Colombia’s cancilleria (foreign affairs ministry) was reminding foreign residents this week of the 2026 deadline to transfer their old resident visas to the new 5-year electronic visa scheme.
“Anyone with these visas, granted under previous regulations, must complete the mandatory process before October 31, 2026, before the Visa Authority,” announced the government, referring to resident ‘R’ visas issued before October, 2022, when new visa regulations came into effect.
Failure to transfer your visa by October 31 could lead to sanctions or even losing your residency status.
And even though the October deadline seems far away, the Cancilleria are expecting a flood of last-minute applications. Our advice is: don’t leave it to the last minute. Government websites are clunky at the best of times and you will need at least one appointment with Migración, which will be harder to get as the deadline approaches.
To avoid last-minute panic, here’s a quick Q and A to get ahead of the game…
No. Under new laws passed in 2022 (law 5477 to be precise), all R visas for long-term residents are now subject to a transfer every five years, which also coincides with the lifespan of the Cedula Extranjeria (Colombian-issued ID card). So even if the visa stamp in your passport says indefinida, you still need to do the transfer.
The traspaso applies to:
If you have a passport about to expire it makes sense to renew the passport before the visa transfer.
No. The traspaso is relatively simple and can be done mostly online, directly with the Cancilleria website. Although touted as a ‘transfer’, in most cases you will be issued with a new visa number in an electronic format that will be sent to you by email. You can then print your own e-visa and carry it with your passport and store it in your phone.
Other steps require visiting your nearest Migración office.
Around US$ 213 in total at current exchange rates. This breaks down to: US$25 for the Migration Movement Certificate, US$54 for the visa study, US$54 for the visa issuance, US$80 for a new replacement ID card (Cedula de Extranjeria).
Before applying for the traspaso, you need to obtain Certificado de Movimientos Migratorios, which is a printed certificate issued by Migración showing your entrances and exits from Colombia. The purpose of the certificate is to show your presence in Colombia. If you have been absent from the country for more than two years your residency status is automatically cancelled. You can apply and pay for the certificate online at the Migración website Formulario Único de Trámites page.
Be careful to select the centro facilitador (Migration office) that is closest to you because you must collect the printed certificate in person from the office. Also select the 10-year option for the certificate’s timeframe.
Not usually. One you have applied online, Migración will send you an email within three days notifying that your certificate is ready. You can go to the office and skip the lines by showing the email to the door staff. The counter staff will then print off the certificate. There is usually no need to make an appointment.
At present, Migración is only giving the option to collect the certificate in person in Colombia. This is one way to ensure that the visa holder is resident in Colombia. The option to collect in an overseas – i.e. at Colombian consulates – could change in the future.
Now you need to the visa website at www.cancilleria.gov.co, and navigate to the visa page called the SITAC. Note there are English and Spanish pages (the Spanish version sometimes works better).
Fill in your details to enter the system, then select ‘Visa traspaso’ from the dropdown menus. You will also be asked to click on the timeframe when your original ‘R’ visa was issued. You will then be told what documents to present; these can be uploaded in PDF.
This varies depending on your type of Resident visa and when it was issued, but generally:
Holders of permanent resident visas do not need to provide any more information. Other types of R visas might require evidence that the conditions under which the visa was granted still applies.
The fees are divided into a US$54 ‘study’ fee, which is paid on submission of the documents. When the visa transfer is approved you pay an additional ‘visa issuance fee’ of US$54. Payment is also online by Colombian PSE bank transfer scheme, or you can use Visa or Mastercard credit cards.
No. Once your e-visa is sent to you be email, you need to register your visa and apply for a new Cedula Extranjeria ID card within 15 days of receiving the new e-visa. The initial application and payment is done online, using the Formulario Único de Trámites page. Tick the Cedula Extranjeria box and select your nearest Migración office from the drop-down menu.
You’ll need to provide more information, scans, and an US$80 payment.
Nope. Now you need to make an appointment with the same Migración office to provide biometric data for your new CE. To make an appointment, first register with the website here. Slots for the following week are allocated often at 5pm on Sunday, so try at this time.
If there are no slots available, take a screenshot of the appointment page as you can later use this as evidence to prove you were trying to comply with the 15-day plan (Migración sometimes sanction visa holders for not registering on time).
If you do not get an appointment within 15 days don’t worry; with your screenshots of the full agendas, Migracion are unlikely to complain. Everyone knows the system is overloaded.
