The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) plays a pivotal role in Latin America by providing financial and technical support to its 26 borrowing member countries. The 2024 Annual Business Review reveals several key insights into how the IDB functions and its impact in the region. Here's a structured analysis of what the IDB means to Latin America, based on the report:

Latin America's space economy is experiencing significant growth, driven by increased investment in satellite systems, telecommunications, and international collaborations. Several recent reports and industry roundups provide insights into the current state and future prospects of the region's space sector. In accordance, the sector is expected to see double-digit annual growth rates through 2030, making it an increasingly important player in the global space industry.

HDI Trends in Latin America. Latin America is facing a development slowdown. Despite decades of progress, the region’s Human Development Index (HDI) has stalled since the mid-2010s, and still hasn’t recovered from the shock of the pandemic.

Productivity is at the center of long-term development. It drives higher wages, better jobs, and greater competitiveness. Yet for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), productivity has become a persistent weakness, preventing the region from closing the income gap with advanced economies.The World Bank’s Competition and Productivity Growth

Three Barriers Blocking Market Entry in Latin America. The World Bank’s Competition and Productivity Growth report explains the core challenge in Latin America: market entry is blocked by multiple layers of regulation, both for local entrepreneurs and foreign investors.

Latin America’s Fiscal Frontier. The 2025 edition of Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean reveals a continued rebound in public revenues across the region following the COVID-19 shock. However, despite broad improvements, the region’s tax-to-GDP ratios remain far below OECD levels, and wide disparities between countries point to persistent structural weaknesses.

The Global EV Outlook 2025 published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirms what market watchers have long anticipated: the electric vehicle revolution is no longer a question of if, but how fast and where next. With global EV sales surpassing 17 million units in 2024 and projected to exceed 20 million in 2025, the report marks a pivotal moment for the automotive sector, with notable implications for emerging markets like Latin America.

Key Outcomes of the Recent Brazil-China Meeting. Last week, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Beijing for a high-level summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting marked a major milestone in bilateral relations, resulting in a wave of new agreements and investment commitments designed to shape cooperation for the next five decades.

Latin America Doubles Down on Electric Vehicles, Powered by Chinese Imports and Local Policy Push. Electric vehicle adoption in Latin America is (late, but fast) taking off. While still a small share of the global EV market, the region saw sales volumes and market shares more than double in 2024. This growth was fueled by a combination of favorable import policies, rising fuel prices, and affordable Chinese models.