At an ADM luncheon, Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone set out the Uruguay Ministry of Economy and Finance's policy agenda, centered on a planned bill to strengthen and unify the transfer system for children and a broader Competitiveness and Innovation bill. The child-transfer reform is intended to widen coverage, reduce administrative costs and direct more resources to child poverty, while the wider package would debureaucratize the economy, facilitate foreign trade and reshape competition and financial innovation frameworks. Measures described for the Competitiveness and Innovation bill include tax simplification for small and medium-sized enterprises, mandatory adoption of the electronic notarial certificate, customs self-clearance and a review of existing fees. The package would also transform the current competition commission into a decentralized service with stronger investigative capacity and a strict separation between investigative and decision-making functions, alongside mechanisms for more competitive public procurement and rules on the second registrant. For innovation, Oddone said the bill would create regulatory sandboxes for the fintech sector, support start-ups, update the investment funds law and strengthen financing instruments for technology ventures. He also said the government would take into account Social Dialogue recommendations to keep the retirement age at 65 and allow early retirement with incentives to defer retirement. Looking ahead, Oddone said Uruguay will begin an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development study on improvements to regulation and policy frameworks, while International Monetary Fund technical assistance is under way on fiscal management and transparency, including fiscal statistics, central government patrimonial accounting and the budget cycle. He also flagged a second-half 2026 agenda covering infrastructure, ports, irrigation, energy and the financial system, and highlighted greater trade openness, including the importance of the European Union-Mercosur agreement.
Ministry of Economy & Finance (Uruguay) 2026-05-13
Uruguay Ministry of Economy and Finance outlines legislative agenda including child transfer unification competition overhaul and fintech sandboxes
Uruguay’s Ministry of Economy and Finance outlined a policy agenda centred on a bill to strengthen and unify child transfer systems and a broader Competitiveness and Innovation bill to debureaucratize the economy, facilitate foreign trade and reshape competition and financial innovation frameworks. Measures include tax simplification for SMEs, stronger competition enforcement, regulatory sandboxes for fintech, updated investment fund rules, expanded financing for technology ventures and possible changes to retirement age. The ministry will also align with OECD and IMF work on regulatory and fiscal reforms and is preparing a 2026 agenda focused on infrastructure, energy, the financial system and greater trade openness.