* Ecuador President Lenin Moreno ordered a curfew on Oct. 8 to prevent public access near government buildings and other strategic strikes, Reuters reported. The move, which comes amid a state of national emergency, follows roughly a week of anti-austerity demonstrations. Moreno has accused former President Rafael Correa of organizing a coup against the current administration from his self-imposed exile in Belgium, a charge Correa has denied, the newswire reported separately. Meanwhile, Peru's foreign ministry said Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay all support "actions taken by President Lenin Moreno" and "reject any action aimed at destabilizing our democracies by the regime of [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro."
* Caribbean Investment Holdings Ltd. said Cheryl Jones is stepping down as chairman and nonexecutive director, effective immediately, to focus on other business obligations. The company named Peter Gaze, who has been a director since 2007, to replace Jones as chairman.
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
* The Mexican central bank's stock of foreign reserves has reached about US$180.80 billion, the highest level in four years, El Financiero reported, citing data from the bank.
CARIBBEAN
* Jamaica's stock exchange posted gains of 35% over the past 12 months, making it the best-performing bourse out of 94 exchanges monitored by Bloomberg, the Financial Times reported. Jamaica's exchange recorded total gains of more than 600% during the last five years, making it the best performer for that period, too.
BRAZIL
* Banco Santander (Brasil) SA said it expects loan portfolio growth of more than 10% in 2022. The bank also forecasts a 21% return on equity by 2022, down from 21.3% in the first six months of 2019, and a slightly improved efficiency ratio of about 38%, down from the current 39.4%.
* Banco do Nordeste do Brasil SA said Ricardo Soriano de Alencar resigned as chairman but retained a seat on the bank's board. He will be replaced by independent board member Cláudio de Oliveira Torres in the chairman position.
* Banco CBSS SA has changed its name to Digio, which is also the name of its flagship credit card, Valor Econômico reported. The bank currently has 1.5 million customers but aims to grow to 5 million within the next three years.
* Brazil's central bank approved capital hikes at three local institutions, including a 189.2 million reais increase for Nu Pagamentos SA, 100 million reais for Banco C6 SA and 265.9 million reais for Banco Clássico SA, Valor Econômico reported.
* Brazilian securities commission CVM has rejected a BTG Pactual Holding SA proposal under which the company would pay 200,000 reais to avoid legal proceedings for allegedly failing to disclose negotiations that were relevant to investment unit PPLA Participations Ltd., Estadão reported. BTG recently canceled a plan to delist PPLA from Brazil's stock exchange, citing an appraisal report that failed to correctly reflect the company's value.
* The recent dismissal of Luciana Tito, lead legal counsel for state-run Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, has created tension among the bank's management, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources. Tito reportedly disagreed with the sale method BNDES selected to facilitate the disposal of Banco do Brasil SA shares held by Brazil's federal government.
ANDEAN
* Peru's solid fiscal fundamentals and economic institutions should back policy predictability and help shield the country's finances from economic risks amid an ongoing political crisis, according to Fitch Ratings. The rating agency expects Peru's economy to remain stable due to the prudent management of public finances, low and stable inflation, and sufficient international reserves.
* Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said Latin American development bank Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina, or CAF, has proposed a $400 million credit line for the country, but added that the loan will not be overseen by President Nicolas Maduro's administration, Reuters reported. The Caracas-based bank, which approved a $500 million credit line for Venezuela's central bank in December 2018, did not respond to the newswire's request for comment.
SOUTHERN CONE
* Banco Santander Chile has set up a new insurance broker unit called Klare Corredora de Seguros. The newly created unit will allow Santander Chile to venture into the digital insurance space, known as insurtech.
* The Argentine central bank's international reserves fell to below US$48.00 billion on Oct. 7 for the first time in roughly a year, El Cronista reported. Reserves are under pressure from the withdrawal of dollar deposits and refinancing obligations, among other issues.
* Asia-Pacific: Hyundai Card sets IPO in motion; India's IDBI Bank to resume lending
* Middle East & Africa: Saudi vets banks' Aramco exposure; Shuaa reshuffles ranks; KCB hunts defaulters
* Europe: Dexia CEO out; comdirect ups profit guidance; Helaba, Deka tie-up talk
Pablo Jimenez Arandia contributed to this article.
The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 8:00 a.m. São Paulo time, and scans news sources published in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.
