	14.5100	15.4017	16.5800
June 30, 2018	28.8000	16.7500	19.4388	28.8000
Month ended:
April 30, 2018	20.5000	20.0850	20.1834	20.4900
May 31, 2018	24.9400	21.1500	23.6783	24.9100
June 30, 2018	28.8000	24.8500	26.5665	28.8000
July 31, 2018	28.2500	27.1600	27.5241	27.3600
August 31, 2018	37.5500	27.2400	30.1129	36.7500
September 30, 2018	41.1500	36.8900	38.4341	41.1500
October (through October 25, 2018)	39.5000	35.9000	37.0583	36.6900

Source: Banco de la Nación Argentina

(1) Average between the offer exchange rate and the bid exchange rate according to Banco de la Nación Argentina’s foreign currency exchange rate.

(2) The maximum exchange rate appearing in the table was the highest end-of-month exchange rate in the year or shorter period, as indicated.

(3) The minimum exchange rate appearing in the table was the lowest end-of-month exchange rate in the year or shorter period, as indicated.

(4) Average exchange rates at the end of the month.

Exchange controls

Although most exchange control regulations were lifted on August 2016, some remain in place and we cannot give you any assurance that additional exchange control regulations will not be adopted in the future. Please see “Item 3. Key information—d) Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Argentina—Exchange controls, restrictions on transfers abroad and capital inflow restrictions may limit the availability of international credit.”

Exchange controls regulations currently in effect in Argentina include the following:

Registration requirements

All incoming and outgoing funds to and from the MULC and any foreign indebtedness (financial and commercial) are subject to registration requirements before the Central Bank for informative purposes, in accordance with Communication “A” 6,401, as amended.

Corporate profits and dividends

Argentine companies may freely access the MULC for remittances abroad to pay earnings and dividends in so far as they arise from closed and fully audited balance sheets and have satisfied applicable certification requirements.

Restrictions on foreign indebtedness

Pursuant to Resolution E 1/2017 of the Ministerio de Hacienda and Communication “A” 6,150 of the Argentine Central Bank, it was deleted the obligation that required non-residents to perform portfolio investments in the country intended for the holding of private sector financial assets to maintain for a period of 120 days of permanence the funds in the country.

As of that resolution and the provisions of Communication “A” 6,244 of the Argentine Central Bank, there are no restrictions on entry and exit in the MULC.

Restrictions on exports, imports and services

Regarding exports, in 2016 the Central Bank relaxed certain rules related to the inflow and outflow of foreign currency collected abroad as a result of the collection of exports of goods, advance payments, and pre-export financings, establishing that the deadline to repatriate to Argentina the foreign currency is 10 years. The prior 10-business day period applicable for the transfer of funds collected abroad as a result of the collection of exports of goods, advance payments, and pre-export financings to a correspondent bank account of a local financial institution (cuenta de corresponsalía) was eliminated in December 2015. In relation to the export of services, Communication “A” 6,137 the Central Bank eliminated the obligation to repatriate to Argentina the foreign currency obtained.

Regarding imports, access to the foreign exchange market for the payment of imports with customs clearance date as of December 17, 2015 can be paid through the local foreign exchange market without any limit. AFIP Regulation No. 3,252 published on January 5, 2012 which required importers to file affidavits was eliminated in December 2015 and the import monitoring system (Sistema Integral de Monitoreo de Importaciones, or “SIMI”) was created, which established an obligation for importers to submit certain information electronically. Importers do not have to repatriate the goods within a specified period (previously this period was 365 calendar days from the date of access to the foreign exchange market).

Regarding the payment of services, access to the foreign exchange market for payments of services rendered as from December 17, 2015 may be carried out without restriction and without the Central Bank’s prior authorization.

Direct investments

Communication A 6401 established a new reporting system of direct investments, which replaced the reporting system established by Communications A 3602 and A 4237, applicable since December 31, 2017. As of date, investors who are Argentine residents must comply with the information regime if the value of their investments abroad reaches or exceeds the equivalent of US$1,000,000 (measured in terms of 1) the sum of the flows of external assets and liabilities during the previous calendar year, and 2) the balance of holdings of external assets and liabilities at the end of the previous calendar year). If the value of investments abroad does not exceed the equivalent of US$50,000,000, the information regime must be complied on an annual basis (in case it is less than US$10,000,000, the information regime will be annual but with a simplified form), instead of quarterly. If the value of the investments is less than the equivalent of US$1,000,000, compliance with said regime is optional.

Future and forward operations

The Central Bank has significantly amended the foreign exchange regulations in derivatives by eliminating the restriction on the execution of cross-border derivative transactions. In August 2016, the Central Bank introduced new foreign exchange regulations on derivative transactions which allowed local residents from entering into derivative transactions with foreign residents. Moreover, the regulations now provide that Argentine residents may access the foreign exchange market to pay premiums, post collateral and make payments related to forwards, futures, options and other derivatives entered into in foreign exchanges or with non-resident counterparties.

The foreign exchange regulations now allow Argentine residents to enter into derivative transaction with foreign counterparties without the need for authorization of the Central Bank. They also allow them to purchase foreign currency to make payments under such derivative transactions.

Law No. 27,440 in its articles 188 to 194 introduces, among others, the following modifications related to derivatives:

●

The right of the non-bankrupted party and the contracting party of an insurance entity subject to a judicial liquidation process to be resolv in advance the derivatives and passes granted by the Bankruptcy Law No. 24,522 and Law No. 20,091 of the Insurance Entities shall not apply;

●

The restriction for the exercise of the contractual mechanisms of early termination, termination, settlement, compensation and execution of guarantees contained in the derivatives established by the Financial Entities Law No. 21,526 and the Central Bank regulations shall not apply to.

Operations Center in Israel

The following table shows the maximum, minimum, average and closing exchange rates for each period applicable to purchases of New Israeli Shekels (NIS).

	Maximum(1)(2)	Minimum(1)(3)	Average(1)(4)	At closing(1)
Fiscal year ended:
June 30, 2014	3.6213	3.4320	3.5075	3.4320
June 30, 2015	3.9831	3.4260	3.8064	3.7747
June 30, 2016	3.9604	3.7364	3.8599	3.8596
June 30, 2017	3.8875	3.4882	3.6698	3.4882
June 30, 2018	3.6573	3.3902	3.5276	3.6573
Month ended:
April 30, 2018	3.5995	3.5020	3.5380	3.5995
May 31, 2018	3.6260	3.5613	3.5881	3.5648
June 30, 2018	3.6573	3.5569	3.6064	3.6573
July 31, 2018	3.6708	3.6234	3.6439	3.6708
August 31, 2018	3.7173	3.6051	3.6606	3.6051
September 30, 2018	3.6373	3.5709	3.5893	3.6373
October 2018 (through October 25, 2018)	3.6982	3.6236	3.6483	3.6982

Source: Bloomberg

(1)

Average between the offer exchange rate and the bid exchange rate of the New Israeli Shekel against the U.S. dollar.

(2)

The maximum exchange rate appearing in the table was the highest end-of-month exchange rate in the year or shorter period, as indicated.

(3)

The minimum exchange rate appearing in the table was the lowest end-of-month exchange rate in the year or shorter period, as indicated.

(4)

Average exchange rates at the end of the month.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

This section is not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

This section is not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the risks described below, in addition to the other information contained in this annual report, before making an investment decision. We also may face additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or which as of the date of this annual report we might not consider significant, which may adversely affect our business. In general, you take more risk when you invest in securities of issuers in emerging markets, such as Argentina, than when you invest in securities of issuers in the United States, and certain other markets. You should understand that an investment in our common shares and Global Depository Shares ( “GDSs”) involves a high degree of risk, including the possibility of loss of your entire investment.

Risks relating to Argentina

As of the date of this annual report, many of our operations, property and customers are located in Argentina. As a result, the quality of our assets, our financial condition and the results of our operations are dependent upon the macroeconomic, regulatory, social and political conditions prevailing in Argentina from time to time. These conditions include growth rates, inflation rates, exchange rates, taxes, foreign exchange controls, changes to interest rates, changes to government policies, social instability, and other political, economic or international developments either taking place in, or otherwise affecting, Argentina.

Economic and political instability in Argentina may adversely and materially affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Argentine economy has experienced significant volatility in recent decades, characterized by periods of low or negative GDP growth, high and variable levels of inflation and currency depreciation and devaluation. The economy has experienced high inflation and GDP growth has been sluggish in the last few years.

During 2014, the Argentine economy saw a slowdown due to the increase in exchange rates and decreases in commodity prices that adversely impacted exports. The Argentine economy continues to confront high rates of inflation and has an increasing need of capital investment, with many sectors, particularly the energy sector, operating near full capacity.

In March 2014, the Argentine Government announced a new method for calculating GDP recommended by the IMF changing the base year to 2004 from 1993. On June 29, 2016, a recalculation of estimated GDP growth rates based on 2004 prices was undertaken and resulted in calculated rates of 2.4% in 2013, (2.5)% in 2014, 2.7% in 2015, (1.8)% in 2016 and 2.9% in 2017. According to the INDEC, GDP growth in the first and second quarter of 2018 compared with the same quarter in the previous year was 3.9% and (4.2)%, respectively. According to the IMF, the estimated Argentina's real GDP growth will be (2.6)% in 2018 and (1.6)% in 2019. Economic activity in the second quarter of 2018 has been adversely affected by the Central Bank’s increase in the reference rate to 60% during that period to curtail the weakening of the Argentine peso. As of August 31, 2018, the depreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar was 50.1% comparing to the beginning of the year. In the second half of 2017 and the first half of 2018, the percentage of people below the poverty line was 25.7% and 27.3%, respectively. The unemployment rate in the first and second quarter of 2018 was 9.1% and 9.6%, respectively. The June 2018 / May 2018 variation of the Monthly Economic Activity Estimator was (1.3)%. On October 8, 2018, the IMF published the "World Economic Outlook" report, estimating an unemployment rate of 8.9% in 2018 and 9.4% in 2019.