Another delay: some people wait months for the plastic card, though lately the wait has been getting shorter. You can use your old CE or your passport in the meantime.
The Cancilleria recommends applicants to apply directly for the traspaso directly via the website. However, commercial visa companies can assist with the paperwork but will charge a fee up to several hundred dollars. Try the process yourself before seeking professional help.
Just don’t leave it too late…
The post Long-term foreign residents reminded to transfer ‘R’ visas in 2026 appeared first on The Bogotá Post.
Colombia is on the verge of banning female genital mutilation (FGM), as lawmakers advance legislation that would outlaw a practice still reported in parts of the country, making it the only nation in Latin America where cases have been documented.
In a unanimous decision, the First Commission of the Senate approved the bill in its third debate, leaving just one final vote in the full chamber before it can become law — a significant step in addressing a practice widely condemned as a violation of human rights.
The initiative, known as Bill 440 of 2025 (accumulated with 239 of 2024), seeks not only to prohibit FGM but to eradicate the conditions that allow it to persist, particularly in indigenous communities.
“This is about settling a historic debt with Indigenous women and girls,” Representative Jennifer Pedraza said after the vote. “Eradicating this violent and limiting practice is essential to guaranteeing their health and dignity.”
Globally, more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, according to the World Health Organization. The practice, defined as the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, is most often carried out on minors and can lead to severe bleeding, infections, complications in childbirth and long-term psychological trauma.
While FGM is most prevalent in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Colombia’s case has drawn particular concern due to its singular status in the Americas. Lawmakers noted that the practice disproportionately affects very young girls, often under the age of one, with cases concentrated in the departments of La Guajira, Chocó and Risaralda.
Official data show a gradual decline in reported cases: 91 in 2023, 54 in 2024 and 39 so far in 2025. Authorities caution, however, that underreporting, is pervasive.
The bill marks a strategic shift away from punitive approaches toward prevention, education and intercultural dialogue. Senator Clara López, who led the initiative in the Senate, argued that criminalization alone has failed to eliminate the practice elsewhere.
“In countries where FGM has been banned for decades, prevalence remains high,” López said during the debate, pointing to cases such as Mali and Egypt, where rates have remained above 80% despite legal prohibitions.
The legislation was developed through consultations with Indigenous leaders, including representatives of the Emberá community, where cases have been recorded. Juliana Dominico, a spokesperson for the Emberá, backed the bill while stressing that FGM is not an essential cultural or spiritual practice.
Supporters argue that framing FGM solely as a criminal issue risks driving it underground and alienating communities. Instead, the proposed law emphasizes public health strategies, education campaigns and culturally sensitive engagement to encourage abandonment of the practice.
International bodies have long called for a coordinated response. In 2008, the World Health Assembly adopted Resolution WHA61.16, urging governments to act across sectors including health, education, justice and social services.
Beyond its immediate health risks, FGM is widely recognized as a violation of fundamental rights, including bodily integrity and freedom from cruel or degrading treatment. In some cases, the procedure can be fatal.
The economic burden is also significant. The WHO estimates that treating complications related to FGM costs health systems around $1.4 billion annually, a figure expected to rise without stronger efforts to end the practice.
If approved in its final debate, Colombia’s ban would mark a turning point for the hemisphere, aligning the country with global efforts to eliminate FGM while testing a prevention-focused model that lawmakers hope will succeed where criminalization alone has fallen short.
Colombia’s economic landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven not only by institutional shifts but by the indomitable spirit of its local entrepreneurs. The story of Julio Jiménez, founder of American Visa Hotel, serves as a powerful testament to the social mobility and resilience defining the country’s modern business narrative. From selling empanadas as a child to managing a diverse portfolio of hospitality and logistics assets, Jiménez embodies the grit that is reshaping the nation’s service sector.
Click above to watch the video!
In this exclusive interview, Loren Moss of Finance Colombia sits down with Jiménez at his newest property, Destino. Their conversation covers a journey of hardship, recovery, and a radical commitment to social responsibility that challenges traditional corporate models. For the international investment community, Jiménez’s trajectory offers a window into the burgeoning mid-market hospitality segments that are being built on authentic local experience and a rigorous focus on consumer security.
