AGP Executive Report

Super El Niño Watch: Bank of America warns a “Super El Niño” could intensify droughts, floods and heat waves, adding a fresh shock to already tight commodity markets. Payments Expansion: ACI Worldwide and dLocal team up to let global merchants access local payment methods in Brazil and Mexico via one integration, including Pix and Mercado Pago. AI in Politics: Reuters reports Brazil’s Bolsonaro, barred from campaigning, appeared via an AI avatar at his son’s launch—raising new questions about AI as a political stand-in. Ag Biotech Push: Micropep submits regulatory dossiers for its peptide biofungicide Promisin in the U.S. and EU, building on earlier Latin America filings. Energy Tech in Honduras: Genesis Energias moves Honduras toward LNG-powered generation with an LNG storage terminal using a floating storage unit. Regional Tech & Governance: South Korea and Brazil sign MOUs spanning space, energy and AI, including streamlined rules for using Brazilian launch sites. Caribbean Digital Tax: Caribbean tax authorities urged to adopt AI and digital tools to modernize revenue collection.

Public Health: The U.S. measles comeback is worsening, with confirmed cases hitting a 35-year high and outbreaks driven by falling vaccination rates, raising alarms as CDC reviews transmission data from 2025–2026. Aging & Dementia Research: The Alzheimer’s Association launches a global trial testing whether GLP-1 drugs plus lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk in older adults, comparing more intensive coaching versus a lighter-touch approach. HIV Funding: New reports tied to AIDS 2026 in Rio say global HIV response funding plunged in 2025, largely due to a sharp drop in U.S. donor support, threatening progress. Regional Finance & Tech: Caribbean Development Bank backs a study to design a CARICOM regional stock exchange to cut fragmentation and improve access to capital for MSMEs. Energy/Climate Tech: Brazil’s CCS push gets international attention as regulators and low-carbon groups exchange knowledge on carbon capture pathways. Business in Latin America: Bladex posts Q2 results in Panama, while Butterfield warns acquisition and expansion costs weighed on profits. AI & Policy: UN convenes AI leaders in Mexico City, urging Latin America and the Caribbean to shape how AI affects trust, identity, and human development.

AI CRM & agentic automation: Creatio is taking its Unlimited Global event series to Warsaw, London and Mexico City, pitching how agentic AI is reshaping enterprise workflows across Europe and Latin America. Immigration & labor: A Supreme Court move to end Temporary Protected Status is set to strip work permits from hundreds of thousands of TPS holders, raising alarms about shortages in construction and healthcare. Network security for mobile: Shush says Modica Group will become a Demand Partner for its Sherlock network authentication APIs, expanding silent authentication and SIM-swap detection across Oceania, Asia and Latin America. Venezuela earthquake fallout: Reporting from La Guaira highlights how “earthquake-proof” public housing failed during the June quake, leaving families trapped and rebuilding uncertain. Latin America energy: IDB approved $204.2M for Bolivia to connect isolated power systems to Brazil’s grid and add solar plus battery storage to cut diesel use. Digital infrastructure: Google completed a new transatlantic submarine cable linking the US to Portugal, boosting capacity for AI and cloud demand. STEM in the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda students selected for SPISE say the program’s community and mentorship are reshaping their STEM plans. Soil-to-health research: Experts in Antigua and Barbuda link soil microbiomes to human chronic disease risk, urging changes in farming practices.

Medical & Consumer Health: Gentell is buying First Honey to fold medical-grade Manuka honey wound-care into a broader U.S. consumer lineup via 9,000+ retail stores and online channels. Earth Observation for Disaster Response: NASA-ISRO’s NISAR mapped Venezuela’s June 24 twin earthquakes, finding ground shifts up to ~60 cm and using its urgent response system for the first time on a major quake. Regional Aid & Recovery: Venezuela publicly thanked Mexico for earthquake support, including medical and technical help, as bilateral cooperation deepens during reconstruction. Public Health Watch: Costa Rica has issued a CDC travel alert after chikungunya reappeared locally, with mosquito spread in Playa Langosta and confirmed cases. Governance & Ethics Research: Peruvian researchers say higher education doesn’t automatically stop corruption—ideology, cynicism, and ethics norms shape whether people tolerate or fight wrongdoing. Climate & Risk: A week of reporting highlights worsening wildfire conditions tied to global heating and heatwave impacts across regions. Business & Energy Tech: Baker Hughes posted strong Q2 results, citing momentum across data center, gas infrastructure, and upstream markets.

