Investment and Business Opportunities in Ecuador

Ecuador is a frontier market. Yet it has all the modern infrastructure and rule of law necessary for business.

Being a new market, lack of investment capital, and the trends all pointing towards continued large increases in tourists and expats visiting and settling here, have created massive opportunities.

Are there risks? Absolutely. A government with socialist tendencies has made the business environment less than ideal.

Read more about that here, and here.

That being said, the opportunities are tremendous and the business climate is not too great an obstacle as to outweigh the potential gains.

So what are the opportunities?

As a new market, there are many things that just are not here. Business’ and industries tailored towards the needs of growing expat communities in the places that’s happening is a great mindset to be in.

Just as an example of things not currently in Loja, a city being discovered internationally – there is no decent bakery, pizza, or drycleaner. A city of over 200,000 people doesn’t have a bowling alley, or storage facilities. No mini golf, no driving range, no golf course.

No good health food restaurants.

On the investment side, furnished apartments could do quite well here catering to the growing expat community.

The land in the mountains surrounding Loja is still cheap and yet there is almost nowhere else for Loja to expand, and for foreigners it is the most attractive place to live in the City – views, space and great air.

Builders will pay upwards of 12% for fully collateralized financing.

There are many distressed properties here as well.

Speculating on large tracts of land that are perfect for the tastes of foreigners, but currently don’t have enough capital in the country to realize there value could provide an excellent return in the coming years as migratory trends continue.

Agriculture – year round growing season, government subsidies, cheap arable land and a great story for products being exported.

How about a superfoods products line grown in the mineralized soil, pristine water, and pure air of the foothills of the Andes!

These are just a few of the many opportunities here in Ecuador – ripe for the taking for creative entrepreneurs!