B

Buenos Aires Times

January 2026

Venezuelan interim president announces mass amnesty push

Leftist revolutionary Hugo Chávez assumed the Presidency in 1999, and was succeeded upon his death in 2013 by Maduro, who oversaw an increasingly authoritarian government and whose two re-elections were widely dismissed as fraudulent

May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism,
It’s wonderful! I haven’t heard from my son in six months, so, damn it, this is a huge joy, it’s an amnesty, my God, it’s total liberation,
This is not a voluntary gesture by the regime, but a response to pressure from the United States government. And I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to be with their families,
May this be the beginning of a path that leads us to freedom and democracy, definitively and forever,

Trump unmasked?

But the way Donald Trump — such a consummate performer for his own people until recently — has stripped himself bare, warts and all, in this first, tumultuous month of the year defies belief

Jacob Freyminneapolis Mayor
Here perhaps is the moment of truth for this President
I know the President doesn’t drink but the Bazooka surely sobered him up,
Donald Trumpthe way
The man has no clothes when it comes to doing the real work of peacemaking,
Joe Roganamerican broadcaster, comedian, and actor (born 1967)
Are we really going to be the Gestapo?”
But we will have control of Greenland, make no mistake on that one,
Trump always chickens out.”

Beef prices, new methodology cloud Argentina’s inflation outlook

Beef, a staple of the Argentine diet, rose 17.3 percent from October to December

During the first quarter of 2026, the pace of the disinflation process faces risks of a seasonal nature and therefore transitory,

Milei government declares emergency over Patagonia wildfires

President Javier Milei’s government on Thursday declared an emergency in four provinces in Patagonia, where wildfires have ripped through vast tracts of forest since the start of the Southern Hemisphere summer

I've been a firefighter for 15 years and this is the first time I've seen a fire burn like this. We can't cope,
Manuel Adornicabinet Chief
Today, the weather conditions helped,
We are ensuring that the fire doesn't continue to expand,
The Decree of Necessity and Urgency declaring a Fire Emergency in the provinces … is being signed,

Push to lower age of criminal responsibility set for Congress kick-off

Karen Reichardtparty lawmaker
There are minors in Argentina who kill, who rob while armed, and within a few hours they are back on the streets as if nothing had happened,
This is not about political ideologies, it is about common sense. We want people who commit crimes, whatever their age, to pay for them. That is what we have wanted for many years,
Alejandra Monteolivasecurity Minister
Except for Brazil, which has practically the same range as us, all other countries in the region and in Europe are around 12, 13 and 14 years old,... I hope we achieve 13 or 14 years old as has been suggested, although if you ask me, I think it should be even lower — the discussion is currently centred more around 12 and 13 years old,
Alejandra Monteolivasecurity Minister
It’s not just about lowering an age, but changing a system. The bill contemplates working on prevention, the institutional response of containment and mandatory educational support, including figures such as a supervisor,
Manuel Adornicabinet Chief
Early meeting at the Casa Rosada. The ‘Juvenile Criminal Law’ will also be on the agenda of the extraordinary sessions,
Javier Mileipresident
In Argentina, those who commit crimes pay for them; adult crime, adult sentence.”
Our regulations are from 1980 and criminal organisations have changed: they recruit children today and we have not evaluated its impact, since minors work as the ‘fuel’ of these gangs,
The agenda to be considered by the Honourable National Congress during the period of Extraordinary Sessions convened as from February 2, 2026, is hereby expanded to include consideration of the Bills related to the Juvenile Criminal Justice Regime.”

United States eases Venezuela sanctions after oil sector reforms

Within an hour of lawmakers in Caracas voting to open the oil industry to private investment, the US Treasury Department issued a general licence allowing US companies to trade with state oil firm PDVSA

This hydrocarbons reform helps restore our dignity,
Delcy Rodríguezinterim President
We are taking important steps,
The regime aligns itself with — and provides support for — numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States," including Russia, China, and Iran, as well as the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah
I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,

Nubank gets first green light for US bank, to launch in 2027

David Vélezchief executive officer
The approval is not just an extension of our operation; it’s an opportunity to prove our thesis that a digital-first, customer-centric model is the future of financial services globally,
David Vélezchief executive officer
While Brazil and Mexico remain our core priorities where most of our resources and execution efforts are directed, we also see transformational optionality in the US,
Cristina Junqueiraa Brazilian businesswoman who is the co-founder of Nubank
We look forward to delivering the transparent, efficient, financial experiences already trusted by more than 127 million customers around the world to our future customers in the US,

Business chamber says consumption up 2.5% last year

Household spending on goods and services has shown a modest recovery since President Javier Milei took office in December 2023, following a sharp contraction in 2024

Mass consumption recovered slightly after a marked decline in 2024, while consumption of durable goods is slowing the pace of its strong improvement. As a result, durable goods continue to gain ground in household consumption, displacing mass consumer goods, albeit less markedly,
This evolution in consumption must be viewed in the context of price developments, given that a slight acceleration in inflation was recorded during the second half of 2025,

