Emerging Markets

Tanzania Paid US$2.8 Billion for Its Biggest Dam. Egypt Built It

Egyptian contractors have delivered a 2,115-megawatt hydropower plant in Tanzania, and Cairo is using it to answer the charge that…

Ghana Booked US$1.91 Billion of Investment. Only US$88 Million Was New

Ghana registered US$2.62 billion of foreign investment in 2025, yet on the central bank’s own measure 95.4% of the inflow was prof…

Dakar Has Opened a Start-Up Programme for Athletes and Sport Businesses

Dakar has launched IncubaSport, billed as Africa’s first incubator for the sport economy, ten weeks before the city hosts the firs…

Most of Equity Group’s Lending Has Left Kenya. Most of Its Profit Has Not

Equity Group posted a record half-year profit of KSh45.5 billion, and for the first time its businesses outside Kenya hold more th…

LATAM Data Breach Exposed Names, Addresses and Card Details

LATAM Airlines disclosed a data breach on 19 August 2026 that exposed personal and partial card data of some LATAM Pass members. T…

Argentina Hands 3,900 km of National Highways to Private Firms

Argentina has awarded over 3,900 kilometres of national highways to private concessionaires, marking the final phase of privatizin…

Kenya Says Dangote Has Offered It a Tenth of the Lamu Refinery

A Kenyan presidential adviser says Nairobi has been offered 10% of the planned Lamu refinery for about US$500 million, with a 30% …

Paul Biya Is Back in Cameroon After Ten Weeks. The New No. 2 Job Is Empty

Cameroon’s 93-year-old president is back in Yaoundé after 74 days in Europe, and the vice-presidency his parliament created in Apr…

FEMSA’s Discount Chain Bara Hits 786 Stores in Mexico

Bara, FEMSA's hard-discount grocery chain, now has 786 stores in Mexico after adding 112 units in the second quarter of 2026. The …

Rio de Janeiro Debt: US$5 Billion Back on the Table

Rio de Janeiro debt talks cover about 26 billion reais, roughly US$5 billion, owed to Banco do Brasil and BNDES. The post Rio de J…

Peru’s Private Investment Jumped 17.6% in the Second Quarter

Peru's private investment grew 17.6% in the second quarter of 2026, helping GDP rise 3.4%. Retail and wholesale trade also expande…

Argentina’s Deputies Take Up the Central Bank Charter

Price stability as the only mandate, and a flat ban on printing money for the Treasury. The post Argentina’s Deputies Take U…

Mexico Unveils Olinia 2, a Home-Built Electric Cargo Vehicle

Mexico's Olinia 2 is an electric cargo vehicle for urban deliveries. It carries 650 kg, travels over 120 km per charge and plugs i…

Chile Tariff Talks With Washington Resume in Santiago

Chile tariff talks with Washington resume in Santiago on 24 and 25 August 2026. Chile seeks exemptions for salmon, wine, and other…

Peru Declares a Cooking Gas Emergency in Five Southern Regions

Peru has declared a cooking gas emergency in five southern regions. Heavy rain and landslides have cut the roads that carry the cy…

Argentina Country Risk Falls to 506 as Bad Debts Climb

Argentina country risk fell to 506 basis points on Friday, even as bad debts climb. Supermarket sales are down and arrears hit 17.…

Cerro Verde Offers Arequipa More Than US$3.4 Billion

Cerro Verde has pledged over US$3.4 billion to Arequipa, including water and sanitation projects. The deal with Sedapar runs throu…

Asia Intelligence Brief August 21, 2026: The Month That Has Two Numbers

Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief August 21, 2026 Asia Intelligence Brief — Friday, August 21, 2026 The Month That Has Two Numbe…

The Rio Times · 21 Aug 2026 · Brazil

German Manufacturing Surges on Defence Orders as Services Sector Contracts

August purchasing managers surveys reveal German factory growth is heavily reliant on defence spending and precautionary stockpili…

Ecuador and South Korea Advance Energy and Mining Deals Under New Trade Pact

Ecuador and South Korea are advancing investment talks in energy and mining, leveraging a newly approved trade agreement that will…

Mexico Data Centre Investment Projected to Reach US$20.6 Billion by 2031

The Mexican Data Center Association forecasts US$20.63 billion in direct infrastructure spending over the next six years, signalin…

Pegatron to invest $330 million in new Mexico plant for electromobility and data centers

The Taiwanese contract manufacturer is expanding its Mexican footprint with a major investment in advanced electronics, signaling …

US Grants National Airlines Authority to Resume Venezuela Air Services

The US Department of Transportation has authorized National Airlines to operate flights to Venezuela, marking a tentative reopenin…