This evolution is particularly evident in his recent move to professionalize the transportation industry at El Dorado International Airport. By integrating technology and hospitality standards into the taxi sector, Jiménez is working to eliminate the friction points that historically deter foreign business travelers. It is a narrative of redemption and professionalization that highlights why Colombia continues to maintain its competitive edge in the regional tourism market.
Finance Colombia: I’m here with Julio Jiménez, the founder of American Visa, and here we are in one of his American Visa hotels, ‘Destino.’ And it’s an interesting name that the company has but the most fascinating thing is your history. Tell me how you started in business. Very young, right?
Julio Jiménez: Yes, since I was 8 years old. I had a struggle, grieving when my father separated from my mother. Four brothers stayed practically in one room, in one bedroom. Five people: my mother, my four brothers; struggling a lot, because of the separation. And from there we started working, because since then I started doing business, since I was 8 years old.
Finance Colombia: Wow, and what was your first business?
Julio Jiménez: My first business was to tell the principal of the school where I studied that we didn’t have anything to eat, and she should let us sell some empanadas, we had empanadas for sale and I started selling empanadas in the Cooperative at the age of 8 years old.
Finance Colombia: And that was here in Bogotá?
Julio Jiménez: In Bogotá.
Finance Colombia: Okay, and after that you started to work at the airport, right?
Julio Jiménez: Well, the bad thing about the empanadas was that I stayed with the empanadas until I was 19 years old. I saw money; I didn’t study anymore. I wasn’t inclined to study, I left after 5th grade but I started selling empanadas at the age of 10, 12, 14 years old and I was able to develop my mind, because I had a stand of empanadas in a corner where I was serving 50 people at once.
Finance Colombia: Wow.
Julio Jiménez: Taxi drivers, regular people, would come to my empanadas stand where I had two soda cases, 300 empanadas, butter, dough and a lot of people talked to me at the same time and I didn’t write anything down. I had a mind where… I knew you ate beef, chicken, a Hawaiian and you ate, and you ate… So I talked to 50 people at once and I was able to develop my mind, a photographic memory, a unique memory. Math is adding and subtracting, just that: to add, subtract, divide and multiply, and I developed my mind. After being an empanadas vendor, at the age of 19, I got married. I started gambling, I got addicted to it. When as a child you see money, and you don’t have a guide, a guide on how to manage finances, how to save money well… Money has chased me all my life, the money, the business, but I’ve been a bad administrator. I fell into gambling since I was 12 years old. Problems with ludomania, addiction, ludomania is the game: casino, gambling.
Finance Colombia: Yes, yes.
Julio Jiménez: Only 3 years ago I recovered from gambling. But the issue here that I want to tell you about is that I had many struggles in my life: hardship, hardship and more hardship. But from hardship something good always comes out. The teachings of each mark, of each wound, of each blow. Then I became a taxi driver at 21 years old, and I drove taxis for 14 years. As a taxi driver, I understood and I knew that I was very good with numbers and with the auditory part, and so I had three radio phones in my taxi listening to where they asked for taxis.
Finance Colombia: Yes.
Julio Jiménez: One here, another here, and I went around all of Bogotá driving but also getting to know people and listening. I’ve been very good at listening. I’ve never read, now I’ve read the Bible, but I’ve never read. But I listened, I listened when people get upset, I listened when people have good energy, when people are positive, when they are negative. And all that I learned in my taxi. Until I saw the El Dorado airport. Because of the people I took to the airport. I’d get to the airport, they’d get off my taxi, but someone else would come and say, “Hey, take me to the hotel.” And the hotels I would take them to, 15 years ago… As a taxi driver, they asked me for hotels. I took them to hotels where they gave a commission to the taxi driver, a commission of, I don’t know, at that time it was 30,000 COP, it was 10 USD today. I’d get to the hotels, they gave me my commission, 2 or 3 a day. I wondered, “What do the people that stay at the airport do?” I dared to let go of my taxi, which was what I knew how to do. I know how to do 3 things in life: drive a taxi, sell empanadas and sell hotels. That’s my art, what I learned. I let go of my taxi and I started selling hotels at the airport. I went from a taxi driver, to getting out of it, asking for permission to a hotel at that time, 15 years ago, I said, “Give me a certificate and back me up so I can be at the airport with a sign-”
“When you dedicate yourself to serve, to help, to protect. That is the motto of the American Visa company.” — Julio Jiménez, Founder of American Visa Hotel.
