Is MercadoLibre a subsidiary of a larger company?

No. MercadoLibre is the masterbrand of MercadoLibre, Inc., an independent public company. It has no parent; eBay was once a major shareholder but sold its stake in 2016.

When was MercadoLibre founded?

MercadoLibre was founded in 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and incorporated in Delaware in October of that year. The marketplace launched first in Argentina before expanding across Latin America.

What is MercadoLibre's market position?

It is the largest e-commerce company in Latin America by gross merchandise volume and the second-largest fintech in Brazil by monthly active users. Its closest competitors are Amazon, Shopee, and Nubank in their respective categories.

Retail & E-commerce

Who Owns MercadoLibre?

Q: Is MercadoLibre publicly traded?

Yes. MercadoLibre, Inc. trades on the Nasdaq under ticker MELI and is a Nasdaq 100 component. It went public in August 2007.

Q: Who founded MercadoLibre?

Marcos Galperin founded the company while finishing his MBA at Stanford, with co-founders including Hernan Kazah, Pedro Skolnik, and Marcelo Galperin. Galperin remains president and CEO and the largest individual shareholder.

MercadoLibre is owned by MercadoLibre, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker MELI. The brand is the company's masterbrand; there is no separate parent. MercadoLibre, Inc. was founded in 1999 by Marcos Galperin in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is incorporated in Delaware, and is headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay. It reported $20.8 billion in revenue for fiscal 2024.

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Parent Company

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Founded

1999

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Montevideo, Uruguay

Latin AmericaOfficial Website

Who Owns MercadoLibre?

Parent Company: MercadoLibre, Inc.
Ownership Type: Brand division
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: MELI

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
MercadoLibre	MercadoLibre, Inc.	Brand division

History of MercadoLibre

Founded: 1999
Founders: Marcos Galperin, Hernan Kazah, Pedro Skolnik, Marcelo Galperin

Marcos Galperin founded MercadoLibre in 1999 while finishing his MBA at Stanford, launching the marketplace from a garage in Buenos Aires with co-founders including Hernan Kazah, Pedro Skolnik, and Marcelo Galperin. Early backers included John Muse of Hicks Muse Tate and Furst, and later eBay, which took a stake in 2001 and supplied regional acquisition targets before selling out in 2016.

The site grew through the 2000s as the dominant person-to-person and small-business marketplace across Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. It survived the 2001 Argentine economic collapse, expanded country by country, and built classifieds and real estate verticals alongside the core marketplace.

Two decisions defined the modern company. The 2003 launch of Mercado Pago created a payments arm that has since grown into one of Latin America's largest fintechs, offering digital accounts, credit, acquiring, and asset management. The 2013 push into Mercado Envios logistics gave the platform its own fulfillment and shipping network, now the fastest e-commerce delivery system in the region.

The company went public on Nasdaq in August 2007. Through the 2010s it layered on advertising, credit, and a loyalty program, MELI+, while Brazil overtook Argentina as its largest market. Revenue crossed $10 billion in 2022 and doubled again within two years.

In 2024 MercadoLibre passed 100 million annual unique buyers and 60 million fintech monthly active users, reported $20.8 billion in full-year revenue, and finished the year with 84,207 employees. Growth continued through 2025: third-quarter revenue reached $7.4 billion, up 39 percent year over year, the company's 27th consecutive quarter above 30 percent growth. It is the most valuable company in Latin America by market capitalization.

About MercadoLibre, Inc.

What does MercadoLibre, Inc. own?

It owns the Mercado Libre marketplace, Mercado Pago, Mercado Envios, Mercado Credito, Mercado Ads, Mercado Shops, and the MELI+ loyalty program. All are product brands of the same legal company rather than separate subsidiaries.

Is MercadoLibre publicly traded?

Yes. It trades on the Nasdaq under ticker MELI and is a Nasdaq 100 component. It went public in August 2007.

Who founded MercadoLibre?

Marcos Galperin founded the company in 1999 in Buenos Aires, with co-founders Hernan Kazah, Pedro Skolnik, and Marcelo Galperin. Galperin remains president and CEO and the largest individual shareholder.

Where is MercadoLibre headquartered?

Principal executive offices are in Montevideo, Uruguay, within the World Trade Center Free Zone. The company is incorporated in Delaware, USA, and its founding market is Buenos Aires, Argentina.

How many brands does MercadoLibre own?

It operates one masterbrand family with about seven major product names, including Mercado Libre, Mercado Pago, and Mercado Envios. It does not maintain separately branded subsidiaries at scale.