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Latin America Reports: The Podcast
Marcela Torres is the former CEO of Hola Code, a Mexican social enterprise that provides software development training for refugees and migrants who have returned to Mexico after having lived in the U.S. She was recently named winner of the ‘Entrepreneur’ category in the list of Latin America’s top innovators under the age of 35 published by MIT Technology Review. In honour of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science earlier this month, we interviewed Torres about being a female CEO of a tech company in Latin America, a region lacking support and funding for women working in STEM.
LATEST NEWS
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Latin American economies opening back up despite expert warnings
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said Friday that the Andean country will resume with a gradual reopening of the economy in October. Peru will begin accepting international flights again and allow 50 percent capacity in restaurants, although bars and movie theaters will stay closed. This is just the latest case of a Latin American country announcing reopening plans despite expert warnings that countries in the region are doing so too soon. The World Health Organization’s Regional Director Carissa Etienne said recently that governments in Latin America should be careful with their reopening strategies. “Although the entire world is racing to develop […]Read more...
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Public sentiment turning against migrants in Latin America, per new index
Nowhere in the world has public sentiment turned more significantly against migrants than in Latin America, according to a new poll. The Migrant Acceptance Index released Wednesday by Gallup shows that public opinion in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru has taken a negative view towards migrants. Each of the three countries has seen the arrival of millions of Venezuelan migrants in recent years. “Initially, many of the migrants and refugees were welcomed in these countries, but public sentiment started to turn against them as their economies, and their health, education and social assistance programs buckled under the strain,” the report read. […]Read more...
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Q&A: How one Latin American startup is using tech to help hotels keep profits during the COVID-19 pandemic
It’s no secret that the tourism industry in Latin America has been flattened by COVID-19, as the industry is expected to suffer $230 billion in revenue drain and more than 12 million job losses throughout the region, according to Reuters. In Colombia, around 80 percent of hotels were closed before the country reopened and the national hotel association reported a 14 percent occupancy at hotels in July, which is about 50 percent lower than pre-pandemic rates. The hotel industry in Colombia and other countries in the region could take at least two years to fully recover. In the meantime, some […]Read more...
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Women in Latin America facing increased violence during pandemic
Women’s activists in Mexico took over the country’s National Human Rights Commission building Tuesday in protest of their government’s handling of abuse and violence against women. Dozens of activists have refused to leave the building and are saying they will turn the Mexico City building into a shelter for victims to make up for decades of murders and abuse, according to the Associated Press. The event shows the dire situation facing women in Latin America, who have been more exposed than ever to domestic violence and murder. If we think of COVID-19 as a threat multiplier of existing social and […]Read more...
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Funding continues to boom for Latin America’s fintech industry
Major financial technology firms in Latin America have reported at least $8 billion in funding up to this point, according to the inaugural 2020 Latam Fintech Report from KoreFusion. The recent report done by the San Francisco-based consulting firm on the state of Latin America fintech firms showed the immense growth of the fintech sector in key markets throughout the region. The report looked at 1,075 fintech companies in the five major markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. The categories of fintech firms in the analysis included crowdfunding, digital banks, lending and payment operations, among others. B2B financial […]Read more...
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Unemployment rises across Latin America as COVID-19 continues to hammer economies
For decades, the region had success in lifting people out of poverty, as impoverished rates had fallen to about 30 percent recently. Unfortunately, that progress is sure to be reversed as the COVID-19 pandemic is set to bring a historic recession to Latin America and widen the wealth inequality gap even further. The mobilization of poorer people to the middle class is a road that may no longer exist for many in Latin America, as regional leaders and organizations still need to coordinate on needed stimulus efforts that could help keep people afloat. In all, Latin America is at risk […]Read more...
