Noboa proposes do-it-yourself energy solutions; 8 out of 10 Ecuadorians use digital banking; Int’l theater festival opens; Montreal, Toronto flights resume

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 1/10) Escenarios abren el telón a nueve países (Stages raises the curtain on nine countries) – The Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas Escenarios del Mundo started el jueves and will run until el 14/10 at the Teatro Pumapungo. There will be artists and troupes from Ecuador, Argentina, the US, Taiwán, Perú, Australia, Spain, Colombia and Cuba. Performances will include theater, dance, oral narration, and music. Ecuadorian productions will include “Un acto de fe”, “De cómo murió el teatro”, “Los perros del pan”, and “Biritute: el secuestro de la lluvia.” Some of the international performances will be “Triptych” from Australia, “Emvra” from Perú, “Lecciones de vida” from the US” <Maybe this one will be in English, but given that the title is in Spanish, I kind of doubt it.>, “Taxidermia de una alondra” from Spain, “Manic Freak” from Argentina, “Montaña hoguera” from Taiwán, and “Nozing/Play! Jugando con la nada” from Spain. Tickets are available at Meet2go.

Eight out of 10 Ecuadorians use digital banking apps.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 2/10) Exposición religiosa (Religious exhibit) – The Archdiocese of Cuenca opened an exhibit of religious art, “Del Taller al Altar” which brings together 64 sculptures of the Crucified Christ carved by notable Ecuadorian masters. The exhibit is in the Old Cathedral and is on loan from the Álvarez-Eljuri family. The show is open every day <no hours given>.

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del domingo, 4/10) Koffe Rolls – Kevin Ochoa and Gema Garcés are architects with a business that specializes in cinnamon and coffee rolls. They had extra space in their office, located near the U. of Cuenca. They asked students what was lacking in the area and the answers were a cafetería. So they started baking – first bringing their products to ferias, then promoting them online. They had to upgrade and get commercial sized equipment to meet the demand. Koffe Rolls is located on av. 12 de abril y Loja in the El Farol sector with hours from lunes a sábado from 11:00-19:00. Some of their customers’ favorites are Nutella rolls with strawberries and frutos rojos (red fruits) rolls, with selections changing daily. A popular order is a latte with salted caramel roll. You can go to their social networks to see what the flavors of the day are and when they run out. They plan to open a 2nd location and expand to other cities.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 1/10) Firman contratos para restablecer barrido de calles (Contracts signed to resume street sweeping) – 3 months after ending a labor agreement for non-payment of salaries, the Empresa Municipal de Aseo de Cuenca (EMAC EP) signed new contracts with 3 businesses to restore street cleaning services starting this weekend. The contracts are for $1.3 million in sectors A, B, & C which are outside of the Centro Historico which has a separate contractor with whom there were no problems. The new contracts will run for 17 months which was the time remaining on the terminated contract. The names of the 92 “Hormiguitas Chua” who worked for the previous contractor were given to the new contractors who can decide whether or not to hire the workers or not.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 1/10) Limpieza de la autopista (Highway cleaning) – EMAC EP will assume cleaning of the approximately 20 km. stretch of the autopista from the Control Sur to Guangarcucho. According to Juan Vicuña, manager of EMAC EP, an agreement will be signed in the next few days with the Ministerio de Infraestructura y Tecnología (MIT) to assume this responsibility for the next 7.5 months. EMAC will be in charge of cleaning the center planting strip and sidewalks but not cleaning up landslides since it doesn’t have the equipment for that. MIT will be responsible for slide cleanup.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 1/10) Vuelos a Canadá (Flights to Canada) – Air Canada has returned to operate in Ecuador with seasonal flights between Montreal-Quito and Toronto-Quito using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The Montreal-Quito route will operate from el 4/12/2026 to el 27/3/2027; and the Toronto-Quito route will operate from el 5/12/2026 until el 20/3/2026. <Sorry, no routes to western Canada.>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 1/10) Se ‘acelera’ nueva generación eléctrica (New electric generation “gains momentum”) – In the face of a new electrical crisis due to El Niño, Pres. Noboa reformed a law governing public electrical service to establish new conditions to accelerate the incorporation of electrical generation, promote investments, and strengthen the security and reliability of the national electrical system. <I suppose better late than never, but why didn’t he do this 2 years ago right after the last outages?> This presidential decree will expand the alternatives for increasing energy supply and respond to the increase in demand through new generation, storage, self supply and participation by the productive sector. Procedures to develop unconventional renewable energy projects up to 100 MW will be simplified.

