Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Results for “banks”Clear
El Comercio reports that Quito's seven main monitored crime indicators fell 25% between January 1 and May 9 compared with 2025. Robbery against people remains the most common issue, and neighborhood leaders still warn about underreporting and reactive policing.
Primicias reports that mortgage-credit disbursements grew 22% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Sales, project visits and net reservations also rose, giving buyers and renters another signal that the housing market is tightening.
Banco Pichincha went from $42M to $88M in profits. Banco del Pacífico: $46M to $84M. The president posted the numbers on X and questioned who benefits from the crisis narrative.
International investors put up $7 billion in orders for $1 billion in Ecuadorian sovereign bonds. The yield improved, the country risk hit an 11-year low, and the government says it proves confidence is back.
The Superintendencia de Bancos just published a list of 14 unlicensed organizations illegally collecting money from the public. They promise high returns in short timeframes. Last year alone, 60 similar entities were detected.
President Noboa's Decreto Ejecutivo 354 bridges Thursday April 30 to the May 1 national holiday, giving public and private sector workers four consecutive days off. Overtime is double pay. Here's what closes.
Ecuador's riesgo país fell to 404 points on April 22, the lowest since 2015. GDP grew 3.7% in 2025, international reserves jumped 42%, and the IMF just disbursed another $394 million. Here's what the improving trajectory means for expats.
SEPS data shows 12 Ecuadorian credit cooperatives were liquidated in 2025, with two more in process in early 2026 (Incoop in Ambato, Cariamanga in Loja). The sector still serves 7.6 million users, but the expat habit of parking USD in a cooperativa deserves a second look.
President Noboa presented Q1 2026 economic results in a national broadcast. Sales hit $63.2 billion (vs $57.7B Q1 2025). Country risk dropped from 1,908 bps a year ago to 416 today. Public investment jumped from $42M to $533M YoY. Here's what the government is claiming and what to actually take from it.
The Banco Central del Ecuador raised its 2026 GDP growth projection to 2.5%, up 0.7 points from its September forecast. Inflation is expected at 1.8%, private credit to grow 10%, and the external account to post a $6.4 billion surplus. 2025 closed at 3.7% growth — so momentum is slowing.
Ecuador's military intercepted $50,540 in counterfeit $20 bills at Quito's Carcelén bus terminal on Sunday, April 12. The fakes — more than 5,000 bills — were handed to the National Police. Worth knowing if you handle dollar cash in Ecuador.
Power outages rippled through neighborhoods across Guayaquil, Daule, and Samborondón on April 12, with CNEL blaming transformer overloads from extreme AC demand during the heat wave. Residents are reporting four-hour outages or longer.