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How innovative tech is combating COVID-19 across Latin America
As Latin America finds itself as the world’s current coronavirus hotspot, tech companies and governments are working together to slow the spread and help patients in need. There have been more than 3.4 million cases in Brazil alone, second in global case count only to the United States. Elsewhere in the region, Peru and Chile have faced high death rates and cases continue to climb in Colombia in Mexico. Here’s a look at some notable tech innovations that a few countries in Latin America are using to negate the pandemic’s impact. Colombia In Colombia, tech monitoring has allowed people to […]Read more...
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Neglected by govt, Brazilian favela organizations take COVID-19 data collection into their own hands
The Brazilian government has been accused of under reporting case numbers of COVID-19 in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, which are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus. In response, a local NGO has partnered up with other community organizations to collect their own data and display it on a unified dashboard.Read more...
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How emerging fintech can help Latin America deal with the challenges of COVID-19
Latin America has long suffered from economic instability, inequality and financial exclusion. The region’s economy has grown less than one percent per year since 2014, and Venezuela – once South America’s richest country – has a hyperinflation rate of 19,900 percent. Access to banking is a critical issue for everyday people in Latin America, where only 51 percent of the population have bank accounts at a formal financial institution. The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has therefore placed heavy strain on the region’s economies. As businesses are forced to adapt or close, more than two-thirds of business executives in […]Read more...
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Publicize launches bartering platform to aid entrepreneurs and startups in times of constraints
Publicize, the PR agency for tech sector startups, today announces the launch of the Publicize Swap Shop. This free-to-use online marketplace creates an alternative way for businesses and entrepreneurs worldwide to access products and services through an exchange system. The internationally available online platform contains a feed with offers and requests that have been posted. Swappers who have something to offer first need to create an account and publish the details of the offer, along with a suggested ‘ask’ of what they need in return, if anything. Anyone can browse the platform and the deals that are on offer. Once […]Read more...
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An interview with Mobile Growth Summit CEO: Mobile marketing looks to Latin America despite COVID-19 challenges
In mid-February, SoftBank announced that it would to continue to invest in its $5 billion dollar Latin America Fund, pledging $1 billion just in the year 2020. SoftBank’s renewed commitment to the Fund, which was launched in 2019, is further proof that the Latin American market is ripe with potential, particularly in the e-commerce, health tech, and fintech industries. It’s likely that this investment wave is following another trend in the region, the rapid adoption of mobile technology. According to a survey published by Statista, the share of the population in Latin America who has access to a mobile phone […]Read more...
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How fame impacts Barranquilla’s carnival kids
Miranda Torres, aged 11, and Isaac Rodríguez, aged 10, were Queen and King of this year’s Children’s Carnival (Carnaval de los Niños) in Barranquilla, Colombia. Their televised coronation consisted of an hour-long performance featuring nearly 500 young dancers and over a dozen folkloric dance troupes, which took place the weekend before the main carnival celebrations. Much like their adult counterparts, the children’s duties begin long before carnival weekend. They have an agenda of events to attend, which begins up to four months before carnival starts. It includes official visits to schools, hospitals, community organizations, prisons, and some of the poorer […]Read more...
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Colombia’s government is digitalizing social inclusion, expanding connectivity
Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTic) is currently rolling out a three-pronged digitalization strategy to encourage the social and economic inclusion of marginalized population groups in Colombia. These groups include indigenous communities, Afro-Colombians, Romani communities, Raizal groups of the San Andres Archipelago, and the Palanquero groups of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. According to Iván Antonio Mantilla Gaviria, Colombia’s Vice Minister for Connectivity and Digitalization, they have been historically excluded from the country’s social fabric and public policy. “These communities have not been favored in our country’s history” — Colombia’s Vice Minister for Connectivity and Digitalization A 2018 census carried out by […]Read more...