On February 22, 2017, Minister of the Treasury Nicolas Dujovne announced fiscal targets for the period 2017-2019, ratifying the target set in the 2017 budget which established a primary deficit target of 4.2% of GDP for 2017, 3.2% for 2018 and 2.2% for 2019. On May 4, 2018, Minister Dujovne lowered the primary deficit target for 2018 to 2.7% of GDP in an effort to achieve a balanced budget by 2019. After agreeing to a stand-by arrangement with the IMF in June 2018, the Argentine Government has adjusted its primary fiscal deficit target to 1.0% of GDP for 2019 and intends to balance the budget by the end of 2020. On August 10, 2018, the IMF commenced its first review of the Argentine economy. This review is taking place during a complex period in Argentina as a bribery scandal, which involves many important businessmen, is underway and the Argentine peso is experiencing significant depreciation. On September 3, 2018, the Ministry of Treasury has adjusted its targets to a primary fiscal deficit of 2.6% of GDP in 2018, a balanced budget in 2019 and a primary fiscal surplus of 1.0% of GDP in 2019, through reducing the public primary expenditure, including reducing by half the amount of national ministries, from 20 to 10, but increasing the spending on social benefits, including the strengthening of the fair price of basic products policy and the universal child allowance (asignación universal por hijo) through the one-time granting of an extraordinary subsidy of Ps.1,200 in September 2018. On September 26, 2018, the Argentine Government agreed with the IMF an increase in the total amount of the stand by agreement from US$50 billion to US$57.1 billion. In this sense, the anticipated disbursements rise from US$6 billion to US$13.4 billion in 2018, and from US$11.4 billion to US$22.8 billion in 2019. On September 17, 2018, the Argentine Government summited to the Argentine Congress the budget law for fiscal year 2019 bill, ratifying the aforementioned budgetary targets. On September 26, 2018, the Central Bank announced a new monetary policy scheme aiming to lowering the inflation rate by adopting the following measures: (i) no increase in the level of the monetary base until June 2019, when it will be adjusted with the seasonality of December 2018 and June 2019; (ii) maintenance of the reference rate at 60% until the deceleration of inflation rate is taking place; (iii) implementation of a floating exchange rate with intervention and non-intervention zones for the U.S. dollar exchange rate between Ps.34 and Ps.44, with daily adjustment at a rate of 3% per month until the end of 2018 and its revision at the beginning of 2019, intervening in the purchase or sale of foreign currency for up to US$150 million per day to the extent that the exchange rate reaches the established upper or lower bound.

Since coming into power in December 2015, the Macri administration has adopted the following key economic and policy reforms.

●

INDEC reforms. President Macri appointed Mr. Jorge Todesca, previously a director of a private consulting firm, as head of the INDEC, based on its determination that INDEC had failed to produce reliable statistical information, particularly with respect to the consumer price index, or “CPI”, GDP and poverty and foreign trade data. On January 8, 2016, the Argentine government declared a state of administrative emergency relating to the national statistical system and the INDEC, until December 31, 2016. During 2016, the INDEC implemented certain methodological reforms and adjusted certain macroeconomic statistics on the basis of these reforms. Following the declared emergency, the INDEC ceased publishing statistical data until a rearrangement of its technical and administrative structure is finalized. During the course of implementing these reforms, however, INDEC has used official Consumer Price Index, or “CPI,” figures and other statistical information published by the Province of San Luis and the City of Buenos Aires. On June 29, 2016, the INDEC published revised GDP data for the years 2004 through 2015. On August 31, 2016, the IMF Executive Board met to consider the progress made by Argentina in improving the quality of official GDP and CPI data and noted the important progress made in strengthening the accuracy of Argentina’s statistics. On November 10, 2016, the IMF lifted the existing censure on Argentina regarding these data. In June 2017, INDEC began to publish revised CPI figures based on statistical information from 39 cities in Argentina.

●

Agreement with holdout bondholders. The Argentine government has settled claims with substantially all of the holdout bondholders who had not previously participated in Argentina’s sovereign debt restructurings (in terms of claims) and regained access to the international capital markets, issuing several new series of sovereign bonds since President Macri took office.

●

Foreign exchange reforms. The Macri administration eliminated a significant portion of foreign exchange restrictions, including certain currency controls, previously in effect. On August 9, 2016, the Central Bank issued Communication “A” 6037 which substantially changed the existing legal framework and eliminated certain restrictions limiting access to the foreign exchange market Mercado Único y Libre de Cambios, or “MULC.” On May 19, 2017, the Central Bank issued Communication “A” 6244, which unified the exchange control regulations and relaxed certain controls on the foreign exchange market. In addition, on December 26, 2017, the Central Bank implemented a new unified regime effective as of December 31, 2017 that requires the filing of an annual return, which is mandatory for any person whose total cash flow or balance of assets and liabilities amounts to US$1 million or more during the previous calendar year. The principal measures adopted as of the date of this annual report include:

the reestablishment of Argentine residents’ rights to purchase and remit foreign currency outside of Argentina without limit and without specific allocation (atesoramiento);

ii.

the elimination of the mandatory, non-transferable and non-interest bearing 30% deposit previously required in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency inflows;

iii.

the elimination of the requirement to transfer and settle the proceeds from new foreign financial indebtedness incurred by the foreign financial sector, the non-financial private sector and local governments through the MULC;

iv.

the elimination of the minimum stay-period that required that proceeds from certain foreign financial indebtedness must be held for a minimum of 365 calendar days; and

elimination of the requirement of minimum holding period (of 72 business hours) for purchases and subsequent sales of securities that trade in Argentina and in foreign stock markets (such as the GDSs).

●

Foreign trade reforms. The Macri administration eliminated export duties on wheat, corn, beef and regional products, and announced a gradual reduction of the duty on soybeans by 5% to 30%. Pursuant to Decree No. 1,343/16, published in the Official Gazette on January 2, 2017, the Argentine Government announced a gradual reduction of the duty on soybeans, beans, flour and soybean oil by 0.5 % per month from January 2018 to December 2019. In addition, the 5% export duty on most industrial exports and export duties on mining was eliminated. With respect to payments for imports of goods and services, the Macri administration announced the gradual elimination of restrictions on access to the MULC for any transactions originated before December 17, 2015. Regarding transactions executed after December 17, 2015, no quantitative limitations apply. However, on September 4, 2018, the Argentine Government issued Decree No. 793/2018 that reimplements an export duty of 12% until December 31, 2020 on export of goods and services, with a cap of Ps.4 for each U.S. dollar for primary goods and services and Ps.3 for the rest of the manufactured goods.

●

National electricity state of emergency and reforms. Following years of minimal investment in the energy sector, exacerbated by the Argentine Government’s failure to implement tariff increases on electricity and natural gas since the 2001-2002 economic crisis, Argentina began to experience energy shortages in 2011. In response to the growing energy crisis, on December 15, 2015, the Macri administration declared a state of emergency, which remained in effect until December 31, 2017. In addition, through Resolution No. 6/2016 of the Ministry of Energy and Mining and Resolution No. 1/2016 of the National Electricity Regulatory Agency (Ente Nacional Regulador de la Electricidad), the Macri administration announced the elimination of a portion of energy subsidies then in effect and implemented a substantial increase in electricity tariffs. As a result, average electricity prices increased substantially and could increase further in the future. Certain of Macri´s Administration initiatives have been challenged in Argentine courts and resulted in judicial injunctions or determinations that limit such initiatives. On May 31, 2018, the Argentine Congress approved a law seeking to limit the increase in energy tariffs implemented by the Macri administration, which was subsequently vetoed by President Macri.

●

Tax Amnesty Law. In July 2016, the Régimen de Sinceramiento Fiscal, or “Tax Amnesty Law,” was introduced to promote the voluntary disclosure of undeclared assets by Argentine residents. The Tax Amnesty Law allowed Argentine tax residents holding undeclared funds or assets located in Argentina or abroad to (i) declare such property prior to March 31, 2017 without facing prosecution for tax evasion or being required to pay past-due tax liabilities on those assets, if they could provide evidence that the assets were held as of certain specified cut-off dates, and (ii) keep the declared property outside Argentina and not repatriate such property to Argentina. With respect to cash that was not deposited in bank accounts by the specified cut-off dates, such amounts had to be disclosed and deposited by October 31, 2016 in special accounts opened at Argentine financial entities. Depending on the amount declared and how soon it was declared, the election to subscribe for certain investment securities and the payment method used, those who took advantage of the Tax Amnesty Law paid a special tax of between 0% and 15% on the total amount declared. Alternatively, they could invest an equivalent amount in Argentine Government bonds or a fund created to finance, among other things, public infrastructure projects and small- to medium-sized businesses. Taxpayers could elect to subscribe for certain investment securities and reduce the tax rates payable upon disclosure of previously undisclosed assets. On April 4, 2017, the Minister of Finance announced that as a result of the Tax Amnesty Law, assets totaling US$116,800 million were declared.

