Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Ecuador's Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor) projects 6-7% export growth for 2026, a significant slowdown from the 18% surge in 2025. Headwinds include US tariff uncertainty, the Colombia trade dispute, and falling cacao prices — but the new US trade deal and flower sector expansion offer upside.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible across all of Ecuador on March 3, 2026. The moon will turn a deep red during approximately 58 minutes of totality, with the entire event lasting over five hours. Here is everything you need to know to watch it.
Spanish singer-songwriter Pablo Alboran performs two concerts in Ecuador in March 2026 — March 19 at Coliseo Ruminahui in Quito and March 21 at Coliseo Voltaire Paladines Polo in Guayaquil. One of the most popular artists in the Spanish-speaking world, Alboran brings romantic ballads and Latin pop to intimate arena settings.
Ecuador is experiencing its wettest February in a decade, with Cuenca recording 150mm of rain — nearly double the historical average. Nationwide, 4,700 people have been impacted, 770 displaced, and the Mazar reservoir is discharging at over-capacity.
Colombia suspended electricity sales to Ecuador and imposed retaliatory tariffs after Ecuador slapped a 30% 'security tariff' on Colombian goods. With Ecuador's grid 79% dependent on hydroelectric power, the loss of Colombian energy imports raises the specter of the devastating 2024 blackouts.
Ecuador's Carnival holiday weekend delivered a record tourism boost: $81.9 million in revenue, 1.28 million domestic trips, and hotel occupancy of nearly 50% — while the government temporarily slashed VAT on tourism services from 15% to 8%.
Ecuador's rental market is tightening sharply in Cuenca, Quito, and Guayaquil, with rising demand from both locals and expats pushing monthly rates higher. Meanwhile, property sale prices are firming up after years of stagnation, with condos and gated communities in highest demand.
The International Monetary Fund reports Ecuador is 'recovering much faster than anticipated' from the devastating 2024 blackout crisis. Inflation is forecast at just 1.5% for 2026 — among the lowest in Latin America — though housing costs spiked 16.97%.
Ecuador's Superintendency of Companies ordered an external administrator installed at Granasa, publisher of two of the country's largest newspapers, after the company refused to hand over internal legal records. The Inter-American Press Society called it 'an intimidating act' of indirect censorship.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister announced that the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil will be repurposed exclusively for female inmates within four weeks, while construction on a massive new 15,000-bed prison facility begins at the end of Q1.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is visiting Ecuador as part of a broader Latin American diplomatic push, with negotiations beginning on a trade agreement and expanded security cooperation including surveillance technology and agricultural innovation.
President Daniel Noboa will join five other Latin American leaders at a Trump-hosted summit in Miami on March 7, forming a regional bloc focused on countering China’s influence, boosting security cooperation, and expanding trade — with Ecuador’s new US deal as the centerpiece.