AI Governance: China’s Xi Jinping urged stronger international cooperation on AI governance at WAIC, calling for fair, inclusive rules that address safety, ethics, and the digital divide. AI Industry Push: China also highlighted its “next new three” strategy—AI, robotics, and innovative drugs—as new export and growth drivers. Regional Tech Diplomacy: South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung told Silicon Valley investors to expand ties with the U.S. beyond security into technology, innovation, and startups, aiming to shape the next 30 years. Caribbean Innovation: Tech Beach Retreat launched TBRX (Dec 2–5, 2026, Montego Bay) to accelerate Caribbean AI, entrepreneurship, investment, and digital transformation. Health & Research: Belize and the Caribbean Development Bank backed new and upgraded school facilities to expand education access. Aviation & Connectivity: Argentina’s Aerolíneas Argentinas signed for six Boeing 737-10s, boosting domestic and regional capacity. Trade: The Philippines and Chile concluded their first free trade deal with a digital economy and sustainability framework.

Caribbean AI Push: The Caribbean Telecommunications Union and UWI St. Augustine opened the 1st Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Forum, launching a regional AI task force report focused on governance, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, and education. Public Health Alert: The CDC issued a Costa Rica travel notice after chikungunya reappeared, with local mosquito spread reported around Playa Langosta. Regional Health Capacity: CARPHA launched an antimicrobial resistance regional reference laboratory in Jamaica to strengthen Caribbean health security. Medical Tech Market Signals: New market reports highlight growth in on-set collaboration tools, once-weekly basal insulin therapy, and non-peptide GLP-1 pipeline expansion—pointing to fast-moving health and digital sectors. Urology Supply Chain: DAXAN promoted hydrophilic intermittent catheters with CE MDR and dual FDA 510(k) clearances, targeting OEM buyers across multiple markets. Caribbean Investment: IDB Invest and ANSA McAL announced a major up-to-$500M financing package to back Caribbean manufacturing, logistics, recycling, and supply-chain infrastructure. Aviation Industry Watch: A new look at Boeing’s “missing” 757 successor explains why the proposed 797 concept never moved forward.

Latin America Politics: Argentina’s President Javier Milei kicks off a far-right outreach tour across the region, starting in Brazil and moving through Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, as analysts say the timing is tied to his domestic slump and a broader wave of right-wing election wins. AI & Semiconductors: South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung unveiled a “San Francisco AI Declaration,” aiming to position the country as a trusted AI chip supply partner, with major deals for high-performance semiconductors and large-scale AI data centers. Payments Competition: MasterCard and FXC Intelligence report that most SMEs in Mexico, Brazil and Colombia are open to switching cross-border payment providers, citing delays, low transparency and costly problem resolution. Health Tech Market Pulse: A wave of new market outlooks highlights fast growth in AI-enabled healthcare tools, from microscopy and surgical video analytics to post-operative monitoring patches and ECG analysis. Climate & Health Risk: Wildfire smoke is increasingly framed as a long-distance health threat, with research suggesting mortality impacts are being underestimated across Europe and beyond.

ICC Leadership Shake-Up: The International Criminal Court voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan after sexual misconduct allegations, with states backing the decision by a large majority and setting up elections for a successor. Venezuela-ICC Exit: Venezuela notified the UN it is starting a permanent withdrawal from the Rome Statute and the ICC, accusing the court of geographic bias against the Global South. Cybersecurity Boost: Trinidad and Tobago joined the Latin American and Caribbean Cyber Competence Centre (LAC4) to strengthen defenses for governments and critical infrastructure. Public Health: CARPHA launched an Antimicrobial Resistance Regional Reference Laboratory in Jamaica to upgrade surveillance and diagnostics across the Caribbean. Education & Infrastructure: Belize began construction of new schools and classroom upgrades in Orange Walk District under a Caribbean Development Bank-backed education reform program. AI Policy Debate: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang posted an open letter urging Washington not to over-restrict open-weight AI models, arguing they improve innovation and security. Tech for Youth: Brightstar’s Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp expanded across the Eastern Caribbean, training students to build AI models and robots.