●

Retiree Program. On June 29, 2016, the Argentine Congress enacted the Historical Reparation Program for Retirees and Pensioners (Programa de Reparación Histórica para Jubilados y Pensionados). The main aspects of this Program, designed to reform social security policies to comply with Supreme Court decisions, include (i) payments to more than two million retirees and retroactive compensation of more than 300,000 retirees and (ii) creation of a universal pension for senior citizens, which guarantees a pension for all people over 65 years of age who would not otherwise be eligible to retire with a pension. The Historical Reparation Program for Retirees and Pensioners will provide retroactive compensation to retirees for a total amount of more than Ps.47,000 million and expenses of up to Ps.75,000 million to cover all potential beneficiaries.

● Increase in transportation fares. In January 2018, the Macri administration announced an increase in public transport fares in the Greater Buenos Aires area effective as of February 1, 2018.

●

Correction of monetary imbalances: The Macri administration announced the adoption of an inflation targeting regime in parallel with the floating exchange rate regime and set inflation targets for the next four years. The interannual inflation targets (comparing the rates as of December of each year) announced in 2016 by the Central Bank, were from 12% to 17% for 2017, from 8% to 12% for 2018, and from 3.5% to 6.5% for 2019. The Central Bank has increased the use of stabilization policies to reduce excess monetary imbalances and increased peso interest rates to offset inflationary pressure. On December 27, 2017, the Argentine Government modified the inflation targets for 2018, 2019 and 2020, increasing them to 15%, 10% and 5%, respectively. In June 2018, the Central Bank further adjusted inflation targets to 27% for 2018, 17% for 2019, 13% for 2020 and 9% for 2021 in light of the Stand-By Agreement with the IMF. In addition, on September 26, 2018, the Central Bank announced a new monetary policy scheme aiming to lowering the inflation rate mainly by adopting a floating exchange rate scheme, maintaining the reference rate at 60% until the deceleration of inflation rate is taking place and stopping the monetary base growth until June 2019, when it will be adjusted with the seasonality of December 2018 and June 2019. On October 8, 2018, the IMF published the "World Economic Outlook" report, estimating an inflation rate of 40.5% in 2018 and 20.2% in 2019.

● Pension system reform. On December 19, 2017, the Argentine Congress enacted the Pension Reform Law which, among other amendments, adjusted the values of pensions and social benefits in accordance with inflation and economic growth. Social security payments are subject to quarterly adjustments each year. 70% of the quarterly adjustment will be based on the CPI published by the INDEC and 30% on the variation in the Remuneración Imponible Promedio de los Trabajadores Estables (an index published by the Ministry of Labor that measures the salary increases of state employees). On December 20, 2017, Decree No. 1,058/17 was published and, with the aim of avoiding divergence with the application of the previous formula, established a compensatory bonus for retirees, pensioners and beneficiaries of the universal child allowance (asignación universal por hijo). On September 3, 2018, the Argentine Government announced the strengthening of the universal child allowance through the one-time granting of an extraordinary subsidy of Ps.1,200 in September 2018. The Pension Reform Law also amended the Labor Law to extend the age at which private sector employers may request the retirement of employees to 70 years of age (compared to 65 years under the prior regime). Notwithstanding the foregoing, private sector employees may still request pension benefits from the ages of 65 and 60 for male and female employees, respectively.

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Tax reform. On December 27, 2017, the Argentine Congress approved the tax reform law, enacted on December 28, 2017. The reform is intended to eliminate certain inefficiencies in the Argentine tax regime, diminish tax evasion, expand the tax base and encourage investment, with the long-term goal of restoring fiscal balance. The reform is part of a larger policy initiative of the Macri administration intended to increase employment, make the Argentine economy more competitive (by reducing the fiscal deficit, for example) and diminish poverty. The main aspects of the tax reform include the following: (i) capital gains on real estate sales by Argentine tax residents (subject to certain exceptions, including a primary residence exemption) acquired after enactment of the tax reform will be subject to tax of 15%; (ii) gains on currently exempt bank deposits and sales of securities (including sovereign bonds) by Argentine tax residents is subject to tax of (a) 5% in the case of those denominated in pesos, subject to fixed interest rate and not indexed, and (b) 15% for those denominated in a foreign currency or indexed; (iii) gains on sales of shares listed on a stock exchange remain exempt; (iv) corporate income tax will decline to 30% in 2018 and 2019 and to 25% in 2020; (v) social security contributions will be gradually increased to 19.5% starting in 2022, in lieu of the differential scales currently in effect; and (vi) the percentage of tax on debits and credits that can be credited to income tax will be gradually increased over a five-year period, from the current 17% for credits to 100% for credits and debits. The tax reform is to be implemented over a period of one to five years (depending on each modification). For further information, see “Taxation—Argentine Taxation”.

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Corporate Criminal Liability Law. On November 8, 2017, the Argentine Congress approved Law No. 27,401, which establishes a system of criminal liability of corporate entities for criminal offenses against public administration and national and cross-border bribery committed by, among others, its shareholders, attorneys-in-fact, directors, managers, employees, or representatives. Convicted legal persons are subject to various sanctions including a fine of between 1% and 20% of its annual gross revenue and the partial or total suspension of its activities for up to ten years. In addition, the law expands the national criminal jurisdiction to all cases of bribery including those committed outside the Argentine territory by citizens or companies with domicile or headquartered in Argentina.

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Public-Private Participation Law. On November 16, 2016, the Public-Private Participation Law was passed by the Argentine Congress, and has been regulated by Decree No. 118/2017. This new regime seeks to replace existing regulatory frameworks (Decrees No. 1,299/00 and 967/05) and supports the use of public-private partnerships for a wide variety of purposes including the design, construction, extension, improvement, provision, exploitation and/or operation and financing of infrastructure development, provision of public services, provision of productive services, investments, applied research, technological innovation and other associated services. The Public-Private Participation Law also includes protection mechanisms in favor of the private sector (contractors and lenders) in order to promote the development of these partnerships.

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Productive Financing Law. On May 9, 2018, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies approved Law No. 27,440 called “Ley de Financiamiento Productivo”, which creates a new financing regime for micro-, small- and medium-sized companies (“MiPyMEs”) and modifies Capital Markets Law No. 26,831, Investment Funds Law No. 24,083 and Law No. 23,576, among others, and implements certain tax provisions and regulations for derivative financial instruments.

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Labor reform bill. On November 18, 2017, the Executive Branch submitted a draft labor and social security reform bill to the Argentine Chamber of Senators, intended to formalize employment, decrease labor litigation, generate employment, increase productivity, protect vulnerable populations and improve worker training. As of the date of this annual report, the draft bill has not been considered by the Argentine Congress.

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Fiscal consensus and fiscal liability. On December 22, 2017, the Argentine Congress enacted the “Fiscal Pact”, also known as the “Fiscal Consensus”. The Fiscal Consensus includes a commitment to lower distortive taxes by 1.5% of GDP over the next five years, a withdrawal of lawsuits by provincial governments against the Argentine Government and a Ps.21,000 million payment to the Province of Buenos Aires for the year 2018 (which amount shall be increased over the next five years) as a partial and progressive solution to a long-standing conflict related to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area Fund over the Fondo del Conurbano Bonaerense. The Fiscal Consensus also set the basis for other policy reforms that were implemented by the Macri administration in December 2017, such as the tax reform, the pension system reform and the Fiscal Responsibility Law (Ley de Responsbilidad Fiscal). The fiscal deficit estimated for 2018 is 2.6% of 2018 GDP. The budget law for fiscal year 2019 bill projects a balanced budget in 2019 and a primary fiscal surplus of 1.0% of GDP by 2020.

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IMF stand-by arrangement: On June 7, 2018, the Argentine Government entered into a US$50 billion, 36-month stand-by arrangement with the IMF, which was approved by the IMF’s Executive Board on June 20, 2018. As of July 31, 2018, the Argentine Government had drawn on a first tranche of approximately US$15 billion, and the additional available funds will be treated as precautionary. This measure was intended to halt the significant depreciation of the peso during the first half of 2018. On September 26, 2018, the Argentine Government agreed with the IMF an increase in the total amount of the StandBy agreement from US$50 billion to US$57.1 billion. As a result, the anticipated disbursements increased from US$6 billion to US$13.4 billion in 2018, and from US$11.4 billion to US$22.8 billion in 2019. On October 26, 2018, the Executive Board of the IMF completed the first review of Argentina’s economic performance under the36-month stand-by arrangement, allowing to draw the equivalent of US$5.7 billion, bringing total disbursements since June 2018 to about US$20.4 billion. The Executive Board also approved an augmentation of the stand-by arrangement to increase access to about US$56.3 billion.

The impact that these measures, and any future measures taken by a new administration, will have on the Argentine economy as a whole and the financial sector in particular cannot be predicted. Economic liberalization may be disruptive to the economy and may fail to benefit, or may harm, our business, financial condition and results of operations. In particular, we have no control over the implementation of the reforms to the regulatory framework that governs its operations and cannot guarantee that these reforms will be implemented or that they will be implemented in a manner that will benefit our business. The failure of these measures to achieve their intended goals could adversely affect the Argentine economy and our business, financial position and results of operations.

In this context, as the date of this annual report, the Argentine economy remains unstable, among others, for the following reasons:

● a persistent high rate of public spending and substantial fiscal deficit;

● investments as a percentage of GDP remain low;

● public debt as a percentage of GDP remains high;

● the inflation rate remains at high levels;

● agricultural exports, which fueled the economic recovery, have been affected by the drought and lower prices than in prior years;

● rising of international crude oil prices;

● the availability of long-term credit to the private sector is scarce;

● the current trade deficit is high and could increase;

● the effects of a restrictive U.S. monetary policy, which could generate an increase in financial costs for Argentina;

● fluctuations in the Central Bank’s monetary reserves;

● uncertainty with respect to the imposition of exchange and capital controls; and

● other political, social and economic events abroad that adversely affect the current growth of the Argentine economy.

