Ana Belén Gutiérrez, a Spaniard who has lived in Puerto Rico for 25 years and is a graduate of the first group of entrepreneurs and owner of the Ana Belén Mermeladas brand.
“Customers continue to spend, maybe not at the same pace as during the [COVID-19] pandemic, but it continues to be the motor of the economy in Puerto Rico and in the [mainland] U.S.”
— Ignacio Álvarez, CEO of Popular Inc., on the bank’s first-quarter earnings, which although declined compared to last year’s figures due to industry-wide adjustments, sustained consumer spending remains a positive indicator.