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Female STEMpreneurs in Latin America look for financial support and guidance
María Isabel Amorín, from Guatemala, and Bárbara Tomadoni, from Argentina, were two of the nine female STEMpreneurs recognized by the MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 for advancement in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Latin America. As science enthusiasts from a young age, they have both dedicated their lives to building a career in the STEM sector. However, Tomadon and Amorín, winners of the ‘pioneer’ and ‘entrepreneur’ categories respectively, are more likely to be exceptions than the rule as it pertains to female representation in STEM in Latin America. Tomadoni, who was shocked at the […]Read more...
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MIT Technology Review announces the winners of Innovators Under 35 LATAM
Solar panels derived from micro-algae, a program that gives migrants the opportunity to learn how to code, and a way to use discarded prawn shells to help remove polluting textile dyes from waterways were just some of the projects recognized at MIT Technology Review’s Innovators under 35 Latin America 2019 last week. At the awards ceremony, which was held on January 30 at Mexico City’s Parks BBVA Polanco, 35 finalists were given the opportunity to introduce themselves and their projects. Five winners were chosen from the pool, and will go on to compete in MIT Technology Review’s Global awards. “This […]Read more...
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What’s driving global tech companies to Latin America
Global tech companies are focusing on expansion in Latin America, a sign that the region is ripe with opportunity for market growth and innovation. Latin America’s tech sector has made a name for itself with star startups such as the Colombian unicorn, Rappi, the Brazilian online food delivery platform, iFood, and the Panama-based hospitality brand, Selina. Now, global tech companies see Latin America as the place to focus their expansion. Below are a few key reasons why Latin America offers significant growth potential for global tech companies. 1. Expansive mobile Internet connectivity Internet connectivity is essential for tech company success, and Latin […]Read more...
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Helena Gualinga is a voice for indigenous communities in the fight against climate change
When climate activist Helena Gualinga was a child, she lived in fear of not being able to return to the place she calls home: the Sarayaku indigenous community, located deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Living between Finland and Ecuador, Gualinga spent years and months at a time in the community throughout her childhood, and each time she left to go back to Finland, she worried that extractive industries would destroy the land. Ecuador’s indigenous Sarayaku community is one of over 800 indigenous communities in Latin America. It is small in size, made up of approximately 1,500 people who live so […]Read more...
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Why Bolsonaro is “curating” Brazil’s culture
When Roberto Alvim was hired by President Jair Bolsonaro as Brazil’s Special Secretary of Culture in November 2019, Bolsonaro asked him to create a culture that did not “destroy,” but rather “saved” Brazilian youth. In a speech he published on social media on January 16, Alvim pledged to consider “the fatherland, family, bravery of [Brazilian] people, and their profound connection with God” when putting together public cultural policy. Alvim vowed that the art Brazil would produce under his leadership would be “heroic and national.” His use of these words, which echoed those of Adolf Hitler’s culture minister Joseph Gobbels, triggered […]Read more...
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How one Venezuelan entrepreneur intends to rescue the shoe industry
The footwear industry has a disproportionately large carbon footprint. Combined with apparel, the two industries generated between five and 10 percent of global pollution impacts in 2016, according to sustainability metrics published by Quantis International. The lifecycle of a shoe begins with the extraction of raw materials, which are then processed and then used to manufacture the shoe itself. The footwear is then assembled, packaged, and transported to its sale destination and then eventually disposed of by its owner when it becomes either damaged or unwanted. Footwear manufacturing methods — such as stitching, glueing and welding — have existed for […]Read more...
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MIT Technology Review reveals 2019 list of Innovators Under 35 LATAM
Earlier this week, the MIT Technology Review published its 2019 list of Latin America’s most innovative young people under the age of 35. The list includes men and women who hail from 11 countries and whose projects cover a wide spectrum of topics ranging from biotechnology, medicine, sustainability, artificial intelligence, software and hardware. For over 10 years, the MIT Tech Review, founded in 1899, has partnered with the Spanish-based global consultancy firm Opinno (short for “open innovation”) to mine the Latin American region for its most innovative young minds . In a conversation with Latin America Reports, the Mexico-based Latin America […]Read more...
