Digital Euro Advances as European Parliament Backs Negotiations — A Signal for South America's CBDC Debate

South America's Intangible Economy: Brazil and the Region Face a Knowledge-Investment Reckoning

Global investment in intangible assets crossed USD 10 trillion for the first time in 2025, and new data from WIPO confirm Brazil's place among the world's largest such investors — but the broader South American picture reveals a region still working out how to compete in an economy increasingly built on software, data, and ideas rather than machinery and buildings.

Brazil and the Intangible Economy: How South America Is Navigating the Global Shift to Knowledge-Based Growth

A landmark WIPO and Luiss Business School report reveals that global intangible investment surpassed USD 10 trillion for the first time in 2025, with Brazil ranking among the world's largest investors in intellectual property, software, and R&D. The findings raise urgent questions about whether South America's broader region can convert this momentum into lasting competitive advantage.

Technology and Innovation Emerge as Central Pillars of South America's Economic Strategy

Governments and private sectors across South America are increasingly turning to technological development and innovation ecosystems to drive long-term economic growth. The region faces both structural challenges and significant opportunities as it works to diversify away from commodity-dependent economies.

Tango's Roots on Both Shores: Uruguay's Claim to a Shared Cultural Legacy

While Argentina has long dominated the global narrative around tango, Uruguay holds a firmly documented and legally recognized stake in the dance's origins. The Río de la Plata region, straddling both nations, is acknowledged as the birthplace of one of the world's most celebrated musical and dance traditions.

Venezuela's Ancient Plateau Wilderness: A Closer Look at Canaima National Park

Canaima National Park, located in southeastern Venezuela, stands as one of the largest national parks in the world and shelters some of the planet's most ancient geological formations. Its dramatic tepui tablelands and record-breaking waterfalls have made it a landmark of global natural heritage.

‘Like someone whacking a piñata’: orcas explode sunfish by ramming them at high speed

This never-before observed behaviour can tell us a lot about whale intelligence.

Gallo Pinto: Costa Rica's Beloved Rice and Beans

Before the sun has fully cleared the volcanic ridges of the Central Valley, kitchens across Costa Rica are already filled with the sound of a wooden spoon scraping against a cast-iron skillet. This is the sound of Gallo Pinto being born again, as it is every single morning, in homes from San José's bustling barrios to the quiet coffee farms of Tarrazú. It is not simply breakfast here; it is a ritual, a birthright, a dish so woven into daily life that Costa Ricans often eat it without a second thought, the way one breathes.

Venezuela's Colonial Past Endures in Architecture, Culture, and Urban Identity

Venezuela's Spanish colonial heritage remains visible across its historic cities, shaping architecture, religion, and civic life centuries after independence. From Coro to Caracas, the legacy of the colonial era continues to define the country's cultural landscape.

GenAI Patent Surge: What the Global Race Means for South America's Innovation Ambitions

The World Intellectual Property Organization reports that more generative AI patents were published in 2024 and 2025 combined than in the entire preceding decade, with China and the United States leading a rapidly accelerating global race. South American nations watching the patent landscape face a field now dominated by large multinationals spanning finance, telecoms, and infrastructure — not just technology firms.

Sun, Sand, and Prestige: A Guide to the Beaches of Punta del Este

Punta del Este, Uruguay's premier coastal resort city, draws visitors from across South America and beyond with its diverse stretch of Atlantic and Río de la Plata shoreline. Its beaches range from calm, family-friendly bays to open ocean surf breaks, each with a distinct character.

Encebollado: Ecuador's Beloved Fish & Yuca Soup

Long before the sun fully clears the Andes, the aroma of encebollado already drifts through the markets of Guayaquil and the fishing stalls of Manta. Steam rises from battered pots, carrying notes of cumin, cilantro, and the briny sweetness of fresh albacore. Vendors ladle the soup into bowls with the practiced rhythm of a ritual repeated daily for generations, and customers—students, taxi drivers, office workers, and the occasional night owl nursing a late evening—line up without hesitation.

A Culinary Crossroads: The Spice Traditions of Surinamese Cuisine

Suriname's cuisine reflects the country's layered colonial and migratory history, blending South Asian, Indonesian, African, Chinese, and Indigenous flavors into a distinct culinary identity. Spices sourced locally and imported form the backbone of a food culture rarely found elsewhere in the Americas.