A further decline in Argentine economic growth or an increase in economic instability could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. As of the date of this annual report, the impact of the Macri administration’s policies on the Argentine economy as a whole and on the banking sector in particular cannot be predicted. In addition, congressional elections were held on October 22, 2017 and President Macri’s governing coalition obtained the largest share of votes at the national level. Although the number of coalition members in Congress increased (holding in the aggregate 108 of a total of 257 seats in the House of Representatives and 24 of 72 seats in the Senate), the coalition still lacks a majority in either chamber and, as a result, some or all of the policy proposals to promote growth of the economy (including reducing the fiscal deficit, controlling inflation and adopting fiscal and labor reforms) may not be implemented, which could adversely affect continued economic growth in Argentina. Higher rates of inflation, any decline in GDP growth rates and/or other future economic, social and political developments in Argentina, fluctuations in the rate of exchange of the Peso against other currencies, and a decline in consumer confidence or foreign direct investment, among other factors, may materially and adversely affect the development of the Argentine economy which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Continuing inflation may have an adverse effect on the economy and our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

According to the INDEC, the CPI was 10.8% in 2012, 10.9% in 2013 and 23.9% in 2014. In November 2015, the INDEC suspended the publication of the CPI. Hence, there was not an official CPI publication for the year 2015. An alternative CPI report was informed by the INDEC’s official website, depicting two alternative CPIs measurements: one published by the City of Buenos Aires and the other by the Province of San Luis, reaching 26.9% and 31.9%, respectively. After implementing certain methodological reforms and adjusting certain macroeconomic statistics based on these reforms, in June 2016, INDEC resumed publishing the CPI. The best available information for 2016 is the annual measurement of the index of consumer prices reported by the City of Buenos Aires of 41%. In 2017, inflation began to decrease in line with the Central Bank’s inflation targeting policies. According to the INDEC, the CPI increased 24.8% in 2017 and 1.8%, 2.4%, 2.3%, 2.7%, 2.1%, 3.7%, 3.1%, 3.9% and 6.5% for January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September 2018, respectively. At the end of 2017, Minister Dujovne announced that the CPI targets previously set out in the 2017 budget were revised to 15% for 2018, 10% for 2019 and 5% for 2020. After agreeing to a stand-by arrangement with the IMF in June 2018, the Argentine Government has adjusted its CPI targets to 27% for 2018, 17% for 2019, 13% for 2020 and 9% for 2021. In August 2018, the Central Bank adjusted its CPI targets to 40.5% for 2018, 24.5% for 2017 and 18% for 2020. On October 8, 2018, the IMF published the “World Economic Outlook” report, estimating an inflation rate in Argentina of 40.5% in 2018 and 20.2% in 2019. On October 25, 2018, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies gave preliminary approval to the draft budget for fiscal year 2019, estimating a year-on-year inflation rate of 23% for 2019, and it is expected to be treated in the Argentine Chamber of Senators on November 14, 2018.

Historically, high rates of inflation have undermined the Argentine economy and the Argentine Government’s ability to foster conditions for stable growth. High rates of inflation may also undermine Argentina’s competitiveness in international markets and adversely affect economic activity and employment, as well as our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

High rates of inflation would also adversely affect economic activity, employment, real salaries, consumption and interest rates. In addition, the dilution of the positive effects of any depreciation of the peso on the export-oriented sectors of the Argentine economy would decrease the level of economic activity in the country. In turn, a portion of the Argentine Government’s outstanding debt is adjusted by the Coeficiente de Estabilización de Referencia (or “CER”), a currency index tied to inflation. Therefore, any significant increase in inflation would generate an increase in Argentina’s debt measured in pesos and, consequently, its financial obligations.

In recent years, the Argentine Government has taken certain measures to contain inflation, such as implementing a fair price program that requires supermarkets to offer certain products at a government-determined price, and agreements with workers’ unions to implement salary increases. Additionally, the Argentine Government enacted Law No. 26,991 (the “Supply Law”), which empowers it to intervene in certain markets when it considers that any market participant is trying to impose prices or supply restrictions. The Supply Law provides among others pecuniary sanctions, suspension, seizure of operations, and confiscation of goods. On September 3, 2018, the Argentine Government further strengthened the fair price program by incorporating more basic consumer goods and places of distribution around the country into the program.

We cannot assure you that inflation rates will not continue to escalate in the future or that the measures adopted or that may be adopted by the Argentine Government to control inflation will be effective or successful. Inflation remains a challenge for Argentina. For example, certain objectives of the Argentine Government, such as the increase in tariffs to incentivize investment in the energy sector, may create inflationary pressures. Significant inflation could have an adverse effect on Argentina’s economy and in turn could increase our costs of operation, in particular labor costs, and may negatively affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations. See “—We depend on macroeconomic and political conditions in Argentina”.

The Peso qualifies as a currency of a hyperinflationary economy under IAS 29. Accordingly, we will apply IAS 29 for periods ending after July 1, 2018 and our historical audited consolidated financial statements and other financial information will need to be restated.

IAS 29 requires that financial statements of any entity whose functional currency is the currency of a hyperinflationary economy, whether based on the historical cost method or on the current cost method, be stated in terms of the measuring unit current at the end of the reporting period. IAS 29 does not establish a set inflation rate beyond which an economy is deemed to be experiencing hyperinflation. However, hyperinflation is commonly understood to occur when changes in price levels are close to or exceed 100% on a cumulative basis over the prior three years, along with the presence of several other qualitative macroeconomic factors.

During the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, the decreasing trend of inflation in Argentina noted in recent prior periods reversed, with variations in different indexes being higher than in previous months. The total cumulative inflation in Argentina in the 36 months prior to June 30, 2018, as measured by the wholesale price index published by the INDEC, has exceeded 100%. Qualitative macroeconomic factors, including the depreciation of the peso in recent months, also support the conclusion that Argentina is now a hyper-inflationary economy for accounting purposes. Accordingly, IAS 29 will be applicable for financial statements included in any of our filings with the SEC under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act for periods ending after July 1, 2018 and, therefore, our audited consolidated financial statements and any unaudited interim financial statements included in this annual report will need to be adjusted by applying a general price index and expressed in the measuring unit (the hyperinflationary currency) current at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Pursuant to Decree No. 664/2003, the Argentine Government prohibited regulatory entities of the national government, fom receiving financial information from regulated entities that includes adjustments for inflation, changes in costs or other variations in taxes, prices or tariffs. In addition, Law No. 23,928 prohibits Argentine companies from including adjustments for inflation in their financial statements. Given the current state of Argentine law, we cannot assure you whether regulatory agencies of the Argentine national government will require us to not apply IAS 29 to financial statements furnished to such regulators. If regulatory agencies in Argentina require us not to apply IAS 29, or to only apply IAS 29 to certain, but not all, of the periods included in our audited consolidated financial statements and unaudited interim financial statements, the audited consolidated financial statements and any unaudited interim financial statements included in this prospectus may not be comparable to certain of our financial statements furnished to regulators in Argentina.

We have not estimated yet the impact of the application of IAS 29 provisions on our audited consolidated financial statements.

We cannot assure that the accuracy of Argentina’s official inflation statistics will comply with international standards.

In January 2007, the INDEC modified its methodology to calculate the CPI. At the time that the INDEC adopted this change in methodology, the Argentine Government replaced several key officers at the INDEC, prompting complaints of governmental interference from the technical staff at the INDEC. The IMF requested Argentina to clarify the INDEC methodology used to calculate inflation rates.

On November 23, 2010, the Argentine Government began consulting with the IMF for technical assistance in order to prepare new CPI information with the aim of modernizing the current statistical system. During the first quarter of 2011, a team from the IMF started collaborating with the INDEC in order to create such an index. Notwithstanding such efforts, subsequently published reports by the IMF stated that its staff delivered alternative measures of inflation for macroeconomic surveillance, including information produced by private sources, and asserted that such measures resulted in inflation rates considerably higher than those published by the INDEC since 2007. Consequently, the IMF called on Argentina to adopt measures to improve the quality of data used by the INDEC. In a meeting held on February 1, 2013, the Executive Board of the IMF emphasized that the progress in implementing remedial measures since September 2012 had been insufficient. As a result, the IMF issued a declaration of censure against Argentina in connection with the breach of its related obligations and called on Argentina to adopt remedial measures to address the inaccuracy of inflation and GDP data immediately.

In order to address the quality of official data, a new consumer price index (the “IPCNu”), was enacted on February 13, 2014. Inflation as measured by the IPCNu was 23.9% in 2014, 31.6% in 2015 and 31.4% in 2016. The IPCNu represents the first national indicator in Argentina to measure changes in prices of household goods for final consumption. While the previous price index only measured inflation in the Greater Buenos Aires area, the IPCNu is calculated by measuring prices of goods in the main urban centers of the 23 provinces of Argentina and the City of Buenos Aires. On December 15, 2014, the IMF recognized the evolution of Argentine authorities to remedy the provision of data, but delayed the definitive evaluation of the new price index.