The reform also incorporates conditions to promote new transitional generation, complementary to renewable sources and oriented towards strengthening the availability of energy during periods of adverse hydraulic conditions such as we are currently facing. It creates Distritos Autónomos Energéticos, a new scheme that will allow developing integrated energy solutions for industrial and productive zones, and other strategic projects. As for self-sufficiency for the productive sector, alternatives for consumers and industries to develop their own generating systems will be amplified so as to reduce dependence on the electrical grid and contribute to the availability of energy for the country. <So the new plan has evolved from “pray for rain” to “you’re on your own.” Get ready for a noisier city as more people buy their own gas generators.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 2/10) Casos de maltrato animal (Cases of animal abuse) – The Patrulla Canina of the Unidad de Gestión Animal receives about 300 complaints each month about animal mistreatment such as pets that are chained up, exposed to inclement weather, or confined. The Concejo Cantonal is promoting reforms to increase monetary sanctions and establish mandatory sterilization. You can report cases to 098 705 0437 by sending the location. description, and photos or videos.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 2/10) 8 de cada 10 operan la banca digital (8 out of 10 use digital banking) – The digital transformation of the Ecuadorian financial system has gone from being a projection to a reality. In Banco Pichincha, barely 19% of its clients used digital channels in 2019. In 2026, 8 out of 10 of the bank’s 6.5 million users have gone digital. According to Global Findex, 70% of Latin American adults have a bank account, and an average of 65% of their transactions are digital. In Ecuador this average is 79%. The bank processes over 100 transactions per second on its digital platforms with more than 5.5 million active users. Mobile banking has also grown and the phone has become the primary point of contact between customers and their finances. In just one month, Banco Pichincha customers made 164 million mobile transactions, moving about $15 million through their phones. 3 out of 4 of those transactions correspond to transfers. <I should move into this new age, but I just know that the minute I do, I’m going to lose my phone.>

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 3/10) 8 candidatas a Reina de Cuenca (8 candidates for Queen of Cuenca) – 8 candidates are aspiring for the crown of Queen of Cuenca 2026-2027. The Fundación Reinas de Cuenca presented the candidates at a gala el pasado jueves. Each of the candidates presented her social project that addresses various needs in Cuenca. These ranged from creating a network of help for families who lose their homes due to emergencies and disasters to creating a volunteer network to help cancer patients and their families. The election of the Queen will be on el 23/10.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 3/10) USD 2.041,3 millones en remesas ($2.0413 billion in remittances) – Ecuador received over $2 billion in remittances between abril and junio, 2026, 2% more than in the same period in 2025, and 9.9% more than in the first quarter of the year according to Banco Central de Ecuador data. Most of this came from the US with $1.6029 billion, or 78.5% of the total. Spain followed with $278.8 million (13.7%), and Italy, Chile, and the United Kingdom rounded out the 5 main countries of origin with $35.3, $17.9, and $14.6 million respectively. In the first half of 2026, Ecuador received $3.898 billion which was an increase of 4.6% over the same period in 2025. The magnitude of remittances contrasts with the amount of foreign capital in the first half of the year with direct foreign investment reaching $715.5 million. This is up from $355 million (101.3%) in 2025. The Banco Central projects that remittances by the end of 2026 will be at $8.02 billion, around 5.9% of the Gross National Product.

(De El Mercurio del domingo, 4/10) La Armada destruye una embarcación con drogas (The Navy destroys a boat carrying drugs) – The Ecuadorian navy intercepted a go-fast boat west of Manta that was transporting 55 packages suspected of containing drugs, preliminarily valued at $50 million in the North American market. After the operation, the boat was destroyed and sunk, striking a blow not only against the cargo, but the logistical capacity of the criminal gangs. 3 Ecuadorians were arrested and transferred to the custody of the competent authorities. <This time there’s a photo that shows bales of whatever wrapped in black plastic. I don’t think fishermen wrap their catch that way. Way different from the US approach of sinking both boat and evidence and saying “Trust us, those guys were drug runners.” But then the Ecuadorian navy can tell the difference between a fishing boat and a go-fast boat.>
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.