Latin America and the Caribbean's economy will grow 2.2% in 2026, unchanged from ECLAC's earlier forecast, before picking up to 2.5% in 2027, as high informality and weak investment continue to cripple the region's growth potential, the UN body says.
Latin America's insurtech sector attracted $90mn in investment during the first half of 2026, while the number of active companies climbed to 576, a 14% increase from a year earlier and the highest level since 2023, according to a new report.
Latin American economies face renewed inflationary pressure and possible delays to interest rate cuts if a strong El Niño weather pattern disrupts food production, electricity generation and infrastructure this year, Swiss bank UBS said in a note.
The war between the US, Israel and Iran will continue to weigh on Latin American and Caribbean economies for the rest of 2026, even if last month's fragile ceasefire holds, the UN's regional economic body has warned.
The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth in 2026 to 3%, citing the fallout from the war in the Middle East, while projecting that Latin America and the Caribbean would grow 2.4% this year and 2.7% in 2027.
Argentina's Milei ghosted the 68th Mercosur summit in Luque to avoid facing Lula after hosting Flávio Bolsonaro in Buenos Aires, as Paraguay fought to stop Buenos Aires from hoarding EU export quotas. The bloc's unity is eroding in real time.
The World Bank has trimmed its growth forecasts for Latin America and the Caribbean for both 2026 and 2027, blaming the inflationary and monetary fallout from the Middle East conflict.