Ecuador Overdue Collections Portfolio Rises to About $2.5B, Asocob Says

Ecuador's debt-collection market is carrying a larger financial-system portfolio than before the pandemic.

Primicias reports that the overdue portfolio managed by collection firms has grown from around $1.6 billion before Covid-19 to around $2.5 billion today, citing the Asociacion de Empresas de Cobranza del Ecuador (Asocob).

Portfolio Metrics

According to Primicias, collection companies specialize in recovering overdue loans and credits from banks, cooperatives, mutualist institutions and other financial entities.

Drivers Cited By Asocob

Primicias cites Carlos Solano de la Sala, president of Asocob, saying household payment constraints are tied to overindebtedness, labor instability and prioritization of spending.

The article also reports that insecurity and violence complicate the interaction between collection companies and indebted clients. Contacting clients has become difficult because clients do not respond to unregistered contacts.

Business Signal

The portfolio increase is not only a credit-volume story. Primicias reports that the change reflects both the increase in credit and growth in the delinquency index.

For banks, cooperatives and service providers, the data point to a larger arrears-management environment. For investors, it is a household-balance-sheet indicator to monitor alongside employment, consumption and formal credit growth.

What to watch

• Banking and cooperative delinquency indicators through the second half of 2026.
• Whether collection-contact restrictions worsen as security concerns persist.
• Household credit growth versus arrears growth.
• Regulatory attention to collection practices if the client base continues expanding.

Source: Primicias