Breaking news, politics, economy, visas, safety, and lifestyle updates for expats living in Ecuador.
Interior Minister John Reimberg says five or six “mirror rooms” were connected to Quito’s municipal cameras. The municipality says the ECU 911 already had access and control of the 632 city cameras, leaving the public with competing accounts of the system’s administration.
Ecuador’s risk-management authorities reported cracks and falling masonry in six homes after the magnitude 7.4 Colombia earthquake was felt across several Ecuadorian provinces. A building in central Guayaquil also shed masonry onto a sidewalk.
Students and faculty at PUCE built SeñaPUCE with deaf students, combining four free digital tools for learning Ecuadorian sign language, practicing mathematics, and recognizing signs with artificial intelligence.
The Education Ministry says 264 institutions are prioritized for preventive work and that 17 of Ecuador's 24 provinces moved from yellow to orange alert.
President Daniel Noboa says the next monthly adjustment will lower diesel and Extra and Ecopais gasoline prices slightly, despite higher international fuel costs.
Police found cocaine hidden in 1,080 contaminated banana boxes at the Port of Guayaquil. No suspect was detained in the operation, according to the report.
A Cedatos study reported that 63.9% of voters remain undecided about mayoral candidates and 69% remain undecided about prefectural candidates ahead of the November 29 vote.
The SPPAT says it protects Ecuadorian and foreign victims of road crashes, including people in vehicles that were not current on registration. It also warns families not to pay intermediaries for a service the state provides free.
Locally assembled vehicles reached 1,649 sales in July, up 38% from a year earlier. A new Ecuador-Argentina agreement sets a reciprocal 10% vehicle tariff and preferential quotas for 3,000 units from each country over 10 years.
Hacienda La Paz took first place at the national Pepa de Oro competition during the ninth World Cacao Summit. The family business was established in Guayas in 1969 and distributes agricultural products nationally and internationally.
Private financial institutions disbursed USD 734 million in mortgage loans between January and June, while Biess placed another USD 263 million. Combined housing finance reached USD 997 million for the first half of the year.
Ecuador’s multilateral debt rose from USD 9.453 billion in 2018 to USD 28 billion in May 2026, while annual debt service now exceeds USD 3.4 billion, according to an OPF analysis.
