Global overview of experiences in fintech development and administration: interim report on trends in fintech sector development in OECD countries and SIDS

This interim report explores the transformative impact of fintech on global financial markets. It delves into the evolution of fintech from its early stages to the present day, highlighting key innovations such as digital banking, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence-driven financial services. The report provides an in-depth analysis of international best practices, regulatory frameworks and the role of government and private sector partnerships in fostering a thriving fintech ecosystem. In particular, the report underscores the importance of regulatory frameworks addressing foreign ex…

Recommendations for fintech sector development and leveraging of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology in Aruba

This report presents strategic recommendations for the development of Aruba's fintech sector with a focus on leveraging artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technologies. It evaluates Aruba's readiness in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and the financial sector, comparing key indicators against counterparts in the region, including Curaçao, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The report highlights strenaths, such as stable democratic traditions, high education levels and a robust banking sector, and weaknesses, such as…

Global overview of experiences in fintech development and administration: interim report on stakeholder perspectives regarding fintech and blockchain opportunities and risks in Aruba

This interim report provides a comprehensive overview of stakeholder perspectives on the opportunities and risks associated with the development and administration of fintech, distributed ledger technology and artificial intelligence in Aruba. The Government of Aruba aims to diversify its economy away from its reliance on tourism by developing its information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The report is based on consultations with stakeholders from the public and private sectors, civil society and academia, conducted during an on-site mission in February 2025. Key findings highlig…

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025. Executive summary

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presents the 2025 version of its annual report Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean amid global uncertainty and high geopolitical tension, which are worsening the three development traps facing the region: low capacity for growth; high inequality and low social mobility and cohesion; and weak institutional capacities and ineffective governance. Foreign direct investment (FDI) guided by productive development policies could address these challenges. The first chapter provides an overview of global and r…

Anticipatory governance and legislative foresight: an imperative for Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean is facing three development traps: low capacity for growth, one of high inequality, low social mobility and weak social cohesion, and one of low institutional capacity and ineffective governance. This publication highlights the urgent need to implement anticipatory governance to overcome these challenges, promoting the establishment of parliamentary committees of the future, inspired by models in the European Union, Finland, Singapore, Chile and Uruguay, which seek to anticipate risks and opportunities through tools such as strategic foresight, long-term plannin…

National economic development plans and their contributions to climate goals under the Paris Agreement

Countries often count greater growth, economic development and the fight against poverty and inequality among their priorities, but they also face global challenges related to climate action and the Paris Agreement. In this regard, economic development plans should be aligned with emissions reduction and climate resilience objectives. This report presents an analysis of the extent to which elements of Paris Agreement climate commitments (focusing on nationally determined contributions) are represented in selected national green economic development plans of Group of 20 economies. Ultimately, t…

Climate change and monetary policy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Climate change poses significant challenges to economic stability, particularly in vulnerable regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This paper examines the macroeconomic and monetary policy implications of climate risks in the region, focusing on both physical and transition risks. Physical risks, including extreme weather events and long-term climate shifts, disrupt productivity, infrastructure, and supply chains, intensifying inflationary pressures and hindering economic growth. Transition risks, driven by the shift to a low-carbon economy, impact key industries and labor ma…

Time use and the academic performance gender gap among middle school and high school students: evidence from Brazil

This article analyses the influence of time use in various extracurricular activities, such as household chores, paid work, leisure activities and private study, on the gender gap in literacy and mathematics among middle school and high school students in Brazil in 2021, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition is used, enabling results to be broken down to evaluate how structural factors —in particular time use across these activities— affect student performance in Brazil. Our results indicate that unobserved effort in the activity influences performa…

Statistics and indicators related to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean

The demand for environmental, climate change and disaster statistics is increasing, both in the context of international agreements, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement, and at the national level. National-level demand is linked to the preparation of reports to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), plans and programmes related to development and other specific areas, national adaptation plans and climate change policies. With the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the United Nat…

Guidelines and action plan for mainstreaming the gender perspective in international development cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean

