Finance

OCC sets January 18, 2027 deadline for stablecoin issuers to comply with the GENIUS Act
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published the final implementing rule for the GENIUS Act. Stablecoin issuers must obtain permitted issuer status before January 18, 2027; those that fail to comply or cannot guarantee 100% backing will not be able to issue or circulate in the U.S. market. Reserves must be backed by real bank liquidity or short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, and in the event of bankruptcy, compensation to token holders will be prioritized.
FinanceInternationalCointribuneOct 21AI
PP and Vox in Castilla y León plan to tax solar parks from five hectares and tighten wind power taxation
The PP-Vox government in the Junta of Castilla y León presented a Tax Measures Bill that extends to photovoltaic parks of five hectares or more an existing tax on environmental impact, until now limited to wind, hydroelectric and high-voltage lines. It also tightens the wind tax with new brackets per turbine and fewer exemption years. Rooftop self-consumption and plants under five hectares are excluded.
FinanceInternationalelDiario.esOct 21AI
Bold secures COP 37.45 billion from BBVA Spark to expand lending to small businesses
Colombian fintech Bold obtained COP 37.45 billion in financing from BBVA Spark to expand its lending capacity to micro, small and medium-sized companies in Colombia. The deal was structured as a bilateral loan, with Cuatrecasas advising Bold and PPU advising BBVA Spark. Bold, which started as a card-reader company, processes about COP 20 trillion a year in card and QR code payments and has onboarded more than 700,000 merchants in Colombia and Peru over six years.
FinanceColombiaRevista SemanaOct 21AI
Dollar opens higher in Colombia on Wednesday, above the COP 3,163.76 TRM
The U.S. dollar began Wednesday's session trading higher in Colombia. The Representative Market Rate (TRM) stood at COP 3,163.76 per dollar, while the currency opened in the market at around COP 3,182.55, according to foreign exchange market reports. The rate may change throughout the day depending on supply and demand.
FinanceColombiaDiario del SurOct 21AI
Colombia's dollar approaches COP 3,200 and opens at an average of COP 3,194
The dollar price in Colombia began Wednesday's session at an average of COP 3,194, up COP 31 from the Representative Market Rate (TRM) of COP 3,163.76. According to an analysis by Corficolombiana, the market is resolving the crossing of two medium-term trend lines: one upward since late August and one downward since late September. On Wall Street, the Nasdaq rose 0.51% and SpaceX gained 11.3% after reporting quarterly results.
FinanceColombiaELHERALDO.COOct 21AI
Electricity bills could fall up to 20% if Colombia makes better use of its grids, according to BCG analysis
Colombia's electricity bill has risen 7.24% between January and September 2026, above the 5.74% inflation rate, amid pressure from El Niño. A Boston Consulting Group analysis proposes making better use of existing grids: carrying 10% more electricity could cut bills by 7% to 8%, and bringing infrastructure to maximum efficiency would lower them by 10% to 20%. It also proposes adjusting tariffs, managing demand and using AI in procurement.
FinanceColombiaPortafolioOct 21AI
Dollar stands at 883.39 bolívares according to the BCV this October 21
Venezuela's Central Bank set the official dollar rate at 883.39 bolívares per dollar for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, compared with the October 20 report, amid a declining movement of the bolívar. The BCV also published rates for the euro (993.17 bolívares), the yuan (132.29), the Turkish lira (17.82) and the Russian ruble (10.71), along with buy and sell rates at several banks in the country.
FinanceInternationalCaracol RadioOct 21AI
DANE's ISE fell 0.04% year-on-year in August 2026, its first negative reading since April 2025
The Economic Monitoring Indicator (ISE) published by DANE posted a year-on-year variation of -0.04% in August 2026 compared with the same month of 2025, a negative result not seen since April 2025. Agriculture and mining contracted 3.2%, while manufacturing and construction fell 3.0% combined. Trade, transport and accommodation dropped 0.95% and communications 1.87%. Services grew 2.2%, driven by public administration, defense, education and health. Banco de Bogotá and Oxford Economics linked part of the contraction to the August 10 earthquake.
FinanceColombiaDiario del SurOct 21AI
Dollar rises to 3,185.10 pesos in Colombia, near 3,200
The dollar opened higher in Colombia at 3,185.10 pesos, after closing the previous session at 3,174, driven by fiscal uncertainty over the 2027 General Budget process in Congress and by the international rebound in energy prices. Brent was up 0.6% at US$109.48 per barrel and WTI rose by the same proportion to US$98.46. The global dollar index (DXY) remains above support at 101.60 points.
FinanceColombiaPulzoOct 21AI
Ferrovial selected in the UK for a 1.75 billion euro contract
Ferrovial has been selected by Anglian Water, the private company that manages water in the East of England, to take part in a project valued at 1.5 billion pounds (1.75 billion euros) aimed at strengthening the resilience of the water network. The company's Construction division will carry out the works together with MWH Treatment. The first task under the framework agreement is to improve coastal waters for more than 200 million pounds (240 million euros).