Finance Colombia: ‘And I’ll get you customers.’
Julio Jiménez: Lorenzo you need a hotel, I have a hotel near the airport, I’ll take you, bring you back, give you food, the entire service. And I started, and like me there were already 200 people working in different shifts, it was a closed circle, that business has been there for 40 years, at the airport. It’s called informalism, being touts. Those that when you get off, “I have the Uber, I have the Uber.” In the whole world, even in China, there are airport touts. So I started selling hotels and it turns out that they are talking to the best speaker, because my God gave me a gift to know how to express myself, to know how to convince and I started selling hotels and I sold 15 rooms daily, when I started 15 years ago, and 15 rooms with 50 percent commissions…
Finance Colombia: That’s very profitable.
Julio Jiménez: Profitable, tempting, but there is also indiscipline, because 15 years ago I wasn’t very disciplined. I was still doing drugs, gambling, alcohol, women, treachery, learning. For me it was easy to earn 500 USD a day in commissions but it was also easy to spend them in one hour.
Finance Colombia: Easy come, easy go.
Julio Jiménez: Correct.
Finance Colombia: You still didn’t have discipline to save.
Julio Jiménez: No, I was paving the road, as I always say, I always had that hardship. The ludomania, addiction management, gambling management, emotions management. I was hospitalized for 4 months in a clinic 14 years ago for gambling management. I committed myself for 4 months in a clinic for addiction management because I got obsessed with gambling.
Finance Colombia: And how did you get over that eventually?
Julio Jiménez: Look, I spent 4 months with psychology, psychiatry in the clinic, here in Bogotá, my diagnosis wasn’t bipolar, it wasn’t schizophrenic but it was compulsive gambler, and that is the worst of all.
Finance Colombia: Addicted to dopamine.
Julio Jiménez: To dopamine, serotonin, endorphins. Everything, everything, everything, has to be like this. And the compulsive gambler risks everything, he does not lose, he plays everything. Unfortunately that was almost all of my life. Many pitfalls and many defeats, since very young the money came to my life and I didn’t know how to handle it, then I met the Lord when I met Jesus Christ… 3 years ago I fell to the feet of Jesus before the pandemic. 6 years ago I had a business opportunity, I left the airport when the pandemic came, I started with a small hotel of 12 rooms, the pandemic came and everything broke. When they reopen hotels, it takes me out of the airport. At the airport they did not want to see me because of a betrayal. I set up a business in the airport before the pandemic, a special transport business of white cars (formalized, legal transportation), and the people in the airport with whom I set up the business betrayed me, he remained because he was a lawyer and I had nothing. He ran things there, and they said, “Julio, don’t call us, we will call you.” They removed me from the airport. I went to the transport terminal.
Finance Colombia: In Salitre, yes.
Julio Jiménez: That’s where I worked as a tout. “Hotel, hotel!” It wasn’t the airport but it was a terminal. We start the travel agency American Visa Tours. It still exists. It is a long story, it would take two hours to tell it because it is already edited even for a book, they already made a script of how everything happened. Because the spiritual connection with God was very big because in the terminal when it was closed for the pandemic, the people were thrown outside. A group of foreigners, of Venezuelans, of Colombians, There was no transport, they’d get here and get tossed on the ground. I had a hotel with 12 empty rooms, so what did I do? I had three trucks like this, owed 8 months’ rent. But I wanted to start again.
During that learning lesson there were nights that I went out to hustle, I loaded people from Cúcuta, I arrived and I loaded people in the terminal, “Going to Cúcuta?” in my truck. I put 11 passengers and took them to Cúcuta. I did like 10 trips. And during that time while I offered that illegal transport to Cúcuta, because it had ended, they also asked me about hotels, so I packaged hotel and transport, so I could survive, but in that time I realized that people couldn’t pay. Not for the hotel, or transport, or food. Because they are like refugees, if it’s bad here, it’s worse in Venezuela. So what did we do, what did the Lord do through me? I have an empty hotel, I have a truck to take people, it’s raining, kids are getting wet, the grandparents, the pregnant women… Let’s help them. And on several occasions we opened the hotel doors, which was broke. And we gave them free nights and gifted them a chicken or something to eat.
