Rosario is the main epicentre of a metropolitan region whose economy is based on the services and the industry, generating the second urban gross regional product of Argentina, after the Greater Buenos Aires The principal manufacturing sector is the agro industry, whose industries are placed in the northern and southern areas of the Greater Rosario; the investments over the last decade have transformed Rosario in a major pole of processing of oil of the world Many other sectors contribute to the diversified industrial offering of the city. Rosario and its metropolitan area produce 20% of the cars, 4 % of the domestic refrigerators, 80% of the machinery for the food industry and 100% of the auto bodies for long distance buses made in Argentina.
Other important sectors include the petrochemical sector, with three plants located in the suburbs of San Lorenzo and Port San Martin; the chemistry sector, with plants for sulphuric acid, fertilizers, resins and other inputs; the cellulose industry; the meat industry; ironworks; auto parts; the plants and equipment for bottled oil; agricultural machinery; and the materials and equipments for the construction industry. Worldwide international companies settled in Rosario include, among others, General Motors, Cargill, Unilever, John Deere, Petrobrás, ICI, Dow,Tenneco and Mahle.
The main financial bank at the city of Rosario is the Municipal Bank of Rosario. Its central offices are located in the financial district, on San Martín St., and there are several additional offices throughout the city. It is focused on small and medium enterprises and other organizations, especially through microcredits, and may be considered an "ethical bank."
The Municipal Bank was founded in 1896 to support the financial needs of the citizens and small businesses in the highly productive region of southern Santa Fe Province, centered in Rosario. At the time, the city had around 92,000 inhabitants and was already
