{
  "id": 1193061,
  "title": "Cuando el microcrédito acaba asfixiando la economía familiar: “No podía pagar ni un café”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/cuando-el-microcredito-acaba-asfixiando-la-economia-familiar-no-podia",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-16T03:45:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "El Pais Economia",
    "slug": "el-pais-economia",
    "url": "https://elpais.com/economia/2026-08-16/cuando-el-microcredito-acaba-asfixiando-la-economia-familiar-no-podia-pagar-ni-un-cafe.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "Manuel Carrier, a 51-year-old father now residing in Olot, Girona after moving from Ecuador over 25 years ago, always dreamed of being a father. He cherishes the idea of sharing laughter, games, and the joy of fatherhood with his partner. However, life threw them a significant challenge. The couple spent nearly 8,000 euros on a private clinic for in vitro fertilization, but the clinic shut down and they lost the money. They tried again, spending another 8,000 euros, and ultimately, they became parents. But Carrier admits, \"We ended up without savings and without a major source of income: the bakery business we had in our home country, which went bankrupt.\" As their Spanish job didn't provide enough to make ends meet, they turned to microcredits, taking out loans of a few hundred euros. Yet, the remedy proved worse than the disease, as they couldn't afford to repay them due to the exorbitant interest rates. \"I reached a point where I couldn't even pay for a single cup of coffee,\" Carrier laments.",
  "summary": "El año pasado se firmaron 3,8 millones de estos préstamos, un 46% más que en 2024, una solución que los expertos consideran que no es útil para resolver los problemas de endeudamiento",
  "key_points": [
    "Manuel Carrier, 51, Ecuadorian father now in Olot, Spain.",
    "Spent €16,000 on IVF treatments, lost both investments.",
    "Microcredits failed to help, Carrier couldn't afford coffee."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The experience of Manuel Carrier illustrates how microcredits with high interest rates can exacerbate financial struggles for families, turning a desperate attempt at relief into a crippling debt burden.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}