This document, Guidelines and action plan for mainstreaming the gender perspective in international development cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, is intended as a guide and a conceptual and methodological tool for orienting and promoting gender mainstreaming in the different phases, processes and modalities of international development cooperation (see diagram 1) and thus, it is hoped, contributing to efforts to overcome the development challenges faced by the region and strengthening regional efforts to achieve gender equality. This document was prepared between 2024 and 2…

The circular economy opportunities for wastewater treatment systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

There is abundant evidence of the benefits ––which include the ability to make use of by-products such as water, nutrients, biosolids and energy–– of integrating circular economy principles into drinking water supply and wastewater treatment systems. However, despite the environmental and social returns that it affords, this approach is not recognized as a profitable option for sanitation utilities. The study also highlights the importance of building water and sanitation utilities' technical, operational, policy-based and forward-planning capacities. The present challenge is therefore to…

Towards mainstreaming the gender perspective in statistical production in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Latin American and Caribbean countries have made progress towards mainstreaming the gender perspective in official statistical production, in line with the agreements adopted in the Regional Gender Agenda. At the thirteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in 2016, the governments of the region agreed to “transforming data into information, information into knowledge and knowledge into political decisions” in pillar 9 of the Montevideo Strategy for Implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda within the Sustainable Development Framework …

Diagnosis and recommendations to integrate administrative records related to children: use of administrative records for better statistics on children and adolescents

By adopting the 2030 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) monitoring framework, countries are working towards improving the livelihoods and prospects for children and adolescents to ensure they reach their full potential. To this end, it is key to understand the circumstances in which they live, the barriers they face as well as which programmes and policies work for whom and under what conditions. One cannot improve what is not measured, and disaggregated data on children and adolescents by important dimensions, such as sex and gender, help to uncover how circumstanc…

Work-life balance in the United States: women in the workforce and the policy challenges of a growing care economy

This paper explores the multifaceted challenges of achieving work-life balance in the United States as the country navigates the policy challenges of a growing care economy, particularly focusing on the persistent gender disparities, economic policies, and societal expectations that shape this issue. Women's participation in the labour force has been a major driver of economic growth, yet the absence of supportive policies like paid parental leave and affordable childcare hinders their full engagement and limits national economic potential. The United Sates continues to lag other develope…

Energy recovery from methane in wastewater treatment: case studies in El Salvador, Mexico and Panama

The study also highlights the importance of building water and sanitation utilities' technical, operational, policy-based and forward-planning capacities. The present challenge is therefore to devise ways of enhancing the sector's institutional capacities, not only for the application of circular economy principles in water management in the region but also for meeting the challenges associated with the current innovations being driven by artificial intelligence and big data solutions. Doing so will make it possible to leverage activities and projects that will make a direct contribu…

Annotated provisional agenda. Sixteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Conceptual Note: Indicators in CEPALSTAT Estimated from the Household Survey Database (BADEHOG)

Who provides childcare?: analysing the distribution of care work in Mexico

Using the care diamond framework proposed by Shahra Razavi, we analyse paid and unpaid care (especially childcare) in Mexico on the basis of four provider categories: family or household, the State, the market and the non-profit sector. Our work combines two main types of data: descriptive statistics and published studies based on empirical research and in-depth policy analysis. We offer a comprehensive description of childcare distribution in Mexico, outlining the four provider categories and institutional and private arrangements that support social reproduction. We highlight the weak public…

Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025

This report compiles comparable tax revenue statistics over the period 1990-2023 for 27 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. It provides harmonised data on the level and structure of tax revenues based on the OECD classification of taxes, thereby enabling comparison of national tax systems on a consistent basis, both across the region and with other economies globally. The report includes two special features: one examines non tax revenues in the LAC region while the second analyses fiscal revenues from non renewable natural resources in the LAC region in 2023 and 2024. The publicatio…

Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025: boosting investment for growth and sustainable development

The Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 analyses the developments and main trends in public revenues and expenditures, fiscal deficits, public debt and subnational fiscal accounts for the countries of the region in 2024. It confirms that with limited fiscal space, these countries continued to struggle to build up available resources and therefore faced persistent deficits and high debt levels. This report also examines tax incentive policies in dynamic sectors related to environmental sustainability and proposes strategies to increase effectiveness and strengthen governance…