On January 8, 2016, based on its determination that the INDEC historically failed to issue reliable statistical information, the Macri administration issued a necessity and urgency decree suspending the publication of statistical information. The INDEC suspended all publications of statistical information until the process of technical reorganization was completed and the administrative structure of the INDEC was recomposed. At the end of this process of reorganization and recovery, the INDEC gradually began to publish official information. The INDEC recalculated historical GDP and the revised measurements showed that the GDP increased 2.4% in 2013, contracted 2.5% in 2014, increased 2.7% in 2015, and contracted 1.8% in 2016.

On November 9, 2016, the IMF, after analyzing the progress made with respect to the accuracy of official statistics regarding the CPI, decided to lift the censorship imposed in 2013, and determined that the Argentine CPI currently complies with international standards. However, we cannot assure you that such inaccuracy regarding official economic indicators will not recur. If despite the changes introduced by the Macri administration these differences between the figures published by the INDEC and those registered by private consultants persist, there could be a significant loss of confidence in the Argentine economy, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

High levels of public spending in Argentina could generate long lasting adverse consequences for the Argentine economy.

During recent years, the Argentine Government has substantially increased public spending. In 2015, government spending increased by 34.4% as compared to 2014, resulting in a primary fiscal deficit of 3.8% of GDP. In 2016, government spending increased by 42.8% as compared to 2015, resulting in a primary fiscal deficit of 4.2% of GDP. In 2017, government spending increased by 25.9% as compared to 2016, resulting in a primary fiscal deficit of 3.8% of GDP. If government spending continues to outpace revenues, the fiscal deficit is likely to increase and past sources of funding to address such deficit, such as the Central Bank and the Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social (“ANSES”) may be utilized.

Any such increasing deficit could have a negative effect on the Argentine Government’s ability to access the long-term financial markets, and in turn, could limit the access to such markets for Argentine companies, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

Argentina’s ability to obtain financing in the international capital markets is limited, which may impair its ability to implement reforms and public policies and foster economic growth.

Argentina has had limited access to foreign financing in recent years, primarily as a result of a default in December 2001 by Argentina on its debt to foreign bondholders, multilateral financial institutions and other financial institutions. Argentina’s 2001 default and its failure to fully restructure its sovereign debt and negotiate with the holdout creditors has limited and may continue to limit Argentina’s ability to access international capital markets. In 2005, Argentina completed the restructuring of a substantial portion of its defaulted sovereign indebtedness and settled all of its debt with the IMF. Additionally, in June 2010, Argentina completed the renegotiation of approximately 67% of the principal amount of the defaulted bonds outstanding that were not swapped in the 2005 restructuring. As a result of the 2005 and 2010 debt swaps, Argentina has restructured approximately 92.1% of its defaulted debt that was eligible for restructuring (the “Debt Exchanges”). Holdout creditors that had declined to participate in the exchanges commenced numerous lawsuits against Argentina in several countries, including the United States, Italy, Germany, and Japan.

As a result of the litigation filed by holdout bondholders and their related efforts to attach Argentina’s sovereign property located in the United States and other jurisdictions, Argentina’s ability to access the international capital markets was severely limited. In February 2016, the Argentine Government agreed with a group of Italian bondholders to pay in cash the total principal amount of debt owed to such holders. In mid-2016, the Argentine Government emerged from default and paid US$900 million to the approximately 50,000 Italian bondholders who owned government securities with defaulted payments part due.

During February 2016, U.S. federal court special master Daniel Pollack ratified an agreement between the Argentine Government and the holdout creditors led by Elliot Management, Aurelius Capital, Davidson Kempner and Bracebridge Capital funds providing for a US$4.65 billion payment in respect of defaulted sovereign bonds, representing a 25% discount to the total principal amount of principal and interest due on the defaulted bonds, as well as attorney fees and expenses incurred. This agreement stipulated that the terms of the settlement be approved by the Argentine Congress, and that Law No. 26,017 (the “Padlock Law”) and the Sovereign Payment Law be repealed.

In March 2016, the Argentine Government submitted a bill to Congress seeking authorization to consummate the settlement, which was approved on April 1, 2016, by enactment of Law No. 27,249 pursuant to which, the Argentine Government was authorized to pay in cash up to US$11.6 billion to the holdout bondholders. The proceeds for such payment were raised through an issuance of sovereign debt in the international capital markets. Among other provisions, the new law repealed the Padlock Law and Sovereign Payment Law.

At the beginning of April 2016, special master Daniel Pollack announced that the Argentine Government had reached agreements with additional holdout bondholders. As a result, the Argentine Government has reached agreements with nearly 90% of the debt holders that did not participate in the 2005 and 2010 bond exchange transactions. On April 13, 2016, the Court of Appeals lifted the restrictions on Argentina to fulfill its debt obligations. In April 2016, the Argentine Government issued US$16.4 billion principal amount of bonds. On April 22, 2016, the Argentine Government paid amounts due under the agreement and the U.S. courts removed all previously issued sanctions and injunctions. From December 31, 2015 to December 31, 2017, Argentina’s sovereign debt increased by US$80.3 billion, according to the Ministry of the Treasury.

As of the date of this annual report, proceedings initiated by holdouts and other international creditors that did not accept Argentina’s payment offer continue in several jurisdictions, although the size of the claims involved has declined considerably. The potential consequences of final judgments from courts in various jurisdictions are unclear and further adverse rulings could adversely affect the Argentine Government’s ability to issue debt securities or obtain favorable terms when the need to access the international capital markets arises, and consequently, our own capacity to access these markets could also be limited.

Foreign shareholders of companies operating in Argentina have initiated investment arbitration proceedings against Argentina that have resulted and could result in arbitral awards and/or injunctions against Argentina and its assets and, in turn, limit its financial resources.

In response to the emergency measures implemented by the Argentine Government during the 2001-2002 economic crisis, a number of claims were filed before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”), against Argentina. Claimants allege that the emergency measures were inconsistent with the fair and equitable treatment standards set forth in various bilateral investment treaties by which Argentina was bound at the time.

Claimants have also filed claims before arbitral tribunals under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, or “UNCITRAL,” and under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). As of the date of this annual report, it is not certain that Argentina will prevail in having any or all of these cases dismissed, or that if awards in favor of the plaintiffs are granted, that it will succeed in having those awards annulled. Ongoing claims before the ICSID tribunal and other arbitral tribunals could lead to new awards against Argentina, which could have an adverse effect on our capacity to access to the international capital markets.

The amendment of the Central Bank’s Charter and the Convertibility Law may adversely affect the Argentine economy.

On March 22, 2012, the Argentine Congress passed Law No. 26,739, which amended the Charter of the Central Bank and Law No. 23,298 (the “Convertibility Law”). This law amends the objectives of the Central Bank (established in its Charter) and includes a mandate focused on promoting social equity programs in addition to developing monetary policy and financial stability.

A key component of the Central Bank Charter amendment relates to the use of international reserves. Pursuant to this amendment, Central Bank reserves may be made available to the Argentine Government for the repayment of debt or to finance public expenditures. During 2013, U.S. dollar reserves held at the Central Bank decreased to US$30.6 billion from US$43.3 billion in 2012, while during 2014 reserves increased to US$31.4 billion. The Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves were US$25.6 billion as of December 31, 2015, US$39.3 billion as of December 30, 2016, US$55.1 billion as of December 29, 2017 and US$52.7 billion as of August 31, 2018.

The Argentine Government’s use of Central Bank reserves to repay debt or to finance public expenditures may make the Argentine economy more vulnerable to higher rates of inflation or external shocks, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

Significant fluctuations in the value of the Peso may adversely affect the Argentine economy as well as our financial performance.

Despite the positive effects of the depreciation of the peso in 2002 on the competitiveness of certain sectors of the economy, depreciation has had a negative impact on the ability of Argentine businesses to honor their foreign currency-denominated debt obligations, initially resulting in high rates of inflation and significantly reduced real wages, which has had a negative impact on businesses that depend on domestic demand, such as utilities and the financial industry, and has adversely affected the Argentine Government’s ability to honor its foreign currency-denominated debt obligations.

Since the strengthening of foreign exchange controls began in late 2011, and upon introduction of measures that gave private companies and individuals limited access to foreign currency, the implied peso exchange rate, as reflected in the quotations for Argentine securities that trade in foreign markets compared to the corresponding quotations in the local market, increased significantly compared to the official exchange rate.

In 2015, the U.S. dollar to peso exchange rate increased 53% as compared to 2014. In 2016, the U.S. dollar to peso exchange rate increased 22% as compared to 2015. In 2017, the U.S. dollar to peso exchange rate increased 18% as compared to 2016. This trend continued in the first few months of 2018, with an increase of 7% from December 31, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Further, the U.S. dollar to peso exchange rate increased approximately 97.7%, from Ps.20.69 in April 27, 2018 to Ps.40.90 as of September 28, 2018. On October 25, 2018, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies gave preliminary approval to the draft budget for fiscal year 2019, estimating an average exchange rate of Ps.40.10 for US$1.00 in 2019, Ps.44.30 for US$1.00 in 2020, Ps.48.20 for US$1.00 in 2021 and Ps.50.50 for US$1.00 in 2022, and it is expected to be treated in the Argentine Chamber of Senators on November 14, 2018.

As a result of the significant depreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar, on October 11, 2018 the Central Bank increased the monetary policy rate to 72.73% aiming to attract investments in this currency. This high interest rate deteriorates the conditions for accessing credit by individuals and legal entities, producing an increase in debt levels paid off, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

In addition, high interest rates in pesos may not be sustainable in the medium term, which could affect the level of economic activity reducing consumption. As a result, a contraction in GDP is expected for 2018.

