* Itaú Unibanco Holding SA said it has postponed its acquisition of shares in Banco CorpBanca Colombia SA held by Corp Group to Jan. 28, 2022, from the previously agreed date of Jan. 29, 2017. The company did not provide a reason for the postponement, but according to a separate statement, Helm LLC has filed a lawsuit against Itaú CorpBanca alleging certain contractual breaches related to the deal. Helm is seeking an injunction to block Itaú CorpBanca's purchase of certain shares in CorpBanca Colombia. Itaú CorpBanca said it believes the lawsuit is without merit.

* Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appointed political ally and economist Ricardo Sanguino to replace Nelson Merentes as the head of Banco Central De Venezuela, Reuters reported. Sources told the newswire that Maduro asked Merentes to step down as central bank chief.

MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA

* BCT Bank International SA said it will offer up to $1.0 million in one-year tradable securities on Jan. 25, carrying an interest rate of 3.625%. The series W notes are part of a revolving program worth $50 million, according to a prospectus.

* Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to work together to promote the strengthening of economic ties in North America, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Mexican president's office. The agreement comes ahead of security, trade and immigration talks between Mexico and the U.S. this week.

* Mexico's central bank said it expects to save about 140 million Mexican pesos in 2017 due to the government's austerity initiatives, Reforma reported.

* Costa Rica's central bank said it "successfully" made technological changes to the country's Sinpe electronic payments system in order to transition the banking sector to a new IBAN system, El Financiero reported.

CARIBBEAN

* Haiti's Central Unit of Financial Intelligence said it has found indications that President-elect Jovenel Moise, who is due to take office on Feb. 7, was involved in money laundering, Reuters reported. Moise denied the accusation, saying it was "a political maneuver."

BRAZIL

* Recent cuts to Brazil's benchmark Selic rate, coupled with prospects for additional reductions in 2017, should result in lower borrowing costs for local businesses and help banks record overall improvements in delinquency rates, Valor Econômico reported, citing Itaú Unibanco Holding SA CEO Roberto Setubal.

* In an effort to cut costs, large Brazilian banks like Banco do Brasil SA and Banco Bradesco SA are currently in the process of migrating thousands of clients to fully digital platforms, O Globo reported.

ANDEAN

* Banco Ripley Perú SA said it redeemed 50 million Peruvian soles tied to a 2014 debt issuance. The total amount includes the repayment of debt worth about 46.7 million soles, plus interest payments of about 3.3 million soles.

* Banco de Crédito del Perú said it plans to auction on Jan. 24 three-year corporate bonds worth up to 100 million Peruvian soles, expandable to 200 million soles. The interest rate for the series D bonds will be determined during the auction.

* Credit granted to Peru's private sector increased 5.6% in 2016 compared with the previous year, with local currency loans rising 7% and dollar-denominated loans increasing 2.3%, Gestión reported, citing central bank data.

* Inflation in Venezuela reached 800% in 2016 while the country's GDP shrank 18.6%, Reuters reported, citing preliminary central bank data seen by the newswire. "A source with firsthand knowledge of the situation" said the final figures may be altered as the data must still be approved by the central bank's board.

* Peruvian banking regulator SBS has made it illegal for banks to charge clients a fee for counting money in small denominations, La República reported. With the decision, there are now a total of 19 types of commissions Peruvian banks are prohibited from charging.

SOUTHERN CONE

* HDI Seguros de Vida SA said it issued 227.95 million new shares, worth 943.42 million Chilean pesos, to bring its debt-to-equity ratio in line with local regulations. The share issuance, which was part of a capital increase approved in December 2016, improved the company's debt-to-equity ratio to 0.65x, which is within the legal limit of 1.0x.

* Argentine Finance Minister Luis Caputo said the government has already secured 70% of its financing requirements for 2017, and going forward, the country will rely less on international bond markets, La Nación reported.

* Credit card usage in Argentina increased 41% in 2016 compared with the previous year, while debit card usage jumped 48% over the same period, La Nación reported.

* Argentine securities regulator CNV will not force the country's five securities market to merge into a single one entity, but it will promote their interconnectivity, El Cronista reported, citing CNV head Marcos Ayerra.

* Chile's insurance sector registered profits of $542 million in the third quarter of 2016, up 22.7% compared to the year-ago period, Diario Financiero reported, citing regulatory data.

PAN LATIN AMERICA

* Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president pledging to put "America first" and set the country on a protectionist path privileging the nation in all economic and geopolitical affairs. The 45th president decried the loss of factories and jobs to overseas competition and vowed to return the wealth he said had been "ripped" from the middle class and "redistributed" around the world.

IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

* Asia-Pacific: Fairfax Financial to sell Indian JV stake; Mizuho may move UK biz amid Brexit

* Europe: Bank execs back London; HSBC to cut senior jobs; SocGen hit with fine

Matthew Craze 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.