There, my dear Lorenzo, Heaven’s doors opened, and American Visa started. With that act of faith, of love, I don’t know what happened, God simply made a blessing here because for the past 6 years American Visa, which was born in that hardship, has not stopped receiving blessings. Today we are a hotel chain with 8 hotels. A travel agency, three agencies we own, the restaurant chain the technology company. More than 7 companies.
Finance Colombia: These hotels are beautiful. I think it’s new, it’s like international class. We went, without knowing you, we went to eat in Camelia, your restaurant in route 40, yesterday. It’s good. I’m always here in Bogotá in an event in Corferias. I remember seeing your brand in front of the embassy because you have services, packages, everything included not only for holidays but people who come for business in the embassy, people who are in Corferias because everything here is close to Corferias. What is like, the market or what is the audience or the passengers you aim for? I’m not going to say strategy, but which travelers fit best with what you do?
Julio Jiménez: I learned as a taxi driver that a tourist requires a hotel. Requires a good restaurant and requires security. When the three things are given to a tourist, it turns into an ecosystem. Why not build the ecosystem? Transport, tourism accommodation, restaurants everything they need in one place. That’s what American Visa does. And everyone who arrives at the airport, well now with technology and social media and digital media many people are getting to know us. But my true business, where I started, it was airlines. When they lose a connecting flight, when they cancel a lot of flights, what they do is call American Visa. Because we have restaurants 24 hours, transport 24 hours and everything is ready to see you. From one to a thousand people a day.
Finance Colombia: It has happened to me many times in El Dorado, going back to Rionegro. It has happened to me.
Julio Jiménez: Now with this gigantic ecosystem, here we have over 500 rooms in Bogotá, not only for airlines but also to receive the international agencies that arrive in Bogotá. We receive them 24 hours, we have service in the airport 24 hours 365 days a year in which the first thing you do is to have kind face to greet you and take you to the hotel without cost because it is included in the package. We have a restaurant that works 24 hours so whenever you get there, you’ll find food. We have our agents, language, we have our employees who work here willing to give love.
Finance Colombia: And that is the last thing I wanted to talk to you about, that this moment is my first time to meet you but I have known… We are here recording the ANATO Vitrina Turística event, the most important tourism event in Colombia, and I met people from your American Visa team, and they all have a commitment that they show but apart from that I have heard stories or cases of employees with humble beginnings, a lady whose mother had cancer and she came to you for a loan, and you were like “It’s no trouble.” And when people talk well about you behind your back, that speaks volumes.
Julio Jiménez: Look, the social aspect, when God blesses us, I met the Lord 6 years ago, when we helped those people on the ground, when we gave them shelter and food. God opens the gates of Heaven and the door opens. That also opens my heart. I have a duty, for the 35 years that I spent gambling, to help, to serve and protect. Today my debt is not with the casino nor with their people but with the people who need help. God transformed all of my illness. Because I keep praying every day. I wake up at 3:30 AM to connect with the Lord and to plan my day and I go to bed at 10 or 11 PM planning what business we are going to do. If there is no business, there is no risk. When you fail, it is cowardice. But when you don’t fail you can know for certain that God has picked you up for good. He does not fail. You are the one who fails. If you don’t fail, there will be no failure.
Every business shines, every business prospers, if you put it in God’s hands. And how? With service. thinking that the person who you help, whether good or bad, a believer or not, is a human being, who needs an opportunity. And American Visa is dedicated today to opportunities it is the company of opportunities. We receive people who have been in jail, people who have made mistakes, those who do not know how to read, those who can’t write, those that have many titles and need to be trained because the ego is killing them. Because today the biggest disease in the world is the ego, and depression, anxiety, so here we are about receiving everyone, giving them a hug and finding the wound to heal the soul. When you heal the soul you connect with God.
Finance Colombia: And I believe that also when you come from humble beginnings, you know what’s it like to go hungry, it is different from someone who is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. It is different when you know what’s it like to ask for a chance. when you know how it is to sleep on the floor, like when you were helping them. And helping them without knowing what will happen later, and look at all of this. How many hotels do you have?
Julio Jiménez: Eight hotels. We own three buildings and rent five, we own the transport agencies, American Visa has absorbed the companies that today transport to the most important airport in Colombia, they are from American Visa, of the holding.
Finance Colombia: And that is important because, I’m sorry because I know it is part of your story, but the taxi drivers here in Bogotá have a bad reputation. I wouldn’t say I’m scared, but I look for white cars, because I don’t want to be scammed, to be overcharged because it’s Sunday, or because of a foreign accent, and I look for a reliable transport, reliable people. And if you offer that, how can a traveler get in touch with you? Do you have a website?
