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.
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.
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.
Ecuador says its plan to buy medicines from India is now in Arcsa homologation, with a roadmap defined with India’s government. The plan matters for expats because medicine access, pharmacy prices, and public-health procurement all show up in everyday life.
Electronic payments are becoming more common in Ecuador, while cash withdrawals from savings accounts fell 22% in 2025. For expats, the shift matters at pharmacies, restaurants, markets, banks, and small shops.
Ecuador expects to import electricity from Colombia during the dry season, but Colombia is warning about its own demand growth, delayed projects, and lower reservoir water. The issue matters because Ecuador could face a severe-drought deficit of 1,300 MW.
