
New personal banking opportunities with a major UK bank are now available for Falkland Islands residents. As part of their Overseas Territories strategy, Lloyds Bank has announced that the Falkland Islands have been added to the list of countries where individuals are able to apply for one of their International Current Accounts and/or Savings Accounts.

Following Buenos Aires' announcements regarding the lifting of restrictions to exchange local pesos into US dollars, neighboring Uruguay and Paraguay are preparing for the changes to come. Both countries foresee an increasing influx of Argentine travelers to benefit from the new scenario, which in the case of Paraguay also includes a depreciating guaraní.

Argentine President Javier Milei met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at Casa Rosada to discuss strengthening bilateral ties, focusing on a potential trade agreement aligned with US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs proposal.

Brazil's economy has been reported to have stagnated in February, with GDP growth at 0% compared to January, according to the Getulio Vargas Foundation's GDP Monitor. While industry and investment showed growth, declines in consumption, agriculture, and exports offset these gains.

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) Saturday published on X another issue of her Che Milei saga criticizing the incumbent head of State for his arrangements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other credit agencies, foreseeing negative consequences for the country.

The Estimator of Business Figures (ECN) published by Paraguay's Central Bank (BCP) mentioned a 6% year-to-date sales increase and a 5.2% year-on-year rise compared to February 2024.

Telefónica has sold its Peruvian subsidiary, Telefónica del Perú, to Argentine company Integra Tec International for approximately US$ 992,000, marking its exit from the Andean country after three decades. The sale, part of Telefónica's strategy to reduce Latin American exposure, follows divestments in Argentina and Colombia.

Southern Common Market (Mercosur) foreign ministers meeting in Buenos Aires on Friday agreed to temporarily expand the National List of Exceptions to the Common External Tariff by up to 50 codes per member state in response to global trade tensions, following US President Donald Trump's barrage of import surcharges.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva enacted the so-called Reciprocity Law on Friday, whereby the federal government can react whenever countries or economic blocs create measures restricting Brazilian exports, be it in the form of surcharges or objections to the origin of the product. The measure is to be published in Monday's issue of the Diário Oficial da União (Federal Official Gazette).

The World Bank (WB) announced Friday a US$ 12 billion financing package for Argentina over three years to support economic stabilization and reforms. Pending board approval, the initiative consists of several contributions as follows: