The 2026 Business Future of the Americas (BFA) summit, one of the Western Hemisphere’s most high-profile collaborative business gatherings, has brought over 300 cross-sector leaders from more than 20 nations to Quito, Ecuador, with the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) among the key participating delegations. This year’s convening, focused on tackling pressing topics ranging from cross-border trade to regional investment and hemispheric security, was hosted by AMCHAM Quito in strategic partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean (AACCLA).
High-level stakeholders anchored the summit’s opening and core discussions, including Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, senior members of Ecuador’s national government, and official representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador. Central to the summit’s agenda was the goal of deepening robust economic ties between the United States and the broader Latin American region, while framing intentional public-private partnership as the most impactful engine for inclusive growth and long-term regional stability.
In his keynote remarks, Edwin De los Santos, current AACCLA Chairman and former president of AMCHAMDR, underscored three non-negotiable pillars for lasting economic progress: consistent regional security, institutional trust that fosters stakeholder confidence, and unwavering adherence to the rule of law. All three, he emphasized, are foundational to attracting foreign direct investment and supporting equitable, sustainable development across the hemisphere. Beyond these core themes, targeted panel sessions delved into a range of timely, high-stakes topics: building more resilient global supply chains, strengthening cross-regional energy security, accelerating inclusive digital transformation, upgrading cross-sector cybersecurity infrastructure, and leveraging the growing influence of artificial intelligence to boost Latin America’s global competitive standing.
William Malamud, Executive Vice President of AMCHAMDR, noted that every topic on the 2026 BFA agenda aligns directly with the Dominican chamber’s core long-term strategic priorities. He reiterated that sustained progress across the hemisphere depends on collective action to build secure, transparent, and consistently reliable investment climates in every market across the Americas. Malamud also pointed to a unique, time-sensitive opportunity for Latin America: as global corporations and governments reconfigure their global supply chain networks, the region is well-positioned to establish itself as a competitive, trustworthy global trade and manufacturing partner.
The Dominican Republic’s delegation also included Rocío Velarde, general manager of Citibank N.A. in the Dominican Republic and a sitting member of AMCHAMDR’s board of directors, who contributed to the summit as an invited panelist. Through its active participation in the 2026 BFA summit, AMCHAMDR has reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to advocating for policies that elevate the Dominican Republic’s global competitiveness, while working toward a shared vision of a more integrated, secure, and broadly prosperous Western Hemisphere.