Renewables Finance: Ark Energy secured a financial investment decision for its AUS$1.3B Richmond Valley solar-plus-battery project in New South Wales, backed by Korea Zinc, with funding split into AUS$586M equity and AUS$716M debt. The plan targets a 200 MWac solar farm plus up to 275 MW / 2,200 MWh long-duration LFP storage. Digital Finance for LATAM: Cosmos Labs and Peersyst signed an MoU with LNET to advance the CBWeb3 project, aiming to test cross-network interoperability for CBDCs and tokenized assets across Latin America with support from IDB Lab. Connectivity Recovery: Cirion restored Venezuela’s main submarine fiber-optic cable within 29 days after June earthquakes severed it, reconnecting international communications through a complex underwater recovery effort. Public Health Tech & Access: South Africa’s Thembi Xulu is pushing for local production of the anti-HIV drug lenacapavir amid donor funding pressure, as she heads to the International AIDS Conference in Rio. Energy Transition Policy: Greenvolt agreed to sell a 57.47 MWp solar PV park in Hungary to PPC Group, with an option for co-located battery storage.

Climate & Mining: A Japanese-led AI + satellite study mapped 70,000 mines and found the “green” energy supply chain can still devastate forests and wildlife, linking mineral extraction to major biodiversity loss. Wildlife Trade Crackdown: Researchers say critically endangered sawfish teeth are still being sold as cockfighting spurs across Latin America despite bans, urging stronger enforcement and action under CITES. Marine Conservation: Sea Turtle Conservancy satellite-tagged hawksbill turtle “Sandy” in Nevis to track her Caribbean migration in real time through the Tour de Turtles program. Ocean Pollution: A Colombian-led mangrove study finds fiddler crabs can fragment microplastastics into smaller particles as they feed, raising new questions about how pollution spreads. Digital Public Infrastructure (Caribbean): Trinidad and Tobago showcased VerifyTT at an international webinar, positioning its digital credentials platform as a model for secure, accessible public services. AI Infrastructure (Caribbean): The country is also exploring a dedicated AI data centre to strengthen regional competitiveness. Water Access (LATAM/Caribbean): Louisville nonprofit WaterStep partnered with Israeli firm Galmobile to expand mobile reverse-osmosis water purification for disaster response. Energy Transition (Colombia): Ecopetrol and Germany’s GIZ signed an alliance to study pilot sustainable synthetic aviation fuel at Cartagena’s refinery. Mexico-US Tech Trade: Analysis highlights how USMCA pressure hasn’t stopped Mexico’s exports—especially data processing machines—though stricter rules could hit next.

Fintech Banking Expansion: Augustus, a German payments startup building a de novo U.S. bank, raised $180M in a Series B and is pushing for direct access to U.S. dollar clearing rails—aiming to cut out intermediary partners if its OCC charter moves forward. Digital Identity & Fraud: Jumio reported strong Q2 growth, expanding “identity intelligence” beyond static checks with global digital ID acceptance across 60+ territories and continuous risk analysis. Health in the Americas: A PAHO study estimates nearly 470M people in North and South America live with a neurological disorder, highlighting uneven access to long-term care. Energy Storage in the UK: ENGIE commissioned two 50 MW/100 MWh battery storage projects in Scotland, using its AI optimization platform to participate in balancing markets. Aerospace for LATAM Defense: Embraer and Saab agreed a framework to potentially produce 20 additional Gripen fighters in Brazil, adding assembly capacity in São Paulo. Sustainable Forests: Brazil’s Amazon deforestation is still at a decade low, but experts warn soy-driven risk after the Amazon Soy Moratorium ended, with a Science paper projecting 1.4M hectares at risk over 10 years. AI Governance Push: WAICO says it’s advancing AI governance for developing countries, focusing on standards and data governance. Travel Tech & Payments: Qubic integrated with Alchemy Pay, enabling QUBIC purchases in 173 countries via card and local payment rails like Brazil’s PIX and Mexico’s SPEI.

Digital Public Infrastructure: Trinidad and Tobago is pushing VerifyTT as a core “trusted” digital backbone for citizen access to government services, alongside e-ID, interoperability and a mobile benefits wallet—aiming to cut duplication and speed up secure service delivery. Stablecoin Payments: Marqeta and zerohash are teaming up to let companies embed stablecoin spending into card programs without rebuilding core systems, targeting global merchant reach. Satellite-to-Mobile: AST SpaceMobile’s low-frequency approach is positioned as a potential alternative to line-of-sight satellite services like Starlink, with implications for mobile connectivity across Latin America. Maritime & Logistics Partnerships: India and Panama agreed to deepen maritime cooperation, spotlighting logistics, shipping security, skills and digital transformation. Caribbean Reef Crisis: The Bahamas Protected Areas Fund is warning about stony coral tissue loss disease, citing severe regional mortality and calling for coordinated monitoring and response. US–Brazil Tech Tariffs: Researchers say the US 25% tariff on Brazilian goods leans on a distorted narrative about big tech regulation, arguing Brazil’s rules aren’t a threat to free expression. Caribbean Tourism: Guyana will host the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference for the first time, with a focus on sustainability and tech in destination development.

