Economic news from Colombia

 The Ministry of Finance published a draft decree eliminating the exemption from the 20% surcharge applied to certain industrial sectors (such as agriculture, construction, and mining and quarrying), meaning these companies would begin paying 20% more for their electricity consumption. The goal is to raise approximately $1.2 trillion annually to finance subsidies for households in income strata 1, 2, and 3. While the government maintains that, while it may not seem so, the increase in production costs would be minimal, the business sector maintains that this is not a sustainable proposal and should be studied.

On August 26, 2025, Fedecafé (the coffee federation) and the International Coffee Organization (OIC) met with the Minister of Agriculture, Martha Carvajalino, to talk about ways to help coffee farmers. They discussed how to make coffee growing more competitive, kinder to the environment, and how to support peace in the countryhe minister wants coffee farms to be environmentally friendly and to find other crops that can grow in the same land. They also agreed to create a special coffee brand from conflict areas, like Micay and Catatumbo. This brand will help farmers who used to grow illegal crops but now grow coffee. Fedecafé will help them sell their coffee so they can earn more money. In Caldas, 60.4% of non-mining exports go to the United States, which can cause problems if coffee prices or the dollar change a lot.

In July 2025, Colombia received the biggest amount of money from Colombians living abroad. The total was 1,158 million dollars, which is more than in June and also more than in July last year. From January to July 2025, Colombians sent more than 7.5 billion dollars to the country. This is about 14% more than the same months in 2024. This money, called remittances, is very important for Colombia. In 2024, it was 2.8% of the GDP of the country. Also, in 2023 it was 3.6% of family income and 3.9% of family spending. More people are receiving this money now: in 2016 it was less than one million, and in 2024 it was about 2.1 million people. Most of the money comes from Colombians in the United States and Spain. Families use it to pay for food, education, and houses.

The bank estimates that Colombia's GDP will reach US$2.6 trillion and rank 28th worldwide. Colombia will be among the 30 largest economies on the planet in 2075, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$2.6 trillion and ranking 28th, according to a study by Goldman Sachs. The report compares global economic performance from the end of 2000 to projections for the next 50 years and shows a shift in the distribution of economic power. According to La República, developed countries are losing ground to nations with larger and expanding populations, greater commercial and tourism dynamism, as well as advances in innovation and the adoption of artificial intelligence.

The oil company's CEO affirms that flexibility is needed to adjust investments if crude oil prices drop further. As part of the redefinition of its growth strategy, based on profitability and the highest return for its shareholders, the oil company Geopark revealed its investments, which not only include a natural vocation to enter assets in the Vaca Muerta formation in Argentina (fracking), an area that is highly strategic for this objective, but also to take advantage of inorganic growth opportunities, that is, by purchasing assets or stakes in them.

The US currency rose slightly on the day, one day after the US released its inflation figures. After two consecutive days of downward trends, the Colombian dollar returned to gains this week, rising slightly this Wednesday against the daily Exchange rate. According to the Colombian Stock Exchange, the US currency closed at an average Price of $4.020, up 3 pesos against the Representative Market Rate of $4.017.

 The DIAN is restricting the international movement of cigarettes to stop smuggling, which generates significant fiscal losses for Colombia and impacts investment on important sectors such as health and sports. Apart from this, smuggling harms public health by facilitating access to unregulated illegal products and is linked to illegal groups that undermine security. This measure seeks to strengthen the legal market, increase state revenue, and improve citizens' quality of life by protecting health, the formal economy, and territorial security. Webgrafia  Portafolio. (2023, 12 de agosto). DIAN restringe el tránsito internacional de cigarrillos para combatir el contrabando. Portafolio. 

 This blog will be an space dedicated to analize económic news from Colombia. Here we are going to explore how figures, politics and financial event influences the national panorama, affecting everyone's lives.