Colombian insurers lookto woo female clients; economic and political changes shift a longstanding rivalrybetween Argentina and Brazil; and Mexico calls a "Trump emergency."

Insurancefor cancer and a lost handbag, among the options

Insurers in Colombia are putting a feminine touch on some newinsurance products, with options ranging from the frustrating, such as a purse theft,to the serious, such as a cancer diagnosis. Lina Orozco Montesino of La República writes about some of the variousofferings popping up in the local marketplace, including one from Seguros Falabellacalled "Women's Support," which offers vehicle protection, coverage formastectomy costs if needed, and even accidental death protection. andDavivienda's Seguros Bolivar also have offerings geared toward women, with brandingnames like "Women Tranquility." Insurers have taken note, the report suggests,of women's want to invest in health and life insurance as their incomes creep higher.Women are expected to take over a big segment of the worldwide insurance marketby 2030. According to a study from the International Finance Corp. and Accenture,the female segment will represent $1.7 trillion for insurers, with half of the growthset to come from emerging economies including Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.

Brazil'scrusading corruption investigation is winding down

Although Sergio Moro has chosen to steer clear of the media,the Brazilian judge has not shied away from pursuing leading business executivesand top politicians during his two-year crusade against the $1.8 billion corruptionscandal known as Lava Jato, or Car Wash. During that period, the 43-year-old Morobecame somewhat of a folk hero as Brazilians took heart with his efforts to getto the bottom of a crime ring that helped push the country into a crippling recession.But in a country where "crooked leaders" are believed to be "allbut untouchable," the pushback from the political and legal elite was severe,Sabrina Valle and Jessica Brice write for Bloomberg News. With Moro now facing criticismfor overstepping his mandate, coupled with the fact that he cannot chase incumbentpoliticians linked to graft, insiders say the judge expects far fewer cases to headhis way in 2017.

Argentina'seconomic rise fuels rivalry with Brazil

With Argentina now an investor favorite and Brazil deemed tobe "yesterday's darling," the FinancialTimes takes a closer look at the shift within the two rival countries' "longhistory of mutual jealousy." The newspaper notes that many Brazilians are ingrainedwith the belief that "their country is superior to Argentina in everythingfrom football to the economy and foreign affairs," but it adds that those perceptions"are being turned on their head." Argentina has won the envy of Brazilwith its new reformist government, led by President Mauricio Macri, with many hopingthat Brazil can emulate something similar given its current crisis-ridden politicalsystem and deep economic recession. "The hatred many feel towards [PresidentDilma Rousseff's Workers' party] is even bigger than their hatred for Argentina,"one Brazilian academic is quoted as saying. Still, Argentines continue to look longinglyat Brazil in areas where Argentina still faces shortcomings; Brazil's independentand fearless judiciary system, for instance, contrasts sharply with that of Argentina,which suffers from a "serious crisis of legitimacy." The FT notes that many Argentines "castan eye north to admire the strength of Brazil's institutions, especially its judiciary."

Mexicoprepares to deal with Trump emergency

The Mexican government is preparing to face a 'Trump emergency'as Donald Trump has emerged as the U.S. Republican party's presumptive presidentialnominee, Susana Guzmán of El Financierowrites. The billionaire businessman has garnered widespread criticism in Mexicofor his derogatory assumptions and mumblings about Mexico and Mexicans, and manyare worried about the impact a Trump presidential victory would have on Mexico.Humberto Roque Villanueva, the undersecretary of population, migration and religiousaffairs for Mexico's Ministry of the Interior, asserts that "the Mexican governmenthas to learn how to cope better with what we would call the Trump emergency."A Trump presidency, he says, will probably mean more deportations, which have beenon the decline recently. But he also levied harsh criticism on the Republican candidate.The undersecretary argues that his thinking, which includes threatening to blockremittance payments to Mexico unless the country pays for a border wall, comes fromthe "middle ages." He further asserts that, overall, "Trump exaggeratesthe issue of Mexicans in the United States and doesn't value their extraordinarycontributions."