Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Quito residents are reporting water bills that tripled or quadrupled overnight after the municipality shifted garbage collection fees from the electric bill to the water bill starting February 1. The mayor says the charges are correct — the sticker shock comes from how shared meters divide the cost.
Airport fees at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport increased on February 1 under a 2004 concession contract. International departures now cost $41.14 per passenger. Here's what changed and how Ecuador compares regionally.
Ecuador's state-owned telecom CNT has begun installing 5G base stations in Cuenca as part of a 422-station nationwide rollout built with Nokia. Speeds up to 1.5 Gbps are expected by mid-year.
The 18 km Chone-Bahia road is 92% complete, with full reopening expected by early March. Tourism dropped 30-35% during the two-year construction period. Here's what to expect.
Three major north-south corridors will get exclusive bus lanes by Q4 2026, complementing the Metro de Quito. The $28 million project aims to serve 180,000 daily passengers.
Three months after launch, Latin America's highest-altitude metro is beating ridership projections by 22%. Traffic on parallel routes is measurably declining. Here's what the numbers show.
Ecuadorians bought 11,342 vehicles in January 2026, the best January on record. Electric and hybrid vehicles now account for 22% of all sales. Azuay was the third-biggest market in the country.
Ecuador signed a bilateral mining framework with the United States at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4. The agreement positions Ecuador's copper and gold reserves as strategically important to Washington -- and adds fuel to the mining debate in Azuay.
High-level negotiations in Quito on February 6 ended without resolving the mutual 30% tariffs between Ecuador and Colombia. Both countries are blaming each other. Here's what it means for prices, energy, and daily life.
President Noboa used the World Government Summit in Dubai to court international investment, pledging $600 million for infrastructure and signing an anti-corruption agreement with the UAE.
Gold prices have shattered records, hitting $5,092 per ounce. For Ecuador, a gold exporter, this means higher revenues even without increased production.
Colombia has indefinitely suspended electricity exports to Ecuador after a trade dispute over tariffs. Here's what it means for Ecuador's power grid and what expats should watch for.