Julio Jiménez: Right now, we have just acquired the Taxi Imperial company, who manages the airport. Taxi Imperial.
Finance Colombia: I know them, yes.
Julio Jiménez: American Visa at this moment has strategies… today is February 26, 2026. I ask you that you count 6 months. Give me 6 months my dear Lorenzo, and in 6 months, I’m putting it on the record. What image is the yellow taxi going to have? In 6 months, with the help of our Lord, we plan to transform the yellow transport. You will find the cabins where you will receive a friendly attention, “Where are you going, sir?” I offer you the yellow taxi, or the special service. But the yellow taxi will come out with the predetermined rate so you will see how much the user will pay without surprises. You will have a video camera and audio, if you wish, for security, if you forget an object, if you forget a bag or anything. This project is designed in service of the user. And to improve the image of the taxi driver. But image is improved with proof. And proof will be difficult because it’s a union, I was a taxi driver for 14 years and I charged hard, we are used to charging hard. But if the people who were overcharged paid for a bad service, when you know how much you will pay, with a good service, you will use the service again.
Finance Colombia: I pay more to have no surprises, rather than look for cheap but in the end get surprises.
Julio Jiménez: No, look, I can’t go over the speed limit but I will drive you safely. I’m not going to put reggaeton music, “What music do you want to listen?” I’m going to give you a water bottle, show you the videos that we are going to put in the back, because we are going to have corporate videos about Colombian tourism. We’ll show the hotels, restaurants, travel agencies. Everything you can do in Colombia. We will be professional drivers. Not taxi drivers. Every taxi driver at the airport will be a commercial driver. Selling services, selling a safe package, we are not going to overcharge anymore, we are going to do things well. And that client, we will call them after drop off, Lorenzo is going to his house in Cedritos, in 10 minutes we will call him, “Mr. Lorenzo, how was Mr. Camilo?” “How did he treat you? Would you use the service again?” It’s a post-sale, what we plan to do. That’s why I’m saying, give us 6 months, and you’ll hear about what we did with the yellow taxi in the airport.
Finance Colombia: So in September we are going to do another interview to see how it’s going.
Julio Jiménez: Gladly, I’ll be there to give you the numbers and the statistics of how we did it.
Finance Colombia: Excellent, it’s been an honor. Look, it is impressive what you do here, thanks for your time I know you are very busy in ANATO, we are as well, but what you have done so far is very impressive, I want to see you continue with these successes.
Julio Jiménez: It is for God’s glory, for the inspiration of people to see that all dreams can be fulfilled by faith, by the name of the Lord and in the name of helping society, which is the most important thing because the last thing you think about is in the profit, it will come later. But when you dedicate yourself to serve, to help, to protect. That is the motto of the American Visa company.
Finance Colombia: Well, American Visa, thank you very much.
Julio Jiménez: Thank you Lorenzo, God be with you.
Colombia’s Banco de la República is preparing for a significant shift in monetary policy as inflationary risks deteriorate. According to the latest report from the Dirección de Investigaciones Económicas, Sectoriales y de Mercados at Bancolombia (NYSE: CIB), persistent internal pressures and a less favorable external environment are driving the need for a more restrictive stance.
Bancolombia’s analysts expect the Junta Directiva of the Banco de la República to increase its policy interest rate by 100 basis points, bringing it to 11.25 percent. This forecast suggests that the first half of 2026 will be characterized by a more aggressive tightening cycle than previously anticipated, with the rate potentially reaching 12.75 percent.
The international landscape is playing an increasingly decisive role in these local policy configurations. A recent week of central bank decisions globally revealed a shift in tone among major financial institutions, primarily due to rising uncertainty stemming from the conflict in Iran. This geopolitical tension has directly impacted costs for energy, transportation, and agricultural inputs.
“The increase responds to the need to send a clear signal of commitment to price stability.” — Dirección de Investigaciones Económicas, Sectoriales y de Mercados at Bancolombia.
