Ecuador’s central bank has plans for its headquarters in Guayaquil: a comprehensive renovation of the building in early 2024 to extend its life and a new currency museum.

The first step was the adaptation of the ground floor of these facilities, which are located on October 9 Avenue, where 10,000 users come every month. It now has seven renovated customer service windows, a coin counting room and financial service modules for public sector clients.

In previous governments, ownership of the building passed to other institutions, but in December 2021, President Guillermo Lasso signed a decree ordering the transfer to the Central Bank, its director general Guillermo Avellán pointed out. “This act not only returned the symbolic building to the ECB, but also strengthened its autonomy and institutionality.”

The next Government must pay the Central Bank more than 1,900 million dollars for the loans it gave during the regime of Rafael Correa

Therefore, construction studies in mechanical, electrical, hydrosanitary and electronic terms are underway for interventions in the building in the first quarter of 2024.

Avellán, together with the president of the Monetary Policy and Regulation Committee, Tatiana Rodríguez, was in charge of the official opening of the renovated ground floor of the building on Monday, October 23 afternoon, which “will soon contain the new currency museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador, which will reflect the monetary history and the culture of the city and the country. This new space will represent a wide numismatic, philatelic and medal collection that visitors will be able to access,” announced the official.

The Central Bank of Ecuador presented a commemorative coin for the bicentenary of the Battle of Pichincha

This museum will be located on two floors of the building and will house a permanent exhibition on the historical use and exchange of currency and other relevant cultural assets. In addition, there is a numismatic shop, a recreation area, and coworkingcoffee shop.

Other public entities currently also operate in the building which was inaugurated in 1982, such as the National Finance Corporation (CFN), the Companies Authority and the Inland Revenue Authority (SRI).

The agency that has SRI there again paid attention to taxpayers and citizens on Friday, October 20, in all the services it offers, such as registration, update and suspension of RUC, generation and recovery of keys, tax information, among others. Working hours are from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The goal is to have closer care centers. Director of SRI Francisco Briones pointed out that this agency has banks around it and that they deal with RUC procedures, information on procedures and tax refunds, especially for the elderly.