Humanitarian Diplomacy: Cambodia’s FM Prak Sokhonn urged ASEAN to back the safe return of 20,000+ displaced civilians after a December border ceasefire, warning of school disruption and limited care access. AI Governance for the Global South: Two separate pieces argue Africa should treat AI governance plans as a chance to build local capacity, not a new dependency—highlighting training, partnerships, and “human-centred” AI. Cybersecurity: UNODC says Southeast Asia’s criminal networks are using tech and AI to scale scams and child exploitation, with losses estimated up to $114.1B in 2025. Public Health Policy Fight: Major ultra-processed food firms are reportedly using courts to challenge health rules across Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the US and the UK. Latin America Tech & Industry: Argentina’s fertiliser push moves forward with a €1.3B urea complex contract; Colombia’s Pacific coast faces tsunami risk from new Chile-led simulations. Energy & Climate: UN warns war-driven energy and fertiliser shocks could worsen hunger, while Venezuela’s oil reforms draw calls for more international operators and tech providers.

Nicaragua Crackdown: A missing Catholic bishop in Nicaragua is raising fresh alarms after authorities detained Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata, with church and human-rights groups calling it an enforced disappearance amid Ortega’s move to end elections. Public Health & Water Security: Rosarito’s desalination plant faces a new 90-day start deadline after repeated delays, with construction now expected to begin in early August—key for water stability in Baja. Science Education: Trinidad and Tobago won its first-ever International Chemistry Olympiad medal, with Reginald Mohammed taking bronze, signaling progress from the national TTChO program. AI for Drug Discovery: A new market outlook projects rapid growth for AI in drug repurposing, while Telix published ProstACT SELECT results supporting patient selection for TLX591-Tx therapy. Digital Trade Systems: Caribbean agencies received ICT equipment to support electronic licensing and permits via ASYCUDA World, boosting digitized trade services. Food Security: UN reporting puts Africa at the hunger epicenter with 309 million hungry people, while Bangladesh’s healthy-diet unaffordability remains among the world’s worst.

Payments Clash: Brazil’s Pix is at the center of a new Brazil–US fight as Washington moves to protect U.S. firms, citing Pix as a trade barrier and warning against “special treatment” for a government-run system. Food Security Pressure: A UN report says global hunger fell for a third straight year, but 2.69 billion people still can’t afford a healthy diet—highlighting that progress is fragile and uneven, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. Agri-Tech Roots in Paraguay: Paraguay’s ka’a he’ẽ (wild stevia) story gets a spotlight, tracing indigenous use to today’s global sweetener industry. Latin America in EV Exports: New data shows China’s passenger-vehicle exports are surging into Brazil and other markets, with BYD also leaning on Latin America as a growth engine. Energy for Media Tech: Terra Innovatum and Waiken ILW plan behind-the-meter SOLO microreactors to power broadcasting data centers in Argentina and Brazil. AI Governance Push: China’s WAIC wrap-up highlights a new global AI cooperation push, with Global South participation and training pledges.

AI in Procurement: TSTT and Amplia ran a CIPS workshop to boost corporate AI readiness in procurement and supply chains, focusing on trustworthy data, stable processes, and people readiness. Health Tech Trial: Telix dosed the first patient in its Phase 3 LUTEON study of TLX250-Tx, a CAIX-targeted radiopharmaceutical for relapsed or recurrent clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Marine Science: Scientists outplanted experimental “Flonduran” hybrid corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas, aiming to improve reef restoration by combining Florida Keys elkhorn with more resilient Honduran strains. Biosecurity Policy: New Zealand’s BSI warned a proposed blueberry import health standard may not adequately reduce risks of high-consequence pests and pathogens. Digital Payments & Trade: India’s Jaishankar told Panama it’s a “natural bridge” for global trade routes, while India-Spain talks advanced on UPI-Bizum interoperability. Regional Agriculture Exports: Dominica’s Bee Natural shared export hurdles at an IICA-CDB forum for agri-MSMEs, highlighting logistics and market access barriers. Space & Astronomy: NASA says the asteroid “God of Chaos” (99942 Apophis) will have a close, naked-eye flyby in 2029 with no collision risk.