In the US, economic activity shows signs of moderation, yet producer price inflation in February exceeded expectations. The yield curve for US Treasuries, managed by the US Department of the Treasury, has shown mixed behavior as the conflict escalates, with the spread between 10-year and 3-month bonds reaching levels not seen since 2023. Inflation expectations in the US have rebounded in the short term, though they remain anchored over longer horizons.
| Forecast Category | Mar-25 | Sep-25 | Dec-25 | Feb-26 | Mar-26 |
| Year-end 2026 Inflation | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4.5% | 6.2% | 6.2% |
| Year-end 2027 Inflation | — | — | — | 4.8% | 4.8% |
| Year-end 2026 Policy Rate | 6.50% | 8.00% | 9.25% | 11.75% | 11.75% |
| Year-end 2027 Policy Rate | — | — | 8.00% | 9.75% | 10.00% |
Domestically, the business indices from think-tank Fedesarrollo showed mixed results for February. However, there are positive indicators in the labor market, as the urban unemployment rate across the 13 primary metropolitan areas continued its downward trend. Additionally, goods exports recorded an advance during the same period.
In the local fixed-income market, the TES fixed-rate curve saw a recovery last week. However, the March Financial Institutions Survey suggests that devaluations of TES may persist in the short term. Long-term TES Class B placements in the first quarter reached 1.0 percent of the GDP.
Chart based on data from Grupo Cibest & the Banco de la República.
Energy markets remain volatile as crude oil inventories in the US increased beyond expectations in the third week of March. Despite this, the price of Brent crude rose toward the end of the week, driven by skepticism regarding a potential ceasefire in the Middle East. The Colombian peso appreciated over the past week, tracking the intensity of the regional conflict.
The equity market results for the fourth quarter of 2025 remained neutral and aligned with market expectations. Global volatility continues to be shaped by energy shocks, geopolitical strife, and a cautious approach toward investments in artificial intelligence.
The projected rate hike by the Banco de la República is intended to send a definitive signal of commitment to price stability. This adjustment reflects not only recent inflation trends but also a strategic effort to prevent the further deterioration of expectations in a high-risk environment.
Headline image: Bogotá headquarters of Banco de la República (Banrepublica). Photo credit Juan Enrique Rodríguez, courtesy Banrepublica
The stunt began, as so many do in the age of viral fame, driven by the need to provoke a reaction.
At 35,000 feet above the Atlantic, inside the sealed cabin of an Avianca B-787 ‘Dreamliner’ en route from Bogotá to Madrid, passengers aboard flight AV46 were unwitting participants in a reckless influencer incident involving a “stink bomb”. At the center of it: Yeferson Cossio, a content creator whose appetite for shock value appears to have outpaced even the most basic understanding of context.
The incident occurred on March 11, 2026, during the long-haul crossing between Colombia and Spain – a route that typically lasts close to 10 hours and operates far from diversion airports for much of its duration. According to Avianca, Cossio activated “an odor-generating chemical device” mid-flight, releasing a strong, foul smell inside the cabin. Several passengers reportedly complained of discomfort, while others grew concerned about the nature of the substance.
What may have been conceived as a prank for social media rapidly escalated into a situation requiring intervention from the cabin crew, who followed established safety protocols for unknown substances in flight. In aviation, any unexplained odor – particularly one described as chemical – can trigger alarm, given the potential risks ranging from toxic exposure to onboard system malfunctions.
There is a particular kind of arrogance required to mistake a transatlantic flight for a social media stage.
Aircraft cabins are not neutral spaces. They are tightly controlled environments governed by strict international safety regulations, with air continuously recirculated through pressurization systems. Introducing any foreign substance – no matter how trivial its intent – can compromise not only passenger comfort but also operational safety.
Avianca’s response was swift and unequivocal. In an official statement, the airline confirmed it had terminated Cossio’s contract of carriage upon arrival and canceled his return ticket, citing “disruptive behavior” that affected “security, order, discipline, and sanitation” on board. The company also announced it would pursue legal action.
The airline went further, emphasizing the context: the aircraft was flying over the Atlantic Ocean at the time of the incident, limiting options for emergency diversion. Under such conditions, even a perceived threat can escalate quickly, placing additional pressure on crew and passengers alike.
Cossio, who commands more than 12 million followers on Instagram and upwards of 19 million on TikTok, has since denied the allegations. He claims the incident has been misrepresented and insists he will release video footage to clarify what happened, dismissing the reports as “gossip” and false accusations.
But denial does little to erase the broader implications.