A significant further depreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar could have an adverse effect on the ability of Argentine companies to make timely payments on their debts denominated, indexed or otherwise connected to a foreign currency, could generate very high inflation rates, reduce real salaries significantly, and have an adverse effect on companies focused on the domestic market, such as public utilities and the financial industry. Such a potential depreciation could also adversely affect the Argentine Government’s capacity to honor its foreign debt, which could affect our capacity to meet obligations denominated in a foreign currency which, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and the results of our operations . While certain of our office leases are set in U.S. dollars, we are only partially protected against depreciation of the Peso and there can be no assurance we will be able to maintain our U.S. dollar-denominated leases.

In addition, on June 7, 2018, the Argentine Government entered into a US$50 billion 36-month stand-by arrangement with the IMF, which was approved by the IMF’s Executive Board on June 20, 2018. The Argentine Government has drawn on a first tranche of approximately US$15 billion, and the additional available funds will be treated as precautionary. This measure was intended to halt the significant depreciation of the peso during the first half of 2018. On September 26, 2018, the Argentine Government agreed with the IMF an increase the total amount of the stand-by agreement from US$50 billion to US$57.1 billion. Consequently, disbursements are expected to increase from US$6 billion to US$13.4 billion in 2018, and from US$11.4 billion to US$22.8 billion in 2019. On October 26, 2018, the Executive Board of the IMF completed the first review of Argentina’s economic performance under the36-month stand-by arrangement, allowing to draw the equivalent of US$5.7 billion, bringing total disbursements since June 2018 to about US$20.4 billion. The Executive Board also approved an augmentation of the stand-by arrangement to increase access to about US$56.3 billion.

On September 26, 2018, the Central Bank announced a new monetary policy scheme aiming to lowering the inflation rate by adopting the following measures: (i) no increase in the level of the monetary base until June 2019, when it will be adjusted with the seasonality of December 2018 and June 2019; (ii) maintenance of the monetary policy rate at 60% until the deceleration of inflation rate is taking place; (iii) implementation of a floating exchange rate with intervention and non-intervention zones for the U.S. dollar exchange rate between Ps.34 and Ps.44, with daily adjustment at a rate of 3% per month until the end of 2018 and its revision at the beginning of 2019, intervening in the purchase or sale of foreign currency for up to US$150 million per day to the extent that the exchange rate reaches the established upper or lower bound.

A substantial appreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar could negatively impact the financial condition of entities whose foreign currency-denominated assets exceed their foreign currency-denominated liabilities. In addition, in the short-term, a significant real appreciation of the peso would adversely affect exports and could result in a slowdown in economic growth. This could have a negative effect on GDP growth and employment as well as reduce the Argentine public sector’s revenues by reducing tax collection in real terms, given its current heavy reliance on taxes on exports. As a result, the appreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar could also have an adverse effect on the Argentine economy and, in turn, our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

Certain measures that may be taken by the Argentine Government may adversely affect the Argentine economy and, as a result, our business and the results of our operations.

Prior to December 2015, the Argentine Government accelerated its direct intervention in the economy through the implementation or amendment of laws and regulations, including with respect to nationalizations and/or expropriations; restrictions on production, imports and exports; foreign exchange and/or transfer restrictions; direct and indirect price controls; tax increases, changes in the interpretation or application of tax laws and other retroactive tax claims or challenges; cancellation of contract rights; and delays or denials of governmental approvals, among others.

In November 2008, the Argentine Government enacted Law No. 26,425 which provided for the nationalization of the Administradoras de Fondos de Jubilaciones y Pensiones (the “AFJPs”). In April 2012, the Argentine Government nationalized YPF S.A. and imposed major changes to the system under which oil companies operate, principally through the enactment of Law No. 26,714 and Decree No. 1,277/2012. In February 2014, the Argentine Government and Repsol S.A. (the former principal shareholder of YPF S.A.) announced that they had reached an agreement on the compensation payable to Repsol S.A. for the expropriation of YPF S.A. of US$5 billion payable in Argentine sovereign bonds with various maturities. On April 23, 2014, the agreement with Repsol S.A. was approved by the Argentine Congress and on May 8, 2014, Repsol S.A. received the relevant Argentine Government bonds. On July 10, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a U.S. federal trial court decision, finding that Burford Capital Ltd’s claim for more than US$3 billion in damages against the Argentine government in connection with the nationalization of YPF S.A. is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal courts. The claim by Burford Capital Ltd. has been referred to the trial court for substantive proceedings.

There are other examples of intervention by the Argentine Government. In December 2012 and August 2013, Argentine Congress established new regulations relating to domestic capital markets. The regulations generally provided for increased Argentine Government intervention in the capital markets authorizing, for example, the CNV to appoint observers with the ability to veto the decisions of the board of directors of publicly listed companies under certain circumstances and to suspend the board of directors for a period of up to 180 days. However, on May 9, 2018, the Argentine Congress approved Law No. 27,440, which introduced modifications to the Capital Markets Law, including the removal of the CNV’s power to appoint supervisors with powers of veto over resolutions adopted by a company’s board of directors.

We cannot assure you that these or similar and other measures to be adopted by the Argentine Government, such as expropriation, nationalization, forced renegotiation or modification of existing contracts, new tax policies, modification of laws, regulations and policies that affect foreign trade, investment, among others, will not have an adverse effect on the Argentine economy and, as a consequence, adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

The Argentine Government may mandate salary increases for private sector employees, which would increase our operating costs.

In the past, the Argentine Government has passed laws, regulations and decrees requiring companies in the private sector to maintain minimum wage levels and provide specified benefits to employees. In the aftermath of the Argentine economic crisis, employers both in the public and private sectors experienced significant pressure from their employees and labor unions to increase wages and provide additional employee benefits. In August 2012, the Argentine Government established a 25% increase in the minimum monthly salary to Ps.2,875, effective as of February 2013. The Argentine Government increased the minimum monthly salary to Ps.3,300 in August 2013, to Ps.3,600 in January 2014, to Ps.4,400 in September 2014, to Ps.4,716 in January 2015, to Ps.5,588 in August 2015 and to Ps.6,060 as of January 2016. In May 2016, the Argentine Government announced a 33% increase in the minimum monthly salary to be implemented in three installments as follows: Ps.8,060 as of July 1, 2017, Ps.9,500 as of January 1, 2018 and Ps.10,000 in July 2018, an increase of 24% compared to the prior minimum. On August 8, 2018, the National Council for Employment, Productivity and Minimum Wage (Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario M’nimo, Vital y Móvil), summoned by the National Labor Ministry, issued Resolution No. 3/2018 increasing the minimum monthly salary in four installments as follows: Ps.10,700 as of September 1, 2018, Ps.11,300 as of December 1, 2018, Ps.11,900 as of March 1, 2019 and Ps.12,500 as of June 2019, an increase of 25% compared to the prior minimum.

It is possible that the Argentine Government could adopt measures mandating further salary increases and/or the provision of additional employee benefits in the future. Any such measures could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and the results of our operations. On February 14, 2018, the INDEC published new data regarding the evolution of private and public-sector salaries. The total salaries index registered a growth of 27.5% during 2017, as a result of the 26.5% increase in salaries of the formal private sector and an increase of 31.5% in the informal private sector.

Property values in Argentina could decline significantly.

Property values are influenced by multiple factors that are beyond our control, such as a decrease in the demand for real estate properties due to a deterioration of macroeconomic conditions or an increase in supply of real estate properties that could adversely affect the value of real estate properties. We cannot assure you that property values will increase or that they will not be reduced. Many of the properties we own are located in Argentina. As a result, a reduction in the value of properties in Argentina could materially affect our business and our financial statements due to the valuation of our investment properties at fair market value.

Restrictions on transfers of foreign currency and the repatriation of capital from Argentina may impair our ability to pay dividends and distributions.

According to Argentine practices, the Argentine government may impose restrictions on the exchange of Argentine currency into foreign currencies and on the remittance to foreign investors of proceeds from investments in Argentina in circumstances where a serious imbalance develops in Argentina’s balance of payments or where there are reasons to foresee such an imbalance. Beginning in December 2001, the Argentine government implemented a number of monetary and foreign exchange control measures that included restrictions on the free disposition of funds deposited with banks and on the transfer of funds abroad without prior approval by the Central Bank. With the administration of President Macri, many of the former restrictions were lifted.

On January 7, 2003, the Central Bank issued communication “A” 3859, as amended, which is still in force and pursuant to which there are no limitations on companies’ ability to purchase foreign currency and transfer it outside Argentina to pay dividends, provided that those dividends arise from net earnings corresponding to approved and audited financial statements. The transfer of funds abroad by local companies to pay annual dividends only to foreign shareholders, based on approved and fully audited financial statements, does not require formal approval by the Central Bank.

Notwithstanding the above, for many years, and as a consequence of a decrease in availability of U.S. dollars in Argentina, the previous Argentine government imposed informal restrictions on certain local companies and individuals for purchasing foreign currency. These restrictions on foreign currency purchases started in October 2011 and tightened thereafter. As a result of these informal restrictions, local residents and companies were prevented from purchasing foreign currency through the MULC for the purpose of making payments abroad, such as dividends, capital reductions, and payment for imports of goods and services.

