Brasil

A 35-year-old Brazilian man, resident in Cascavel, was robbed by eight hooded and armed criminals in the San Rafael neighborhood of Ciudad del Este after arranging a date through the Grindr app. The thieves took an iPhone 17 Pro Max and forced the victim to transfer 45,000 reais via Pix. In a separate case, authorities are investigating another robbery with hostages in which 28 million guaranis in cash and 29 million guaranis in transfers were stolen.

Deputy Industry Minister Javier Viveros said the 56th General Assembly of the Latin American Association of Development Finance Institutions (Alide), held in Asunción, strengthens the country brand and positions Paraguay as a strategic destination for investment and industrial development. The event, running through May 22, brings together representatives from development banks and multilateral organizations, with the National Development Bank (BNF) as host.

While Mercosur recorded an 8% increase in beef exports between January and April 2026, Paraguay saw a 25% contraction, the largest relative decline in the bloc. The average price per ton rose 17%, but shipped volume fell to 87,899 tons.

The Chamber of Commerce and Services of Ciudad del Este sent a letter to President Santiago Peña requesting the full opening of the Puente de la Integración as of July 1, 2026, amid the impasse in negotiations with Brazil, which maintains restrictions on light vehicle traffic.

The Feria Empresarial del Paraguay (FEPY) already brings together 20 countries for its 2026 International Business Round, with 55.46% of registrations coming from abroad. The organization is betting on decentralization to include companies from the department of Alto Paraná and surpass the US$ 260 million in business intentions from the previous edition.

Paraguayan adventure racing team Team Angiru achieved a historic sixth place among 27 teams in the Malacara Race Amazonas 500K in Brazil, after 112 uninterrupted hours of racing. The result projects the team toward the 2027 Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) in Croatia.

Smuggling of tirzepatide-based weight-loss drugs from Paraguay into Brazil has increased sevenfold this year, with the Friendship Bridge as the main entry point. Brazil's Federal Police warn of the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation as criminal groups and small-scale smuggling advance.

Paraguay's economic boom, with average growth of 4% over the past three years, is drawing a growing number of Brazilians seeking residency in the country. Data from the National Directorate of Migration show residency applications doubled in five years, surpassing 23,000 requests in 2025. President Santiago Peña compared the current moment to the period of the Itaipu construction.

Representatives from the Paraguayan Chamber of Exporters and Marketers of Cereals and Oilseeds (Capeco) met with the Taiwan Vegetable Oil Manufacturers Association (TVOA) to restart soybean shipments, which have been suspended since 2015. The meeting took place during the Taiwan–Paraguay 2026 Strategic Industries Mission in May and raises the possibility of an initial operation later this year.

Exports under Paraguay's maquila regime reached US$ 471 million between January and April 2026, driven mainly by the auto parts sector. Brazil remains the primary destination for shipments.

From June 3 to 6, the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric plant on the Paraguay-Brazil border will host the 38th meeting of UNESCO's International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC). The event, with about 250 participants from 34 countries, will focus on clean energy and natural reserve management.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Brazilian government, and Embrapa are preparing to launch a center of excellence in Georgetown to transfer technology and knowledge to the Caribbean and Central America, focusing on family farming and climate resilience.

On May 30, Palma Street in Asunción will host the second edition of the Palmear Sin Fronteras Fair, bringing together 16 immigrant communities with typical cuisine, artistic performances, and traditional dances in a day of multicultural integration.

The 14-year-old Paraguayan rider Oliver Cuevas secured a victory and a second-place finish in the second round of the Ohvale Trophy, held in Limeira, São Paulo, under a severe storm. He continues to lead the Moto Mini category, considered a breeding ground for MotoGP.

Facing a record harvest of 29.5 million tons in the 2025/26 campaign, Argentina is experiencing a decline in wheat protein quality and is studying imports of Paraguayan wheat, recognized as an 'improver grain'. Capeco warns that the planting area in Paraguay could shrink by 10% to 15% due to lack of profitability.

Official data from the National Directorate of Migration show that residency requests from Brazilians in Paraguay jumped from 10,039 in 2020 to 23,526 in 2025, driven by lower taxes and the maquila regime. The phenomenon is described as a significant demographic shift, with Brazilian influencers promoting the advantages of living in the country.

The second commander of the Paraguayan Volunteer Fire Department criticizes the lack of action by mayors to prevent fires, while the Sentencing Court receives data from the cell phone of drug trafficker Lindomar Reges Furtado for the trial of former minister Arnaldo Giuzzio. In Ciudad del Este, the 'Grindr gang' strikes again, and Operation Omega combats child pornography.

The Specialized Court for Organized Crime has formally received data extracted from the cell phone of Lindomar Reges Furtado, sentenced to 37 years in prison in Brazil for drug trafficking. The information will be translated and analyzed to verify a possible link with former minister Arnaldo Giuzzio, accused of aggravated passive bribery.

Paraguay's Deputy Minister of Industry, Javier Viveros, took part in the Conexa 2026 event in Florianópolis, where he presented investment opportunities in the country to more than 3,000 Brazilian businesspeople, highlighting the maquila and real estate sectors.

An ECLAC report points out that 89% of Paraguay's public debt is external and 82% is in dollars, exposing the country to exchange rate and fiscal risks, exacerbated by low tax pressure.

With expectations of a record flow of visitors during winter break, the business sector of Ciudad del Este demands the full opening of the Puente de la Integración. Diplomatic negotiations with Brazil are stalled over demands for strict migration controls, while the city prepares for an economic boom that could generate up to 50,000 new jobs.

Paraguay's National Electricity Administration (ANDE) is considering postponing the update of residential and commercial tariffs until negotiations with Brazil on the new Annex C of the Itaipu Treaty are concluded, expected by mid-year. The state-owned company's president, engineer Félix Sosa, stated that the final tariff will directly depend on this binational agreement, which will define the price of energy generated by the hydroelectric plant.

Industry and Commerce Minister Marco Riquelme said the country must prepare to convert its abundant electricity into AI data processing services, rather than ceding the surplus to Brazil.

While the European Union restricts imports of Brazilian beef due to the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, Paraguay claims to have already complied with the regulation since 2023/2024, ensuring the continuity of its exports to the bloc.