Do you mind sharing the name of the microfinance bank you deposit at?
http://www.d-miro.com/portal/archivos/transparencia/tasas_de...
My actual rate is marginally below 8% (alas I couldn't do a $20.000 deposit!), and foreigners basically have to deposit for 1 year, or it gets complicated. All deposits up to $30.000 approximately are guaranteed by the government. The bank is BBB+ rated I believe, and Ecuador is not a risk-free country, so when I say this is "relatively risk free", this is somewhat subjective. I live in Argentina, and that is a whole load riskier.