Such restrictions and other foreign exchange control measures were lifted by the new administration, moving towards opening Argentina’s foreign exchange market. In this sense, on December 17, 2015, Communication “A” 5850 of the Central Bank reestablished the possibility for non-residents to repatriate their investment capital and, Communication “A” 6037 of the Central Bank defined the new regulations that apply to the acquisition of foreign currency and the elimination of all other restrictions that impair residents and non-residents to have access to the foreign exchange market. However, in the future, the Argentine government or the Central Bank may impose formal restrictions to the payment of dividends abroad, on capital transfers and establish additional requirements. Such measures may negatively affect Argentina’s international competitiveness, discouraging foreign investments and lending by foreign investors or increasing foreign capital outflow which could have an adverse effect on economic activity in Argentina, and which in turn could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Furthermore, any restrictions on transferring funds abroad imposed by the government could undermine our ability to pay dividends on our GDSs in U.S. dollars.

Exchange controls and restrictions on transfers abroad and capital inflow restrictions, if re-imposed, could limit the availability of international credit.

Until December 2015, there were many foreign exchange restrictions and controls that limited access to the MULC. However, in December 2015, the Macri administration announced certain reforms to the foreign exchange market with the intention of providing greater flexibility and ease of access to the foreign exchange market for individuals and private sector entities. On December 16, 2015, the Central Bank issued Communication “A” 5850, lifting most of the restrictions then in place. Among these measures, free access to the MULC was granted for the purchase of foreign currency intended for general purposes, without the need for obtaining the Central Bank’s or the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos (the “AFIP”) previous consent, and the requirement to deposit 30% of certain capital inflows into Argentina was eliminated. Towards the end of 2016, the remaining exchange control restrictions were also lifted when the Central Bank issued Communications “A” 6037 and “A” 6150, thereby granting free access to the MULC. Pursuant to Resolution E 1/2017 of the Ministry of Treasury and Communication “A” 6,150 modified by Communication “A” 6,244 of the Central Bank, the obligation requiring non-residents who make portfolio investments in the country aimed at holding private sector financial assets to maintain for a period of 120 days the funds in the country was abolished. Pursuant to this resolution and the Central Bank Communication “A” 6,244, and its amendments, there are no restrictions on entry and exit in the MULC. Accordingly, due to lifting most of the restrictions to access to the MULC, the Central Bank eliminated the obligation to enter and settle funds in foreign currency originated from the export of services to non-residents through the MULC, to the extent that they are not part of the Free On Board (“FOB”) value and/or Cost, Insurance and Freight (“CIF”) of assets exported, eliminated the requirement of a minimum holding period of 72 business hours in relation to the purchase and sale of public securities authorized to trade on the different local and international stock markets, and eliminated the requirement of compulsory entry and liquidation of flows resulting from external debt, including principal and interests. However, the results of capital inflows in the exchange market must be acredited on an account opened by a local financial institution.

Although the Macri administration eliminated such restrictions, we cannot assure you that foreign exchange regulations will not be amended, or that new regulations will not be enacted in the future imposing greater limitations on funds flowing into and out of the Argentine foreign exchange market. Any such new measures, as well as any additional controls and/or restrictions, could materially affect our ability to access the international capital markets and, may undermine our ability to make payments of principal and/or interest on our obligations denominated in a foreign currency or transfer funds abroad to make payments on our obligations (which could affect our financial condition and results of operations). Therefore, Argentine resident or non-resident investors should take special notice of these regulations (and their amendments) that limit access to the foreign exchange market. In the future we may be prevented from making payments in U.S. dollars and/or making payments outside of Argentina due to the restrictions in place at that time in the foreign exchange market and/or due to the restrictions on the ability of companies to transfer funds abroad

The Argentine economy could be adversely affected by political and economic developments in other global markets.

Financial and securities markets in Argentina are influenced, to varying degrees, by economic and market conditions in other global markets. The international scenario shows contradictory signals of global growth, as well as high financial and exchange uncertainty. Although such conditions may vary from country to country, investor reactions to events occurring in one country may affect capital flows to issuers in other countries, and consequently affect the trading prices of their securities. Decreased capital inflows and lower prices in the securities market of a country may have an adverse effect on the real economy of those countries in the form of higher interest rates and foreign exchange volatility.

During periods of uncertainty in international markets, investors generally choose to invest in high-quality assets (“flight to quality”) over emerging market assets. This has caused and could continue to cause an adverse impact on the Argentine economy and could continue to adversely affect the country’s economy in the near future. On June 20, 2018, MSCI Inc., a leading provider of indexes and portfolio construction and risk management tools and services for global investors (“MSCI”), reclassified and promoted Argentina to emerging markets status after being dropped to frontier status in May 2009. The MSCI Argentina Index will be included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index in May 2019. However, MSCI will continue to restrict the inclusion in the index to only foreign listings of Argentinian companies, such as American Depositary Receipts, as the feedback from international institutional investors stated that higher liquidity across the domestic market is needed before considering a shift from offshore to onshore listings. MSCI will reevaluate this decision as liquidity conditions on the BYMA continue to improve.

Most emerging economies have been affected by the change in the U.S. monetary policy, resulting in the sharp unwinding of speculative asset positions, depreciations and increased volatility in the value of their currencies and higher interest rates. The general appreciation of the U.S. dollar resulting from a more restrictive U.S. monetary policy contributed to the fall of the international price of raw materials, increasing the difficulties of emerging countries which are exporters of these products. There is global uncertainty about the degree of economic recovery in the United States, with no substantial positive signals from other developed countries and an increased risk of a general deceleration in developing countries, specifically China, which is the main importer of Argentine commodities. Moreover, the recent challenges faced by the European Union to stabilize certain of its member economies, such as Greece, have had international implications affecting the stability of global financial markets, which has hindered economies worldwide. The Eurozone finance ministers, at a meeting held in August 2015, agreed a third bailout deal for Greece, which required the approval of several countries such as Germany, one of its main creditors.

Although economic conditions vary from country to country, investors’ perception of the events occurring in one country may substantially affect capital flows into other countries. International investors’ reactions to events occurring in one market sometimes demonstrate a “contagion” effect in which an entire region or class of investment is disfavored by international investors. Argentina could be adversely affected by negative economic or financial developments in other countries, which in turn may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and the results of our operations. Lower capital inflows and declining securities prices negatively affect the real economy of a country through higher interest rates or currency volatility. The Argentine economy was adversely impacted by the political and economic events that occurred in several emerging economies in the 1990s, including those in Mexico in 1994, the collapse of several Asian economies between 1997 and 1998, the economic crisis in Russia in 1998 and the Brazilian depreciation in January 1999.

Likewise, the “flight to quality” has also affected Argentina, causing a deterioration of its sovereign spread that reached 783 basis points on September 4, 2018, based on the J.P. Morgan EMBI+ Index, worseningthe conditions for accessing new external financing. On October 26, 2018, the Argentine country risk index reached 670 basis points by.

Argentina is affected by economic conditions of its major trade partners, such as Brazil, which devalued its currency in early February 2015, causing the Brazilian real to suffer the steepest depreciation in over a decade.

Brazil, which is Argentina’s main trading partner, has experienced GDP contraction in recent years (3.5% in 2015 and 3.5% in 2016). Although Brazil’s economic outlook seems to be improving, a further deterioration of economic activity, a delay in Brazil’s expected economic recovery or a slower pace of economic improvement in Brazil may have a negative impact on Argentine exports and on the overall level of economic and industrial activity in Argentina, particularly with respect to the automotive industry. In February 2016, Standard & Poor’s downgraded Brazil’s credit rating to BB. In December 2015 and February 2016, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s, respectively, also downgraded Brazil’s credit ratings to BB+ and Ba2, respectively. In 2017, Brazil experienced a slight increase in its GDP, increasing by 1.0%. If the Brazilian economy’s current recovery stalls or once again deteriorates, the demand for Argentine exports may be adversely impacted. In turn, on October 28, 2018, the presidential elections were held in Brazil, with the conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro as the winner in the final round with 55.1% of the votes, who will take office on January 1, 2019. We can not predict the impact on the global economy, and particularly in Argentina, of the policies of the Bolsonaro´s administration and, consequently, the results of our business, financial condition and the results of our operations.

Moreover, Argentina may be affected by other countries that have influence over world economic cycles, such as the United States or China. In particular, China, which is the main importer of Argentine commodities, saw the yuan depreciate since the end of 2015, which has adversely affected companies with substantial exposure to that country. Depreciation of the yuan continued during 2016, and Chinese economic growth slowed in 2016 and 2017. The slowdown of the Chinese economy and increased volatility of its financial markets could impact financial markets worldwide, which, in turn, could increase the cost and availability of financing both domestically and internationally for Argentine companies. Starting in April 2018, the U.S. imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from China, as well as Canada and countries in the European Union. On July 6, 2018, the United States imposed 25% tariffs on US$34 billion worth of Chinese goods, which then led China to respond with similarly sized tariffs on United States’ products. On July 10, 2018, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced a 10% tax on a US$200 billion list of 5,745 Chinese products, implemented as of September 24, 2018. Also, on September 18, 2018, the Chinese government announced a 5% to 10% tax on a US$60 billion list of 5,207 American goods, implemented as of September 24, 2018. A new global economic and/or financial crisis or the effects of deterioration in the current international context, could affect the Argentine economy and, consequently, the results of our operations, financial condition and the trading price for our GDSs.

If interest rates rise significantly in developed economies, including the United States, Argentina and other emerging market economies could find it more difficult and expensive to borrow capital and refinance existing debt, which would negatively affect their economic growth. In addition, if these developing countries, which are also Argentina’s trade partners, fall into a recession; the Argentine economy would be affected by a decrease in exports. All of these factors could have a negative impact on us, our business, operations, financial condition and prospects.

