Articles

A 90-day emergency has been declared across five coastal provinces. Over 200,000 people are affected. Cuenca is fine — but if you travel to the coast, fly through Guayaquil, or care about electricity, read this.

GDP growing at 2%, inflation at just 1.5%, a new US trade deal boosting exports, and the basic salary up to $482/month. Here's what Ecuador's 2026 economy actually looks like — and why it matters if you live here.

The new Hospital Municipal de El Valle opened February 1 with 31 specialties, 24/7 emergency care, and an $8 million investment. It serves 78,000+ residents across six rural parishes — many of them popular with expats.

Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso's budget has been slashed from $49 million to potentially under $31 million. Emergency rooms have less than 50% of essential medications. Doctors are sounding alarms. Here's the situation and what it means for expats.

Ecuador's social security health system just announced follow-up visits will be halved from 20 to 10 minutes. Specialists still get 20. If you use IESS for healthcare, here's what's changing and how to make the most of shorter visits.

The CREA cooperative collapse rattled confidence in Ecuador's savings institutions. But regulators say most large cooperatives entered 2026 with healthy balance sheets. Here's how to verify your cooperative is solid and protect your deposits.

Seven months after the CREA cooperative shut down, 281 members — including retirees and migrant workers — still can't recover their deposits. The government says 99% of people got paid. The remaining 1% says that's not good enough when $31 million is still missing.

Ecuador's international reserves reached a historic $11.86 billion in February — a 166% increase in just 14 months. For expats keeping savings in a dollarized economy, this is the most reassuring economic signal in years.

Mayor Zamora signed a deal to acquire 105 hectares of critical watershed land bordering Cajas National Park. The $180,000 price tag? Funded entirely by ticket sales from the Carnaval Nicky Jam concert. Sometimes the math really does work out.