Empirical studies of Latin American finance suggest that domestic capital markets are less developed than expected in light of the region’s economic fundamentals. One of several potential causes for this underdevelopment may be tied to the dominance of the 'grupos', family-controlled business groups that extract significant rents from existing institutional arrangements. Although the 'grupos' have driven economic development in Latin America, they also have powerful incentives to block the reforms that would enhance access to capital markets. Without these reforms, the 'grupos' will continue to have privileged access to the region’s stock markets, crowding out standalone firms in the process.