Breaking news, politics, economy, visas, safety, and lifestyle updates for expats living in Ecuador.
International diesel and gasoline benchmarks rose sharply in July, reducing the chance of another exceptional price reduction in Ecuador in August. The next domestic adjustment is due on August 12.
New customs reforms took effect July 29 and expand the circumstances in which goods can be declared abandoned. The rules include a one-month deadline after detention for tourists seeking to regularize or recover temporarily imported vehicles.
Guayaquil's transit agency says urban operators cannot raise fares yet, despite notices claiming a 50-cent fare would begin July 30. The current authorized fare remains 30 cents while vehicle reviews are prepared.
Archaeological monitoring at Quito's former San Lazaro Hospital uncovered 11 fired-clay vessels beneath the western cloister. The discovery comes during a restoration of the 7,000-square-meter historic complex.
Ecuador's national transit board approved a 25% adjustment for interprovincial and intraprovincial passenger fares. The measure is tied to transport-cost pressure and applies over the fare table in force since 2021.
BIESS says its Credicasa housing loan requires a minimum credit score of 650, with financing of up to USD 65,000 for a first new home and a maximum term of 30 years.
Ecuador's economy has shown growth in 2025 and early 2026, but informality remains above 60% of the labor force and only about three in 10 Ecuadorians have adequate employment.
A civil-society observatory reports that 2,143 children and adolescents were reported missing in Ecuador in the first half of 2026, with 273 still not found and unresolved cases up 137% from the same period in 2025.
Ecuador's tax authority has created a mandatory registry for electronic-invoicing system providers. Businesses and taxpayers using third-party billing platforms will also have a new RUC-identification requirement once the resolution is published.
A proposal to raise Quito's bus fare from 35 to 40 cents on January 1, 2027 drew criticism from council members and 23 citizens. The debate now turns on service quality, transparency, and compensation for operators.
Ecuador's largest credit cooperatives still have delinquency above pre-recession levels. The pressure is strongest in microcredit, the segment tied most directly to small businesses and vulnerable borrowers.
A 2026 IAEN study puts Ecuador's annual violence cost above USD 12.2 billion, or USD 1,127 per person. The burden shows up in households, companies, tourism, exports, and public budgets.
