BUENOS AIRES, April 9 (Reuters) - Latin American

e-commerce company MercadoLibre ( MELI ) plans to spend $2.6 billion in

Argentina this year, the company said on Wednesday.

The funds - a 53% boost from the year before - will go

toward logistics, marketing and technology, MercadoLibre ( MELI ) said in

a statement.

The online marketplace and financial technology firm is set

to hire 2,000 new employees in 2025, bringing its local

workforce to 14,000 workers.

MercadoLibre ( MELI ) has seen a boost in consumer spending from

Argentina as the economy recovers, an executive told media

outlet La Nacion.

"From last June, we've seen month-on-month growth in ticket

sizes of MercadoLibre's ( MELI ) sales, which is a good thermometer of

consumption," country manager Juan Martin de la Serna said.

On Tuesday, MercadoLibre's ( MELI ) Andean head, Alan Meyer

Frankfurt, said the company would boost spending in Colombia by

27% in 2025, to $470 million.