JPMorgan courts Argentina by readily refilling stash of dollars

Marcos Buscagliaeconomist
JPMorgan is very active in the Argentine market,
Miguel Kiguelargentine economist
Investment banks see Argentina as a fertile market for the future,
Caputo and his team know their own minds — they don’t need Wall Street bankers telling them what to do,

Lured by 38% rates, carry-trade investors pile into Milei’s peso

This has happened only a few times over the past 10 years: a stretch of FX calm ahead — potentially four months — combined with historically very high real interest rates. It’s an ideal mix for putting on the carry trade,
There’s a combination of local factors that’s contributing to a perception of greater FX stability,
We’re seeing favourable conditions to put on carry strategies,

Overpricing claims, removal of officials poses questions for Milei ally Reidel

Despite being a service with complex technical specifications, since it involved radioactive residue, the tender was called with an extremely demanding period of 15 days for the presentation of offers, thus causing even more suspicions of the clauses steering it in one direction, bearing in mind the enormous volume of documentation, evaluation and the request for exorbitant antecedents,
Nobody wants people to rebel in this context,
A permanent staff of 500 workers is required when Distribón SRL has been performing this service satisfactorily for four years with a significantly smaller crew without being questioned at all.”

Argentina’s global debt hopes get boost from Ecuador’s bond success

To push the curve toward true normalisation and lower long-term funding costs, Argentina will need an Ecuador-style, proactive liability management strategy,
Ecuador’s latest transaction is a clean read-through for how Argentina’s curve could react to a well-designed liability management deal,
Our impression is that they want to show several billion in FX purchases before going to market, as they are very focused on bringing down country risk before launching the deal,
Ecuador’s debt issuance this week shows that even countries with a long history of defaults, high political risk and scarce reserves can access international markets at single-digit yields,

‘Davos of Latin America’ tests Lula’s regional clout

Lula travelled to Panama City intent on ensuring the left is represented in talks that will be dominated by conservative figures more sympathetic to Donald Trump in the US and Argentina’s Javier Milei closer to home

José Antonio Kastelect
If Brazil does well, then Chile does well. If Brazil does well, then all of Latin America does well,
Gisela Padovanbrazilian diplomat
We don’t focus on the political orientation of each leader,
Javier Mileieconomist, politician and president of Argentina since 2023
We have an adult relationship,
Guided by pragmatism, we can overcome ideological differences and build solid and positive partnerships within and outside the region,

On lowering the age of criminal responsibility — is Argentina legislating in a mood of violent emotion?

An adolescent passing through the penal system is marked for life and his reinsertion into society is very difficult. The proposal does not provide any accompaniment nor forms of reinsertion to prevent conflictive conduct nor strategies to avoid recidivism,
Gil Domínguezperfil, constitutional lawyer
The government bill wants to restore the age of criminal responsibility imposed by Videla during a dictatorship,
The aim of the juvenile criminal code should be to generate introspection in the boy or girl regarding their offence and if thought is only given to the effects of punishing at that age, this is contrary to the higher interests of the child,
They seek to make society discuss this issue in order to pass the labour reform,
Gil Domínguezperfil, constitutional lawyer
We do not have any massive problem of the underaged committing heinous crimes, yet the case of Jeremías Monzón in Santa Fe made an impact,
Now kids are regaining their liberty perhaps even before the stolen car is recovered,... The government is not doing badly in Congress so they are accelerating” the times to debate this reform
You might say Argentina is legislating in a mood of violent emotion,
We’re going for the same standards as our neighbours: an earlier age of criminal responsibility, specialised judges and differentiated punishments. Impunity on the grounds of age is over.”

Catholic Church rejects Milei bill to lower age of criminal responsibility

If the age of criminal responsibility is lowered, where will the minors be confined? What are the appropriate premises in the provinces to house criminal youngsters? What real alternatives do we have to offer them education and social reinsertion?”
For many years Argentine society has been suffering the consequences of political administrations which have not been capable of creating a culture of work including all inhabitants and permitting all the families in this country to live in dignity while obtaining the necessary goods for an authentic human, working, social, economic and psycho-active development,

River Plate unveil plans to increase stadium capacity to 101,000 spectators

Club Atlético River Plate, one of Argentina’s most famous and storied football clubs, has announced a US$100-million redevelopment plan that will increase the capacity of its iconic Monumental stadium to more than 100,000 spectators

Stefano Di Carloriver President
They are the ones who support River at all times and who make it possible for River, as a non-profit civil association, to proudly say that it can undertake a project of this scale, sustained fundamentally — as it always has been — by the efforts of its members,
Stefano Di Carloriver President
The club will then be able to repay and meet the principal and interest on that loan using its own ongoing income generated by this new development,
Stefano Di Carloriver President
This is a historic day, one that has precedents and a journey, and is part of a historical process,