Economy & Business - January 2026

Celebrations were largely absent in the streets of Caracas after the dramatic US raid to arrest former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) on drug and weapons charges on 3 January.... Read More

Street protests and road blockades continued into the new year in Bolivia following the 17 December announcement by President Rodrigo Paz that he was scrapping fuel subsidies as part of wider measures aimed at stabilising the country’s economy.... Read More

COLOMBIA | Record bond sale.... Read More

After winning the second round of the Chilean presidential race on 14 December, José Antonio Kast is inheriting an economy that is doing far better than most in Latin America.... Read More

Banco Master was a small bank compared to Brazil’s giant financial institutions like Bradesco or Itaú Unibanco.... Read More

Argentina’s President Javier Milei is leveraging his new-found majority in congress to push a host of free-market economic reforms but has also seen the limits of what he can achieve with his new legislative powers.... Read More

ARGENTINA | US swap line repaid.... Read More

While in November 2025, Guatemalan lawmakers approved a budget for 2026 which dedicates more resources to infrastructure projects such as road building and schools, its implementation was suspended by the country’s constitutional court (CC) in a decision published on 30 December.... Read More

On 10 December, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced phased-in tariffs on Nicaraguan imports.... Read More

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced a partnership with artificial intelligence firm xAI to use AI tools in public schools throughout the country in a statement published 11 December.... Read More

On 18 December the Cuban government devalued the peso by creating a third exchange rate, which, along with the increasing dollarisation of the economy, it described as a temporary stabilising measure.... Read More

Still one of the largest economies in the Caribbean, Haiti’s economic performance in 2025 was poor, not to say terrible.... Read More

According to the United Nations (UN)’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac), growth in the Caribbean sub region will be muted this year.... Read More

COSTA RICA | Rise in FDI.... Read More

Mexico's hefty new tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries without free trade deals – especially China – took effect on 1 January, in a move primarily aimed at protecting domestic industries from the “dumping” of cheap goods, while aligning Mexico more closely with the trade priorities of the administration of US President Donald Trump.... Read More

Mexico’s newly formed antitrust and competition watchdog Comisión Nacional Antimonopolio (CNA) is facing its first major test ahead of the planned mega-merger between the two leading local budget airlines, Volaris and Viva Aerobus.... Read More

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced a further increase to the minimum wage for 2026 as part of a continued overhaul of labour laws, which also includes plans to reduce the length of the working week.... Read More

MEXICO | Industrial production continues to drop in annual terms.... Read More