Doing Business in the NEW Ecuador - the Noboa Era
About the Webinar
Ecuador, with a population of over 18 million inhabitants, and growing at nearly one percent per year, is a small-to-medium market for U.S. exports. The U.S.–Ecuador trade and investment relationship has significantly strengthened over the last few years. Ecuador is an important commercial partner for the United States in South America, and both countries have taken concrete steps to deepen trade, investment, and regulatory cooperation.
President Daniel Noboa, originally elected in October 2023, won re-election on April 13, 2025, to a full, four-year through May 2029. Immediately following Noboa’s re-election, Ecuador’s country risk dropped 800 basis points on investors’ expectation that he will continue to run a pro-trade, pro-business administration with center-right policies and enjoy a strong bilateral relationship with the United States.
Why Ecuador
- - The U.S. is a major foreign investor in Ecuador, particularly in energy, agriculture, mining, franchising, and telecom sectors.
- - Ecuador's use of the U.S. dollar as its national currency (since 2000) creates a stable environment for trade and investment.
- - In 2024, the United States exported $7.5 billion in goods to Ecuador.
- - U.S. products have high levels of acceptance and associated with quality and innovation.
- - Close geographic proximity to the U.S. reduces shipping times.
- - Increased market access in certain export sectors.
Join us to learn about the Business
Opportunities in Ecuador!
LEARN ABOUT OUR EVENTS
Speakers
Lawrence Petroni
Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador
A career diplomat and member of the Senior Foreign Service, Lawrence Petroni began his assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Quito and Consulate General in Guayaquil in July 2023. He became Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., of the Embassy and Consulate on April 17, 2025.
Mr. Petroni (or Lawrence) most recently served as Acting Director of the State Department’s Office of UN Political Affairs, having joined the office as Deputy Director in 2021. He previously served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Santiago, Chile from 2020-2021, after arriving as the Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs in 2018. Other overseas assignments include as Political Counselor in Lima, Peru and Deputy Economic Counselor in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as postings in Rome, Italy, and Bogota, Colombia. Mr. Petroni has also served as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Civilian Security; South America Team Lead in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; and crisis management officer in the State Department’s Operations Center. Prior to joining the Department of State, he interned in the White House and taught English in rural Costa Rica.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He speaks Spanish, and some Italian, Thai, and Portuguese. Born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, he is married and has one son.
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