In a non-binding referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union on June 23, 2016, a majority of those who voted approved the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. Any withdrawal by the United Kingdom from the European Union (referred to as “Brexit”) would occur after, or possible concurrently with, a process of negotiation regarding the future terms of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union, which could result in the United Kingdom losing access to certain aspects of the single EU market and the global trade deals negotiated by the European Union on behalf of its members. Negotiations for the exit of the United Kingdom began in early 2017 and the probable date for the departure is March 2019. As a result of Brexit, London could cease to be the financial center of Europe and some banks have already announced their intention to transfer many jobs to continental Europe and Ireland and have indicated that Germany could replace London as the financial center of Europe. The possible negative consequences of Brexit include an economic crisis in the United Kingdom, a short-term recession and a decrease of investments in public services and foreign investment. The greatest impact of Brexit would be on the United Kingdom, however the impact may also be significant to the other member states.

As for Argentina, the consequences of Brexit are linked to the weakening of the pound and the euro, which has led to a significant appreciation of the U.S. dollar worldwide. An appreciation of the U.S. dollar and increased risk aversion could lead to a negative effect on the price of raw materials, which would be reflected in the products that Argentina exports to Europe. Another direct consequence of “Brexit” could be a decrease in prices of most commodities, a factor that could affect Argentina if prices stay low in the long term. Bilateral trade could also suffer, but would not be material, as the United Kingdom currently only represents approximately 1% of Argentina’s total imports and exports. In addition, it is possible that Brexit could complicate Argentina’s ability to issue additional debt in the international capital markets, as funding would be more expensive.

Donald Trump was elected president on November 8, 2016 and took office on January 20, 2017. The election of the new administration has generated volatility in the global capital markets. The new administration has implemented a comprehensive tax reform and has begun implementing more protectionist policies. The U.S. Federal Reserve recently increased the U.S. federal funds target rate, which has created additional volatility in the U.S. and the international markets. Changes in social, political, regulatory, and economic conditions in the United States or in laws and policies governing foreign trade could create uncertainty in the international markets and could have a negative impact on emerging market economies, including the Argentine economy, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The effect of these protectionist policies in the global economy remains uncertain.

Global economic conditions may also result in depreciation of regional currencies and exchange rates, including the Peso, which would likely also cause volatility in Argentina. The effect of global economic conditions on Argentina could reduce exports and foreign direct investment, resulting in a decline in tax revenues and a restriction on access to the international capital markets, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. A new global economic and/or financial crisis or the effects of deterioration in the current international context, could affect the Argentine economy and, consequently, our results of operations, financial condition and the trading price for our GDSs.

A decline in the international prices for Argentina’s main commodity exports or appreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar could affect the Argentine economy and adversely affect the foreign exchange market, and have an adverse effect on our business financial condition and results of operations.

High commodity prices have contributed significantly to the increase in Argentine exports since the third quarter of 2002 as well as in government revenues from export taxes. However, this reliance on the export of commodities, such as soy, has made the Argentine economy more vulnerable to fluctuations in their prices. For example, the average monthly price of soybeans has decreased from US$684 per metric ton in August 2012 to US$404 per metric ton in August in July 2018. If international commodity prices decline, the Argentine Government’s revenues would decrease significantly, which could adversely affect Argentina’s economic activity.

In addition, adverse weather conditions can affect agricultural production, which accounts for a significant portion of Argentina’s export revenues. In 2018, Agentina suffered a severe drought, resulting in a year-on-year contraction of GDP of 4.2% in the second quarter of 2018, mainly as a result of the year-on-year decrease of 31.6% in the agricultural, livestock, hunting and forestry sectors. These circumstances could have a negative impact on the levels of government revenues, available foreign exchange and the Argentine Government’s ability to service its sovereign debt, and could either generate recessionary or inflationary pressures, depending on the Argentine Government’s reaction. Either of these results would adversely impact Argentina’s economy growth and, therefore, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant increase in the real appreciation of the peso could affect Argentina’s competitiveness, substantially affecting exports, and this in turn could prompt new recessionary pressures on the country’s economy and a new imbalance in the foreign exchange market, which could lead to a high degree of volatility in the exchange rate. More importantly, in the short term, a significant appreciation of the real exchange rate could substantially reduce Argentine public sector’s tax revenues in real terms, given the strong reliance on taxes on exports (withholdings). The occurrence of the foregoing could lead to higher inflation and potentially materially and adversely affect the Argentine economy, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Restrictions on the supply of energy could negatively affect Argentina’s economy.

As a result of prolonged recession and the forced conversion of energy tariffs into pesos and subsequent freeze of natural gas and electricity tariffs in Argentina, there has been a lack of investment in natural gas and electricity supply and transport capacity in Argentina in recent years. At the same time, demand for natural gas and electricity has increased substantially, driven by a recovery in economic conditions and price constraints, which prompted the Argentine Government to adopt a series of measures that have resulted in industry shortages and/or higher costs. In particular, Argentina has been importing natural gas to compensate for shortages in local production. In order to pay for natural gas imports the Argentine Government has frequently used Central Bank reserves given the absence of foreign direct investment. If the Argentine Government is unable to pay for imports of natural gas, economic activity, business and industries may be adversely affected.

The Argentine Government has taken a number of measures to alleviate the short-term impact of energy shortages on residential and industrial users. If these measures prove to be insufficient, or if the investment required to increase natural gas production and electric energy transportation capacity and generation over the medium- and long-term is not available, economic activity in Argentina could be curtailed, and with it our operations. As a first step of these measures, a series of tariff increases and subsidy reductions (primarily applicable to industries and high-income consumers) were implemented. On December 17, 2015, and after publication of Decree No. 134/2015, the Macri administration declared the National Electricity System Emergency until December 31, 2017 and ordered the Ministry of Energy and Mining to propose measures and guarantee the electrical supply. Ministry of Energy and Mining Resolution No. 06/2016 of January 2016 set new seasonal reference prices for power and energy on the Mercado Eléctronico Mayorista (MEM) for the period from February 1, 2016 to April 30, 2016 and set an objective to adjust the quality and security of electricity supply.

In February 2016, the Argentine Government reviewed the schedule of electricity and gas tariffs and eliminated the subsidies of these public services, which would have resulted in increases of 500% or more in energy costs, except for low-income consumers. By correcting tariffs, modifying the regulatory framework and reducing the Argentine Government’s participation in the energy sector, the Argentine Government sought to correct distortions in the energy sector and make the necessary investments. In July 2016, a federal court in the city of La Plata suspended the increase in the gas tariff throughout the Province of Buenos Aires. On August 3, 2016, a federal court in San Mart’n suspended the increase in gas tariffs throughout the country until a public hearing was held to discuss the rate increase. The judgment was appealed to the Supreme Court, and on August 18, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that the increase in the gas tariff of residential users could not be imposed without a public hearing. On September 16, 2016, the public hearing was held where it was agreed that the gas tariff would increase by approximately 200% in October 2016, with biannual increases through 2019.

As for other services, including electricity, a public hearing was held on October 28, 2016 to consider a proposed 31% tariff increase sought by energy distributors. Subsequently, the Argentine Government announced increases in electricity rates of between 60% and 148%. On March 31, 2017, the Ministry of Energy and Mining published a new tariff schedule with increases of approximately 24% for supply of natural gas by networks that had been partially regulated since April 1, 2017In addition, on November 17, 2017, a public hearing convened by the Minister of Energy and Mining was held to update the tariff schedule for natural gas and electricity. The new tariff schedule foresees a gradual reduction of subsidies, resulting in an increase, between December 2017 and February 2018, between 34% and 57% (depending on the province) for natural gas and 34% for electricity. In addition, on May 31, 2018, the Argentine Congress approved a law seeking to limit the increase in energy tariffs implemented by the Macri administration, which was subsequently vetoed by President Macri. On August 1, 2018, pursuant Resolution No. 208/2018 of the National Electricity Regulatory Board (ENRE), the Ministry of Energy published a new tariff schedule with increases in electricity rates.

Changes change in energy regulatory framework and the establishment of increased tariffs for the supply of gas and electricity could affect our cost structure and increase operating and public service costs. Moreover, the significant increase in the cost of energy in Argentina, could have an adverse effect on the Argentine economy, and therefore, on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to adequately address actual and perceived risks of institutional deterioration and corruption may adversely affect the Argentine economy and financial condition, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The lack of a solid institutional framework and the notorious incidents of corruption that have been identified as a significant problem for Argentina. In Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index survey, Argentina ranked 85 out of 180 in 2017, 95 out of 167 in 2016 and 106 out of 167 countries in 2015. In the World Bank’s “Doing Business 2017” report, Argentina ranked 116 out of 190 countries.

Recognizing that the failure to address these issues could increase the risk of political instability, distort decision-making processes and adversely affect Argentina’s international reputation and its ability to attract foreign investment, the Macri administration announced various measures aimed at strengthening Argentina’s institutions and reducing corruption. These measures include the signing of collaboration agreements with with the judicial Branch in corruption investigation, greater access to public information, the seizure of assets of officials prosecuted for corruption, the increase of the powers of the Argentine Anti-Corruption Office and the approval of a new public ethics law, among others. The Argentine Government’s ability to implement these initiatives remains uncertain since it would require the participation of the judiciary as well as the support of opposition legislators. We cannot guarantee that the implementation of these measures will be successful.

As of the date of this annual report, a large-scale corruption investigation in Argentina has been announced by the Argentine government. The investigation related to a decade’s worth of payments to government officials from businessmen who had been awarded large government contracts. Since the scandal became public, Argentine authorities have raided high-profile businesses, and President Macri stated that he hoped the case would be a watershed moment in the fight against corruption in Argentina.