Articles
Business intelligence and analysis on Ecuador
Ecuador Finance Reform Targets Interest-On-Interest In Debt Refinancing
Ecuador’s Economic Regime Commission is preparing second-debate language on a financial reform targeting interest-on-interest treatment in some debt refinancings. The same reform would broaden securities-market intermediary roles beyond brokerage houses to include financial-system entities such as banks.
BanEcuador Consumer Credit Rises As Microcredit Falls Before El Niño
BanEcuador’s consumer-credit portfolio rose to USD 67 million in June 2026 while microcredit fell to USD 1.025 billion. The mix shift is notable as El Niño risk builds for agricultural borrowers.
Ecuador Cash Income Receipt Rises To 21% As Account Use Falls
A 2026 regional financial-inclusion survey found 21% of Ecuador respondents received salaries or other income in cash in 2025, up from 19% in 2024, while own-account receipt fell to 44%.
Ecuador FDI Reaches USD 431.5M In Q1 As Singapore And Peru Lead Inflows
Ecuador recorded USD 431.5 million in foreign direct investment in Q1 2026, up 85.7% from the same period of 2025, led by Singapore and Peru.
IESS Active Affiliates Reach 3.6 Million As Contribution Base Expands
Ecuador’s social-security system reached 3.6 million active affiliates as of May 2026, up more than 102,000 people from the prior year. The key operating data point for employers is the 9.45% employee contribution and 11.5% employer contribution on dependent labor.
Spain Housing Costs Pressure Ecuadorian Migrant Hubs In Madrid And Barcelona
Spain’s housing-price increase is concentrated in several provinces where Ecuadorian migrants live and work. Madrid reached USD 4,614 per square meter, while the Ecuadorian population in Spain exceeds 460,000 people.
Ecuador Remittances Reach USD 1.8567 Billion In First Quarter Of 2026
Remittances into Ecuador totaled USD 1.8567 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to central bank data cited in the latest report. The figure remained above the prior-year quarter but showed deceleration from the fourth quarter of 2025.
Assembly First Debate Puts Mora Interest And Securities-Market Reform In Same Bill
Ecuador’s Assembly opened first debate on a Código Monetario y Financiero reform covering mora-interest rules, forced-liquidation protections, and securities-market changes. The capital-market section drew objections from RC, Pachakutik, and PSC legislators over extrabursátil operations and unity-of-matter concerns.
Ecuador Credit Card Base Reaches 4.63M Active Cards As First-Time Users Rise
Ecuador’s credit card market expanded in 2025, with 4.63 million cards recording consumption and more than 61,000 first-time cardholders. The data points to deeper formal credit penetration, though household leverage and bank underwriting quality remain key indicators.
BDE Places USD 100M Green Bond as Public Banking Enters Market
Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador issued USD 100 million in green bonds in its first securities-market operation of this type. The issue drew 125% demand, with 80% bought by the private sector, and is intended to finance environmental infrastructure projects.
Ecuador Unemployment Falls to 3.1% as Informal Employment Holds at 52.8%
Ecuador’s unemployment rate fell from 4.1% in May 2025 to 3.1% in May 2026, equivalent to about 86,000 fewer unemployed people. The business signal is mixed: adequate employment reached 36.6%, but informal employment still covered 52.8% of employed workers.
Ecuador SME Credit Rises 12% as Cooperatives and BanEcuador Drive Placement
Ecuadorian SME credit placement rose about 12% from January through May 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Cooperatives and public banking, especially BanEcuador, accounted for 70% of the increase, while private banks represented 30%.