FinanceInternationalValencia PlazaOct 21AI
CBRE buys Onnec for up to $1 billion and strengthens its data center business
CBRE announced the purchase of Onnec Group Limited, a company specializing in the design, deployment and maintenance of network, fiber and data center infrastructure, for a total value of up to $1 billion. The initial price is 460 million pounds (about $610 million), plus a variable payment of up to 300 million pounds (about $400 million) tied to growth targets. The deal, pending regulatory approvals, is expected to close around the end of the year.
FinanceInternationalCinco DíasOct 21AI
Wall Street opens cautiously: Tesla and SpaceX rise on merger preparations as Iran stalemate cools sentiment
US500 and US100 futures slip 0.20% and 0.18% at the open, after diplomats' remarks dampened hopes for an immediate Washington-Tehran deal. Tesla rises 2.31% and SpaceX more than 8% pre-market after Elon Musk confirmed committees to evaluate a merger with a combined valuation estimated at $3.5 trillion. Super Micro Computer gains more than 12% on preliminary revenue, while Netflix falls nearly 5% on its fourth-quarter guidance.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 21AI
US Department of Energy allocates $967 million to modernize the power grid
The US Department of Energy confirmed an additional allocation of about $967 million to accelerate the modernization of transmission and distribution infrastructure across the country. The funds will be distributed through the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant program to states, territories and tribal administrations, which will manage projects such as replacing substation components, reinforcing overhead lines and real-time monitoring of the most congested nodes.
FinanceInternationalInspenetOct 21AI
Repair shops ask to be included in Spain's Auto Plan 2030
Cetraa and Conepa, Spain's associations of car repair shops, asked the Directorate General for Industrial Strategy and SMEs to be included in the Spain Auto Plan 2030, which sets out 25 priority measures for the industry. They argue that electrification requires a repair network ready to service electric and hybrid vehicles, and call for training in new technologies and support to adapt facilities and buy machinery and tools.
FinanceInternationalCoches.netOct 21AI
What the TRM is and how the dollar affects Colombia's economy
The nominal exchange rate indicates how many Colombian pesos are needed to buy one dollar, the reference currency for Colombia's trade, investment and international financing operations. Its movements reflect depreciation or appreciation of the peso: when the peso weakens, more pesos are needed per dollar, imports become more expensive and the cost of living may rise; when it strengthens, buying foreign goods becomes easier, though export products lose competitiveness. The TRM, the average of dollar purchase and sale operations by supervised entities, stands at 3,163.76 pesos per dollar.
FinanceColombiaPulzoOct 21AI
Dollar opened at COP 3,182.55 in Colombia, COP 18.79 above the October 21 TRM
The dollar opened this Wednesday, October 21, at COP 3,182.55, an increase of COP 18.79 compared with the day's TRM of COP 3,163.76. In the opening the currency hit a low of COP 3,182 and a high of COP 3,196, with 19 trades worth US$10 million. Mauricio Acevedo, FX and derivatives strategist at Corficolombiana, said the market is resolving the crossing of a medium-term bullish trend and a bearish one, and that for now the bullish one is somewhat stronger.
FinanceColombiaEl Universal (Cartagena)Oct 21AI
Dollar opens higher on October 21 with a TRM of COP 3,163.76 in Colombia
The U.S. dollar starts the Wednesday, October 21, 2026 session higher in Colombia, with a Representative Market Rate of COP 3,163.76 pesos, according to the Banco de la República. Exchange houses quote buying between COP 3,070 in Medellín and COP 3,185 in Cúcuta, and selling between COP 3,182 and COP 3,380. The euro falls 0.73% to COP 3,561.08, the Canadian dollar rises 0.76% to COP 2,258.58, Brent opens at 108.29 dollars and bitcoin trades at 83,553.5 dollars.
FinanceColombiaCaracol RadioOct 21AI
DIA lifts store profitability from 35% to 97% after its restructuring
DIA Spain CEO Ricardo Álvarez said at the 41st AECOC Gran Consumo Congress that the company has posted three consecutive profitable years and that the share of profitable stores rose from 35% to 97% since the start of its restructuring. DIA cut debt by 125 million euros over the past year and brought its leverage ratio to 0.6, below the initial target of 1. The company sees potential to open up to 1,000 more stores in Spain.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 21AI
Dollar, inflation and GDP: how market projections changed over the year
A CEPEC report analyzed how market projections for the dollar, inflation and GDP changed over the year. For October, the consensus expects monthly inflation to close below 2%, with Facimex projecting 1.7%. Looking to 2027, inflation estimates rose from 19.3% in March to 21.2% in September, against 18% in the Budget. Dollar projections fell from $1,700 to $1,614 between March and September.
FinanceInternationalAmbitoOct 21AI
ABECEB projects record exports of up to USD 106 billion for Argentina
Mariana Camino, president and CEO of ABECEB, projected in Infobae en Vivo Argentine exports of between USD 100 billion and USD 106 billion, a record level that would reflect greater diversification of the sectors generating foreign currency. She said the country went from depending on agriculture to having four export engines. She mentioned that some 7,000 SMEs account for exports of about USD 8.3 billion and warned that economic opening forces companies to improve productivity and costs.
FinanceInternationalInfobaeOct 21AI