The influencer has built his online persona around shock-driven content – often involving elaborate setups designed to provoke strong reactions. In previous videos, similar “odor-based” gags have been used on friends and acquaintances. Transplanting that formula into a commercial aircraft, however, represents a significant escalation.
In the algorithmic economy of social media, outrage is currency. Platforms reward engagement – clicks, shares, comments – often amplifying the most extreme content. For influencers, this creates constant pressure to push boundaries further, to transform everyday situations into spectacles.
But what happens when that spectacle unfolds in a high-risk, regulated environment?
The incident has reignited debate in Colombia over the limits of digital content and the responsibilities of public figures. Avianca used the moment to call on lawmakers to advance a Proyecto de Ley 153 de 2025, aimed at strengthening sanctions against conflictive passengers and enhancing protections for airline crews.
The aviation industry, both in Colombia and globally, has reported a rise in unruly passenger behavior in recent years. From altercations to non-compliance with safety instructions, the incident comes amid a wider shift in airline policy toward stricter enforcement of passenger conduct. Carriers are increasingly drawing hard lines around behavior once dismissed as merely inconsiderate. United Airlines, for instance, recently updated its contract of carriage to require passengers to use headphones when listening to personal devices, explicitly reserving the right to remove those who refuse and even ban repeat offenders.
The message is clear: in the confined, high-stakes environment of a commercial aircraft, disruption – no matter how trivial it may seem on the ground – is no longer tolerated. And for the passengers aboard AV46, the experience was not content. It was a disruption – uninvited, unsettling, and entirely avoidable.
Colombia’s security forces believe FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco is alive but seriously wounded following a major aerial bombardment in the remote department of Vaupés, dealing a significant blow to one of the country’s most powerful armed groups.
Uncertainty over the fate of Mordisco — whose real name is Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández — mounted over the weekend after the military reported six people killed in the strike, raising expectations that the elusive commander might be among the dead.
But Colombia’s forensic authority, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal, confirmed on March 29 that none of the bodies recovered from the operation corresponded to the rebel leader.
“After concluding forensic studies on six bodies received on March 28, it was determined that they correspond to four women and two men,” the agency said in a statement, adding that Mordisco was not among them.
Authorities said two of the women have yet to be formally identified. One of the victims is believed to have been a minor, aged between 16 and 17, according to officials.
The bombardment — one of the most powerful in recent months — targeted a jungle encampment linked to the dissident group’s Amazonas Bloc, considered part of Mordisco’s inner security ring. The operation combined air-to-ground strikes with a ground assault by elite units from Colombia’s military.
According to the armed forces, the offensive forms part of a broader escalation of operations against dissident factions that rejected the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC and resumed armed activity.
Military intelligence cited by local media indicates Mordisco was present in the area at the time of the attack and may have escaped wounded. Authorities say he is now “on the move” as troops attempt to close in on his location.
The head of Colombia’s Armed Forces, General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, said the operation had “significantly affected the logistical and criminal capabilities” of the group, noting that weapons, explosives, communications equipment and computers were seized.
Among the items recovered were a pair of glasses resembling those used by Mordisco — a recurring detail in previous operations where the rebel leader narrowly escaped capture.
Security forces have since launched a large-scale containment operation in Vaupés, deploying troops, aircraft and surveillance drones in an effort to prevent his escape. “The objective is to establish a cordon — no one enters, no one leaves,” a security source said.
Mordisco, regarded as the top commander of the so-called Estado Mayor Central (EMC), has long been one of Colombia’s most wanted men. Authorities have placed a reward of 5 billion pesos (about $1.3 million) for information leading to his capture, while the United States has offered up to $5 million.
Despite sustained military pressure, he has repeatedly evaded capture. Officials say he has survived at least a dozen prior bombardments.
The latest operation follows a series of blows against his network earlier this month, including the arrest of several relatives and close associates in different parts of the country.
Government figures show that of 18 major operations carried out against illegal armed groups under President Gustavo Petro, 12 have targeted structures linked to the EMC.
The offensive comes as Petro’s “Total Peace” security strategy has stalled with illegal armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla.
A confirmed injury or eventual capture of Mordisco would represent a major symbolic and operational victory for the government, potentially weakening one of the most hardline factions still engaged in conflict.
For now, uncertainty over his movements remains. While authorities have ruled out his death, the extent of his injuries — and his ability to continue commanding operations — is still unclear.
What is evident is that Colombian forces believe they are closer than ever to their target.
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