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How the town behind Colombia’s most iconic ‘sombrero’ can cash in on the Orange Economy
The sombrero vueltiao is arguably the most emblematic piece of fashion to come from Colombia. They adorn the walls in every gift shop in the country. In major Colombian cities like Bogota and Medellín, vendors can be seen hawking these hats among a jumble of key chains and t-shirts. In rural areas, farmers and townspeople alike shield their faces from the sun by brandishing the iconic hat on their trips into the town square. Next to the fluorescent yellow of the Colombian National soccer team jersey, nothing encompasses “Colombia” in one article of clothing more than this hat. Despite how […]Read more...
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Uber’s departure from Colombia sparks debate over app regulation
Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce ruled last week that the multinational ride-hailing app Uber is operating “unfairly,” forcing it to cease operations in the country. The court’s decision means that on February 1, Colombia will become the first country in Latin America to lose access to Uber, although the food delivery platform UberEats will continue to operate. The lawsuit against Uber was originally filed by the Colombian taxi union Cotech, which had been campaigning against Uber for years. Cotech claimed that the app was “dishonestly” diverting customers away from hailing the nation’s trusty yellow cabs, giving Uber drivers an […]Read more...
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Mexico City to host MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35
On January, 30, one of the largest global communities of innovators, pioneers, and social change agents will come together for the 30th edition of Innovators Under 35 in Latin America. The finalists will be announced a week before the event is hosted in Mexico City, Mexico at the BBVA tower. Each year, MIT Technology Review publishes a list of 35 innovative young people who are behind projects and initiatives that are aiming to solve the world’s most pressing problems, through technology and innovation. This year, Mexico is one of the Latin American countries with the largest number of innovators on […]Read more...
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Buenaventura awaits answers for two young men killed by security forces during Colombia’s national protests
Four days before the death of student protester Dilan Cruz – who succumbed to injuries suffered from the impact of a tear gas canister being launched at his head by anti-riot police in Bogotá, Colombia – sparked nationwide outrage, two young men were gunned down by security forces during the country’s national protests over 500 kilometers away in the port city of Buenaventura. Spare some coverage in local media, their deaths have mostly gone unreported. According to official communiques, interviews with officials close to the investigation, and statements from witnesses made to Latin America Reports, on the evening of November […]Read more...
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2019: A year in elections
This year has been marked by political change and protest in Latin America. There have been surprises in Bolivia and Uruguay where right-wing presidential victories have brought an end to eras of leftist leadership, both of which lasted for over a decade. This conservative shift does not apply to the whole region, however, as Argentina elected a new left-wing president and local elections in some Colombian cities shook up the traditionally conservative status quo. We compiled a list of our coverage in a roundup of this year’s general elections in Latin America. Guatemala In the run-up to elections in Guatemala, […]Read more...
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In photos: Our top picks from 2019
This year has offered no shortage of striking visuals from protests and social movements from across the region. In addition to shooting our own photos, the Latin America Reports team has collaborated with local photographers on the ground in places like Brazil and Puerto Rico to bring more context to the words on a screen. This collection of photos includes our highlights from protests across Latin America this year. May Read – Brazil’s university students to Bolsonaro: Don’t cut the education budget Read – In photos: Brazil’s second round of education protests June Read – In photos: Medellín’s 22nd Pride March June Read […]Read more...
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2019: A year in civil rights
This year has been unpredictable when it comes to the rights of marginalized groups in Latin America and those who work to protect them. We take a look back at our coverage of several marginalized groups in the region — women, indigenous peoples and the LGBTQ community — and their fight for equal rights over the course of 2019. WOMEN A Latin America Reports interview early in the year with Argentina’s former foreign minister Susanna Malcorra warned of a “setback,” in women’s rights across the region. Read: Q&A with Argentina’s Former Foreign Minister: The state of women’s rights in Latin […]Read more...
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Latin America is more prosperous but less equal
Despite enjoying steady economic growth over the last couple of decades, Latin America has some of the highest levels of income inequality in the world. As protests — many demanding better social equality — sweep the region, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report examined wealth distribution in these countries. Read more: 2019: A year in protests Published last week, the report states that 10 million people in Latin America have transitioned out of poverty between 2003 and 2013, but adds that many of them are at risk of falling back into it. Factors that decrease a household’s chance of […]Read more...
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Is AMLO’s approach to crime working after one year?
Since the start of 2019, an average of 95 people per day have been killed in Mexico, according to government statistics published in November. This places Mexico among some of Latin America’s most dangerous countries, alongside El Salvador, Honduras and Brazil. During the first half of the year in particular, homicide rates in Mexico reached the highest on record, according to Reuters. A total of 17,608 people were killed in the country from January through to June, reports from Mexican news outlet Animal Politico indicated. These high homicide rates raise questions over President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), whose presidential […]Read more...
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2019: A year in protests
As 2019 draws to a close, citizens from many countries in Latin America are either still protesting or recovering from social unrest. The reasons behind protests are as diverse as the countries themselves, but all forms of social unrest have aimed to force leaders to address common citizen concerns. Honduras In Honduras, a lack of economic stability, high levels of violence, corruption and criminal activity among politicians are the main reasons why citizens are demanding the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernández. These factors are also fueling their mass migration out of the country. Hernández came into power in 2013 […]Read more...
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OAS audit of Bolivian elections shows “intentional manipulation”
The Organization of American States (OAS) released the final report on Bolivia’s recent presidential elections, stating that the electoral process showed “intentional manipulation” and “serious irregularities.” After an agreement signed on October 30 with former president Evo Morales, the international entity sent 36 specialists from 18 nationalities to study the elections, from lawyers to calligraphy experts. The audit findings suggested that Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) was biased. During the election, TSE workers allowed electoral information to be directed to two hidden external servers, taking away their capacity to ensure the results were not being tampered with, and therefore “destroying” […]Read more...
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What could a Morales-free Bolivia mean for its indigenous people?
Five years ago, Jeanine Áñez, then-conservative senator of Bolivia, tweeted that she dreamt of a Bolivia “free of satanic rituals,” referring to the religious practices of indigenous people. The tweet was later deleted. After former Bolivian president Evo Morales was accused of meddling in the presidential elections, he fled to Mexico, leaving Senator Áñez next in-line to be the interim head of state. After some public deliberation, she took the position and climbed the steps of Palacio Quemado, Bolivia’s presidential palace, with a Bible clutched in her hands. “The Bible is returning to the palace,” she proclaimed. Right-wing opposition activist […]Read more...
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Colombia’s transitional justice mechanism uses public transport to spread message
“We are just going to ask him some questions and we’ll bring him back in an hour. ‘Don’t worry, ma’am,’ he told me,” said Luz Edith Franco. This was 17 years ago. Franco is talking about her husband, Arles Edison Guzmán, who was forcibly disappeared 17 years ago from Medellín’s Comuna 13 one month after Operation Orion: the 2002 Colombian military offensive to remove left-wing guerillas from the area. It has since been proven that military forces collaborated with right-wing paramilitary groups during the operation, and in 2017, the Inter-American Court of Rights condemned the Colombian state for its role […]Read more...
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Excessive police violence in protests cause deaths and thousands of injuries
Protests sweeping the Latin American continent have have taken their toll. In Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and now Colombia, social unrest has resulted in thousands of injuries and over 50 deaths. According to Reuters, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has said that there will be no impunity for security officials who use excessive force, but added that protesters will also have to face consequences for their actions. Despite international human rights entities calling for police reform and condemning abuses of power, Piñera has asked lawmakers to allow him to put put military back on the streets. El País reported that public opinion […]Read more...
